“It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” – The Complete Series
Studio: Shout! Factory
Years: 1986-1990
Rated: Not Rated
Program Length: 1875 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 4:3
Languages: English Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: None
The Program
Fans of television shows on DVD are an apprehensive lot, and justifiably so. All too often they have spent their money to start collections of favorite programs, only to find that the DVD releases of those shows will stall or stop completely. It has reached the point where uncertainty has made some consumers gun-shy about purchasing even the first season of a favorite show, because they want some assurance that the entire series will be released. But, as we have seen, if the first season does not sell well, there may never be a second season. I sympathize, because I own several incomplete sets of TV shows, some of which have not seen a new release in years.
Thankfully we have Shout! Factory, a company which seems to be committed to releasing complete series of television programs on DVD. The best way to do this, of course, is to release an entire series in a single box set. That is exactly what Shout! Factory has done with “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show,” one of the more unique and original situation comedies ever seen on television. You know you are in for something different as soon as you hear the lyrics to the show’s theme song:
This is the theme to Garry’s show,
The theme to Garry’s show.
Garry called me up and asked if I would write his theme song.
I’m almost halfway finished,
How do you like it so far?
How do you like the theme to Garry’s show?
This is the theme to Garry’s show
The opening theme to Garry’s show.
This is the music that you hear as you watch the credits.
We’re almost to the part of where I start to whistle.
Then we’ll watch “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show.”
This was the theme to Garry Shandling’s show.
In 1986 Garry Shandling was a rising star in the ranks of comedians, and he had several options available to him. He had an opportunity to develop a sitcom for NBC, and Johnny Carson wanted him to become the permanent guest host of The Tonight Show. Instead, Shandling turned to the fledgling cable channel Showtime, which offered him the chance to do a show over which he would have complete creative control. The result was one of the funniest sitcoms ever seen on television, and it holds up remarkably well two decades later.
The premise of the show is simple – Gary Shandling plays himself, surrounded by a small but amusing cast of friends and associates. Among them are his neighbor Nancy (Molly Cheek), friend Pete Schumaker (Michael Tucci), and Pete’s son, Grant (Scott Nemes). In Season Four we are introduced to Garry’s girlfriend, Phoebe Bass (Jessica Harper). Along the way we encounter a Who’s Who of guest stars – Vanna White, Rob Reiner, Tom Petty, Jennifer Tilly, Carl Reiner, Jeff Goldblum, Gilda Radner, Martin Mull, Chris Isaak, Dabney Coleman, Dan Aykroyd, and Bob Newhart, just to name a few.
This is the lineup of episodes:
Season One
The Day Garry Moved In (commentary by Garry Shandling & Alan Zweibel)
Grant Gets Broken
Garry Throws a Surprise Party
Foul Ball
The Graduate (commentary by Garry Shandling & Alan Zweibel)
It’s Garry’s Problem, But It’s JoJo’s Show
Garry Met A Girl Named Maria
Grant’s Date
Pete Has An Affair
Fate (commentary by Ed Solomon)
The Morning After
Sarah
Laffie
Dial L For Laundry (commentary by Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Garry Shandling & Alan Zweibel)
Dinner with Garry
Force Boxman
Season Two
Who’s Poppa?
No Baby, No Show (commentary by Garry Shandling and Alan Zweibel)
The Fugitive
The Schumakers Go To Hollywood (commentary by Tom Gammill, Max Pross, & Ed Solomon)
Nancy Gets Amnesia
Angelica, Part 1
Angelica, Part 2
It’s Garry Shandling’s Christmas Show
Killer Routine
Mr. Sparks (commentary by Tom Gammill & Max Pross)
The Soccer Show
Our Town
Save the Planet
The Grant Shuffle
Go Go Goldblum
Garry Falls Down A Hole
Mr. Smith Goes To Nam (commentary by Alan Zweibel)
Season Three
Goin’ Places (commentary by Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Garry Shandling & Ed Solomon)
Pete’s Got A Secret
What’s Happening To Me? (commentary by Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Garry Shandling & Alan Zweibel)
Live Election Show
The Natural (commentary by Al Jean, Michael Reiss, & Garry Shandling)
Home Sweet Home
Vegas, Part 1
Vegas, Part 2
Save Mr. Peck’s, Part 1
Save Mr. Peck’s, Part 2
Save Mr. Peck’s, Part 3
Ruth’s Place
Garry Acts Like A Moron (commentary by Al Jean & Michael Reiss)
Kramer vs. Grant
Grant Goes To The Dogs
Big Brother
Going, Going, Gone
Garry Goes Golfing (commentary by Al Jean, Michael Reiss & Garry Shandling)
Mum’s The Word
Worry Wart (commentary by Tom Gammill, Max Pross, Garry Shandling & Alan Zweibel)
Season Four
First Show Of The Fourth Season
Take My Girlfriend, For Example
Nathan’s Sheer Madness
Super Grant
Dinner At Eddie King’s House
The Proposal
Firehose (commentary by Al Jean & Michael Reiss)
The Day Howard Moved In
The Wedding Show
The Honeymoon Show
Shandling vs. Mull
Leonard Gets Metaphysical
Chester Gets A Show
My Mother The Wife
Family Man (commentary by Alan Zweibel)
Mad At Brad
The Last Show
The Talent Show
Driving Miss Garry (commentary by Al Jean & Michael Reiss)
Although I have nothing but my memory to compare them to, it appears to me that each episode is complete and unedited. The show originally aired on Showtime, but was also shown on Fox from 1988-1990.
