User reviews

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.

The comedy is on point 90% of the time. The characters are believably insane. The stories are understandable and to the point. The series maintains it's quality (albeit it does get kind of dark in the last season or two). Really a fun watch for the incompetence and insecurities on display. Easy to watch as a main focus and passable for background (you will miss much of the performance, there are a surprisingly large amount of site gags). Recommend to really anyone.

The Larry Sanders show may be the finest American television show. The comedy always has the perfect precision and they take such great care to small details. In one episode, Larry visits Hank's office, which he rarely does, and Hank puts his jacket on to try to look his best, that's the level of detail you don't see in most crap sitcoms. No American show since has held no punches and has been so bitterly cynical yet hilarious.

The three main actors really make the show. Garry Shandling as the good natured but selfish and cowardly Larry Sanders really plays the perfect vain talk show host. Jeffrey Tambor as Hank Kingsley really fleshes out the talentless asshole sidekick who you still root for, similar to George Costanza. Rip Torn masterfully portrays the over the top obsequious producer with a dark streak. The simple pleasure of seeing these three men interact is entertaining enough on its own.

The show is actually based on talk shows, you see all the politics and show biz phoniness unvarnished. The ugliness and hypocrisy in Hollywood will really surprise the uninitiated viewer. One wonders how much of Larry was in Johnny Carson and how much of Hank was in Ed McMahon.

This show is a true gem that is not nearly as popular as it should be since it doesn't pander. Any fan of intelligent programming owes it to himself to watch this.

The Larry Sanders show was the best, nastiest, and funniest comedy program on either side of the Atlantic during the 1990s. Filmed without a laughter track, it features Garry Shandling as TV talk show host Larry Sanders (motto: "No flipping!"), who we follow on and off camera.

On camera, the Larry Sanders Show is slick, professional, and vacant, as celebrities appear pretending to be best of friends with Larry and delighted to be on the show when all they're really doing is plugging their latest product and when everyone in the paranoid entertainment industry actively hates everybody else. Exactly like real talk shows, in fact. As a parody, Larry Sanders is extremely subtle, aided by the fact that many A-list celebs from real life appear, showing a surprising willingness to send themselves up (David Duchovny, for example, features in one episode where the main storyline centres on his crush on Larry!). It's bad, but not obviously: you can really imagine it on air (in sharp contrast to Steve Coogan's Alan Partridge, who in real life would never make it even to hospital radio).

But the funniest material comes backstage. The leading characters (Larry, his loser sidekick Hank, and his alternately tough-talking and sycophantic producer Artie) are all so horrible, the main joke is basically that everyone continually behaves in a manner both in character, and yet also worse than you could possibly expect. The sheer unpleasantness of these individuals is jaw-dropping... you continually wonder "did he really just say that?" Hank, for example, after his agent has been hospitalised and he hasn't been allowed to visit, comments: "It's so unfair! I mean so much to him!" then immediately starts phoning potential successors. The character of Hank is perhaps the best of all, his role on the show is to appear talentless and genial alongside Larry, a role he fulfills with partial success because he is naturally talentless but not in the least genial! But all the cast (including many regulars) are wonderfully portrayed, Shandling is great but at the end of each brief episode you almost wish you had seen more of the others... in fact this is probably just another sign of the show's strength, instead of wheeling out our favourites each week for a familiar laugh, this show is always looking for fresh ways to make us uncomfortable.

In some ways this is a very un-American program (there's not an ounce of sentiment, or a hint of redemption for its characters). In the UK, Peter Kay's "Phoenix Nights" is perhaps the closest thing to a successor. But the Larry Sanders show remains a major loss from the late-night schedules.

Larry Sanders has a broad range of humor. When on camera, the humor comes from how unfunny these characters actually are in front of the camera and how funny the audience finds it. Anyone who watches late night talk shows can relate to the "mock show" portion of each show. The behind the scenes, which makes up most of each episode relies on the situations as well as the dialogue which is usually very funny and well written, like something that would actually be said.

The characters were all very different and well written. Larry Sanders, played subtly and brilliantly by Gary Shandling. Larry is always smiling, whether he's happy or not. He's self centered, but not too much of a jerk. His manager Artie (Rip Torn) is more over the top rude and loud, but he's not an unbelievable character. Then there's Hank (Jeffrey Tambor) who plays second banana to Larry and the talk show, but on this show, often steals the episodes, taking many of the main plot lines, and he is hilarious as the alternate universe Ed MacMahon. Along with these three, there are many other less important characters, all very funny.

