This was a smart,funny and very cynical show that showed Hollywood behind and in front of the cameras. This show may have been about Larry, but some of its funniest moments were all about Hank. Hank Kingsley was one of the most hysterically funny characters in TV history. Hank had such an underlying sense of poignancy and humanity that you had to feel bad for him. One of my favorite scenes from the series is when Artie put Hank into a headlock to keep him from speaking at Larry's roast. Hank actually sat back down at the roast after the headlock as if nothing had happened - imagine the low self worth the man must have had to not just storm out of the banquet hall. Another funny episode is where Hank insists on having Phil write up a script for "Hank's Hot Potato," a backwards, confusing game of Hot Potato. After Phil writes something that includes the audience shouting out a profanity at Hank, all Hank can do is comment on the fact that the audience wasn't supposed to have a line. My favorite episode has to be the one with "Hank's Look Around Restaurant". The tables moved around so you have a different view every few minutes. Everyone knew it was a bad idea, but Hank wanted it so badly. When Larry is eating there, the tables creak and wobble and the glasses tip over...it kills me every time. To quote Artie, "That's great television, my friend." And of course, Rip Torn was superb as Artie, the producer whose years of experience in Tinseltown had made him bitter, over-aggressive, disenchanted to the point of being total sullen, and perhaps more realistic than anyone else in that environment.
Also, as an aside, if you buy the entire series don't let season one throw you. The characters struggle trying to find themselves, and Larry is even married during that first season, still I'd highly recommend the entire series as quite hilarious.