Overall, Larry Sanders was usually hysterical, but when not, it was still one of the most brilliant shows on television.

Avant-garde and iconic in many ways, the Larry sanders show paved the way for later tv comedies like The Office, 30 rock, etc.

The show is about... well, a show. The viewer get a behind the scenes look into show business and the world of Hollywood in the 90s. It's very topical due to the nature of it being a talk show using real guests, but it only ads to the realness of it.

Not quite a mockumentary (the 4th wall is never broken) and seemingly mostly scripted with streaks of improv and natural, overlapping dialogue, the writing at times comes off as intentionally 'regular' before being unexpectedly whipped in a direction of authenticity and cynicism.

The show is mostly carried by the characters of Larry sanders (Gary shandling), Arty the producer (Rip Torn) and Hank Kingsley (Jeffrey tambor) as well as a talented and funny supporting cast.

Hank Kingsley may be the funniest TV character in all of television... And I mean that as no exaggeration. I have never laughed out loud at a singular character more than any other. Out of all the characters he somehow feels the most real, and is somehow so likable despite being such a despicable person. A legendary performance by Jeffrey tambor.

This show is a must see for any comedy aficionado.

Hands down - this is my favorite television program, ever. For me, it replaced "Columbo" (especially the earlier ones) in this regard. Built around Garry Shandling's delightfully diverse character - the extremely-talented on-air Larry, who is equally-neurotic in his personal life, it presents everything one could want from any piece of entertainment. With Jeffrey Tambor and Rip Torn perfectly-cast in their sidekick and producer roles - there is a legion of talented others in terms of supporting cast, and a horde of A-list celebrities appearing as themselves, both as guests on the fictional show and in Larry's personal life.

Whatever the assigned characteristics the writers have provided the supporting cast and guests - sneaky, smarmy, confrontational, naive, insincere, unpredictable, etc,, etc. - it seems that everything, every characterization, every situation is carried-off without fault and is thoroughly amusing. Where the situation or drama had more serious elements, these were also well-done, without detracting from the show's overall humor.

A major affirmation of this show's appeal, for me (if I needed one) is that even where a guest appeared who was far from a favorite of mine (Rosanne would be the best example) even that person was engaging in the role within the program.

This program also was one where the "salty" language, which occurred in abundance, always added to the quality of the programming and stories, never seeming at all gratuitous. And another confirmation of the quality of this series is that in its subsequent re-runs, especially on local outlets, where many words are "bleeped," the programs are still completely entertaining.

Certainly everyone will have certain favorite episodes. However, this is a show which one can enjoy whenever seeing it again, whatever episode(s) are viewed, and irrespective of how many times they may have been seen before.

I know the participants have gone on to other separate endeavors. But I, for one, would love to see, say, a mini-series where HBO would present "the network" luring Larry, Artie and Hank "out of retirement," and having them do a series of retrospective "Larry Sanders Shows" as part of celebration of some sort of network milestone.

One of my local stations used to run two episodes late each Saturday night. I was able to see a few when aired, but made certain I taped all of them to see within the following few days. I'm surprised that I haven't already bought all of the series available on VHS or DVD, but intend to do so in the near future. These shows are the type which, even after multiple viewings, are more entertaining to see again than most alternatives available for the first time

...and I say that as someone who thought Shandling's earlier show on Showtime, "It's Garry Shandling's Show" was pretty bad. Because this series was on HBO in the 90's rather than on one of the three major networks, I know that not very many people got to see it. I heartily encourage anyone who hasn't seen it to do so. I very rarely laugh out loud watching TV shows, but I did numerous times throughout it's run. Because it was on HBO, the language is R-Rated, so if you're offended by that, I guess you shouldn't see it. But I thought that's what made it so good, because you got stars playing themselves talking in a way that you wouldn't hear them on talk shows or on publicity tours. And Jeffrey Tambor as the insecure sidekick may not have leading man looks, but has superb acting chops instead.

Can't say if this will appeal to younger audiences or not without "getting" the full context. When Johnny Carson left the Tonight Show, the entire US late night TV world opened up and was quickly filled in by competing late-night talk show hosts. It was only a matter of time before it was satirized.

Thankfully, Shandling was the one that gave us Larry Sanders! This is a pitch-perfect satire of not only late-night talk shows, but television and the corporate world as well.

Often opening with Jeffrey Tambor has the buffoon Hank Kingsley warming up the audience pre-show, and then launching into the theme music and show itself. From the get-go, Hank's narration over the titles lets us know that we are going to see more than merely the talk show!

It then fragments its time between the slick on-air performances and the utterly chaotic backstage/office routines. It's like you smashed a sitcom about an office into a late-night talk show.

Rip Torn is fantastic as the Artie, the show's producer and Larry's proverbial keeper/confidant. He thoroughly inhabits that character.

Shandling is amazing as the neurotic, self-absorbed schmuck that worries way too much about everything, but somehow perfectly transforms once the curtain opens. He's believable to the point that you think he's not acting!

The rest of the cast rounds off nicely with their own character traits and routines that keep things fitting snuggly. The celebrity guests are also a hoot; often performing fictionalized versions of themselves that can end up being demeaning as heck!

Almost every episode contains more than one side-splitting moment of truly perfect biting satire. Usually a handful of guffaws and slapstick that are so perfectly timed that I'm left in awe of the writers as much as the performers.

Rewatching in 2023, I'm amazed at how much this has held up. Sure, it's about showbiz, but it also is about our culture and even us specifically. Some of the 90s-centric gags and music might not hold up today, but the overall effect remains bleeding edge pure.

Now this show although good and sort of new at the time doesn't hold up quite as well. Don't get me wrong it is still good and there are a couple great episodes "Hankersiezer 200" is pretty great. I think this was one of those shows that came out early as part of HBO's original series if not the 1st, it just doesn't meld as well as I remembered. This had a fantastic cast & all of them are still working in Bigger & Better things, all except Garry Shandling that is. Jeffery Tambor in both Big Movies "Hellboy 1 & 2" & steady Television, Jeremy Piven is now a legend because of a better HBO comedy playing Ari from "Entourage," Rip Torn in big movies "Men in Black," & another better comedy "30 Rock," even Wallace Langham has a solid role on the #1 TV drama "CSI." In fact the main reason this isn't as good is because of some of the funniest comedies of all time have come out after this & from HBO! "Extras" & the aforementioned "Entourage." So I would skip most of the show except the box set "Not just the best of Larry Sanders."

I have been hearing how great this show is forever so I finally gave it a shot. After watching the first season I have to say that I'm not impressed. For some reason, exactly halfway through the season Larry's wife is at his work all the time. I found that odd. The most interesting thing about this show is that there was one hot girl and the rest had faces(and bodies) for radio. For 13 episodes all I could think about is why there was only 1 hot girl. After Googling her I know why. She was Shandling's real life girlfriend. Even better, when they broke up he had her fired. She sued and won, lol. This show is very watchable but it's nothing special.

For years we've all heard the stories of behind the scenes powerplays, ego, contracts, manipulation etc. among the late night hosts and networks. Ever since Johnny "clicked" with American TV audiences on NBC we have watched a steady stream of after 11pm hosts of variety type shows. Post-Carson we have seen Jay, Dave, Conan, Arsenio, Pat Sajak, Chevy Chase, Craig Kilborn, Bob Costas, etc. vie for the late night dollars. A movie entitled "The Late Night Shift" was made depicting the infighting between Jay Leno's people and David Letterman's group to take over The Tonight Show when Johnny retired.

Now Gary Shandling and HBO have devised a character and show to weave between reality and fiction all in the form of Shandling's alter-ego Larry Sanders. Much like Billy Crystal's creation, Buddy Young Jr., Sanders has taken on a personna of his own. However, what Shandling and HBO have done takes it to new heights of excellence. The stories are witty, funny, provocative, and probably lend more truth to insights into show business then even the most skeptical of us could have imagined.

With an absolutely great supporting cast this show embodies the idea that comedy can be intellectual, cutting edge, and somewhat bitter sharp without excluding portions of the audience. Of special note the performance of Rip Torn, as Larry's veteran producer (Artie), is shear greatness. Torn has fashioned his character after Fred DeCordova who was Johnny Carson's Executive Producer.Artie "knows when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em". He knows when to f__k with the network and when not to and he insulates Larry from anything that would compromise Larry's ability to be on the edge for a great show. He loves Larry like a brother and loathes him for his insecurities, childishness, ego and all that Larry can be that's infuriating.

Jeffrey Tambor is terrific as Larry's Ed McMahon sidekick Hank Kingsley. A sniveling, insecure, limited talent based guy Kingsley is well paid and likes to throw around power. Trouble is his power base is Larry and those staffers that work on the show only do for Hank what they absolutely have to. Tambor plays this character to a tee!

With real celebrity guests poking fun at celebrity, TV, movies, and themselves at times the program almost seems to allow the entertainment industry to safely poke fun at itself in a somewhat scathing manner.

The show ended it's run about a year and a half ago but it replays on the HBO channels each week and is well worth the time to view.

As the creative force driving this brilliant comedy, Garry Shandling skewered the foibles and insincerity of talk shows (with the willing collaboration of many A-list stars) but also exposed his own neurotic and complex personality. It was a strange and unique balancing act and explored with brilliant honesty in the documentary The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling, a must-see companion piece for fans of the show. The series is hilarious but also poignant as the three flawed principals - Larry, sidekick Hank Kingsley (Jeffrey Tambor) and producer extraordinaire Artie (the divine Rip Torn) create a "family" whose lives center on the show. At the center, of course, is Larry - a funny and talented man of contradictions who craves approval but is terrified and draws away when it is offered. He hates the phoniness of the process but dutifully watches the show every night after taping. It exhausts, frustrates and consumes him. The Larry Sanders Show set the high standards for other HBO classic productions like the Sopranos, which came in its wake. You must watch this - no flipping!

Larry Sanders hosts a show named after himself. At the same time, we watch a show about that show, which is also called The Larry Sanders Show. We get to see actors such as Jeff Goldblum playing themselves, and just as the show that we watch parodies the Hollywood film and television industry, so the actors parody themselves, revealing themselves to have the quirks, neuroses, and flaws that make us all human and funny. While all the characters are funny, for me, the funniest character in the show is Hank Kingsley. He worships the ground that Larry walks on, yet carries around a repressed anger and frustration at the levels of sycophancy he can't help but stoop to. He is essentially a nice person, yet can express howlingly incorrect attitudes towards women, with absolutely no insight into why women might be offended, for example when he asks Drew Barrymoore to lift her blouse for the camera. My favourite moment, of all time, was when Hank met the Wutang Clan, and tried to engage them in an urban conversation, but got the "cool" handshakes and lingo all wrong. This was simply one of the funniest comedy moments ever.

This is one of the Best Sitcoms ever written. It's deadpan comedy is deafening and absolutely hilarious. I watched it all again recently and it still holds up like it was yesterday.

I'm a fan...like a huge fan. I've watched everything.

I lean towards the bleeding edge of kafkaesque lynchian weirdness and just outright genius laughter.

The Larry Sanders show is basically proto-30 Rock, except way WAY better.

It's extremely topical, but not due to Larry's monologues, but because of the guests he is booking. The episode with Bobkat and Regis is especially poignant television.

IMHO, should go down with a very few 10/10s, like Dick van Dyke Show, I Love Lucy, Seinfeld, Chapelle's Show, Frisky Dingo - seriously high level comedy writing..it's no wonder it wasn't more popular, it's some of the smartest writing to come from the 1990s, including both TV and film.

In my opinion 'The Larry Sanders Show' is the greatest TV show of all time. People talk a lot about Game Of Thrones, The Wire, Breaking Bad and The Sopranos. Those are all fine shows, but, they are not what I want to watch when I am depressed. The Larry Sanders Show is like an old friend who can cheer me up at any time. It redefined what a Sit Com could be. It has been frequently imitated, but, has never been surpassed. Garry Shandling was a comedy genius and the Larry Sanders Show was his magnum opus.

I rarely watch the late night talk shows. Growing up in the 60's & 70's saw Carson (and Merv & Mike Douglas occasionally in the afternoon, not much else on at times) with regularity, but by the 80's when cable arrived I found other things more interesting to watch the formulaic late night talk shows. Plus I don't find stand- up comedy monologues particularly funny (exception Rickles, Dangerfield and Carlin.) But "The Larry Sanders Show" a sit-com about the genre, may be the funniest show ever done, a masterful satire about the pretentious and egotistical creatures who inhabit the TV and entertainment world.

At the heart of it is a trio of very funny comedic actors. Garry Shandling as Larry, Jeff Tambor as Hank "Hey Now" Kingsley, the announcer and sidekick and screen vet Rip Torn as Artie, the producer. Larry Sanders is a completely neurotic and self- absorbed comedian who has made it to the pinnacle of his profession. His main concerns are staying there and also getting laid by hot looking women and if they happen to be celebrities, so much the better. Hank is a virtually talentless asshole (at one time he had been the MC on a cruise ship) who is blessed with a superb voice and an absolutely massive ego. Artie is the producer, with 40 years of being backstage in the TV business. His specialty is kissing ass with the network suits, the guests and most importantly Larry's, while kicking virtually everyone else's. The key to the chemistry of this is that Shandling actually lets Torn and Tambor get the best story lines and consequently some of the funniest dialogue.

A word of caution to the snowflakes or anyone who may be easily offended. TLSS is loaded with hilarious repartee and situations that may be considered sexist, racist and homophobic by those who can't appreciate rich, earthy and realistic dialogue.

It's simply a brilliant show. All the actors make magic on the screen and the scenario/writing work is TV genius.

It's a funny thing, but I feel like there's not much more to say. All I can think of doing is composing a litany of subtexts/themes that run through the series. So I'll do that.

What's the show about? It's about interpersonal dynamics; the various/sundry temperaments of "show-biz" types; venality; the profound love that motivates humanity; the concept and miracle of true artistry; the harsh realities of trying to stuff artistry through an organizational tube; the many real-world crimps and constraints on that tube, the most notable being the suits "upstairs"; fame; intelligence... and so much more.

The Larry Sanders Show was a miracle of comedic inspiration. And now, it can be All Yours!

Jeffrey Tambor played the sidekick to a fictional Larry Sanders in this take on late night television talk shows. Inspired by the Letterman/Leno controversy in the early nineties and the Arsenio Hall show hit, this series is done without a laugh track and features numerous notable guest stars like Dana Delaney, Peter Falk, Mimi Rogers, David Spade, Kathy Kinney, and others before they were famous. Garry Shandling knew how to poke fun at himself and show business and life in Los Angeles, California. He is surrounded by an excellent supporting cast like Jeffery Tambor, Jeremy Piven, and the unforgettable Rip Torn. His wife is played by Megan Gallagher and the booking manager is played by Jeaneane Garofalo at the peak of her success. The series was first shown on HBO which allowed use of unsuitable language. Twenty four years later on DVD, I can't believe that I missed out on it back then. I didn't have HBO and the Larry Sanders Show was getting noticed by critics and fans alike. At best, it is a witty and funny show about the late night television wars.

There's no laugh track to spoil this genius.

The show flows, and it's over before you know it.

The main characters, Larry, Artie, and Hank, really pull you in with a wide mix of character flaws and weaknesses that are cliché Hollywood.

That said, if you enjoy the mindless schlock that passes for sitcom....character put in situation...satiation happens...laugh, you won't enjoy this show. It's got a mix of obvious and subtle humor.

Added bonus, a real who's who of famous guest stars, most of whom are fantastic on the show playing themselves.

Find it. Rent, buy or download it. Do what every is needed, this is must watch TV.

Why is this great show not on DVD? With all the worthless junk that is put out on DVD how can this classic, one of the best shows ever, not be on DVD? I blame HBO which has put out almost everything in it's library on DVD but overlooks this one. Or maybe there's hassling over rights to the show or royalties to the many stars who appeared on episodes. Maybe rights to the musical numbers are holding it up. Maybe Garry Shandling himself doesn't want it released. (I can't imagine why, it's the best thing he's ever done and would earn him millions). If nothing else HBO should rerun it so we can all tape it again. I never liked the syndicated reruns that censored all the funniest bits.

Thank you Scott Thompson for taking the typically Canadian funny, liberal attitude to this misogynistic series. Thompson is a wonderful comedic actor and a national treasure.

The series derives humour from all (in this case -Jewish) men's inability to understand the minds of females. When religion separates male and females into separate quarters for worship, the understanding between sexes is miniscule.

Rip Torn was one of the greatest character actors to ever go to film and T.V. He was an actor's actor: he did comedy so well. He could play the bad guy believably in dramatic parts. It will be a very long until any actor can fill those shoes. Even Sean Penn cannot do that.

Glad the series was made for the benefit of future generations that might wish to research how men and women were treated in comedy of the 1990's. Spoiler alert: There was no enlightenment between sexes in that period of time. Most of the actors on this series are dead and gone now. That's their legacy.