“It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” is unique and groundbreaking in several respects. For one thing, it is in a sense a show within a show, but with the line between the two almost completely obscured. Shandling often speaks directly to the audience, both to advance the story and to make personal comments. After one joke he turns to the studio audience and says, “That’s like the weirdest joke I ever told. I’m not even sure it’s a joke, to be honest with you.” I recall watching George Burns make asides to the television audience on the old Burns and Allen show, but “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” goes beyond that. The studio audience actually becomes part of the show, and Shandling did such audacious things as inviting the members of the audience to come down and sit in his living room and raid his refrigerator while he goes out. The show certainly takes advantage of the fact that it was originally broadcast on Showtime and therefore was free of network interference.
The style of “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” is exemplified by a Season One episode, “The Graduate.” Garry is interested in dating the daughter of one of his mom’s friends, Mrs. Robertson (no subtlety there!), but when she asks Garry to give her a ride home she tries to seduce him. Garry later complains to his friend Nancy that he feels like he is in the film The Graduate, and we even get to hear Simon & Garfunkel on the soundtrack. Then the doorbell rings and Garry gets a visit from Norman Fell, who had a small role in the film. Norman explains that he was just watching Garry’s show, heard that Garry was having “Graduate” issues, and came over to see if use his “Graduate” experience to give Garry some advice. Garry and his friends drive around in miniature cars (Garry’s is actually a modified golf cart), and we can see not only the studio audience but also the various sets on the soundstage. Toward the end of the episode one of the cast members is actually reading from a script, and he tells Garry that he has to get home because the show will be over in two minutes.
“It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” also benefits from terrific writing. Judd Apatow says that when he first moved to Los Angeles he tried to spec a script for “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” but gave up because “The show was too good. The bar was too high.”
“It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” was an immediate hit for Showtime and it garnered considerable critical praise. Its influence on later hit sitcoms, such as Seinfeld, seems obvious. If you have never seen “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” before, there is no better way to experience it. If, like me, you have not seen it in nearly twenty years, this set is a wonderful opportunity to enjoy it over and over again.
The Video
The video quality of this DVD set is very good. The original videotapes appears to have been well-preserved, because “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” displays none of the deterioration we have seen in videotaped sitcoms from the seventies such as All in the Family. The picture is generally crisp and free of damage. Colors are solid and accurate and the picture benefits from very good contrasts. It is properly framed at 4:3. Fans of the show will be very pleased with it.
The Audio
The Dolby Digital stereo audio is solid. The dialogue is concentrated in the center channel, but the right and left speakers are well-utilized to provide separation to both the music and the sounds of laughter and applause from the studio audience. There are no subtitles, but the dialogue is clear and completely intelligible. There is nothing here to tax your sound system, but the audio does the job it is intended to do.
The Supplements
Garry Shandling fans will be thrilled to learn that Shout! Factory has packed this set with extras. As noted above, fourteen of the episodes have commentaries by Shandling, co-creator Alan Zweibel, and several of the show’s writers. The set includes a 30-page color booklet which has an episode guide and short essays by Judd Apatow and the late Larry Gelbart.
Seventeen episodes are supplemented with outtakes called “It Only Looks Easy.” These are not really outtakes, but more of a look at how the show was produced because the cameras often were left running between takes and between scenes.
There are also several featurettes:
“Getting There – The Road to the Show” covers Shandling’s career from his days at the University of Arizona to “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show.”
“Being There – The Cast Remembers” is a look back at the show and features Shandling, Zweibel, Molly Cheek, Michael Tucci, Scott Nemes and others.
“Still There – The Writers and Crew Remember” includes reminiscences by Shandling, Zweibel and the show’s writers.
“Try To Remember” is a conversation between Shandling and Zweibel.
“Show & Tell” features insights from writers Tom Gammill and Max Pross.
“Television Parts Sketches” includes two segments from Michael Nesmith’s 1985 television show which were inspirations for “It’s Garry Shandling’s Show.”
“The Shandlines” gives viewers an opportunity to click through the show’s original backstage newsletters.
Finally, the set includes original promos which aired on Fox.
The Packaging
The 72 episodes are spread over 16 discs, which in turn are encased in 8 slimcases. Each slimcase has a photo of Garry Shandling on the front and an episode guide on the back. The slimcases are held in a slipcase, which also has room for the booklet.
The Final Analysis
“It’s Garry Shandling’s Show” is a welcome addition to any collection of television shows on DVD. It is extremely gratifying to see that Shout! Factory has done a wonderful job of packaging the entire series with a plethora of interesting and entertaining extras. Now if only Sony could be persuaded to release a complete set of The Larry Sanders Show!
Equipment used for this review:
Toshiba HD-XA-2 DVD player
Panasonic Viera TC-P46G15 Plasma display
Yamaha HTR-5890 THX Surround Receiver
BIC Acoustech speakers
Interconnects: Monster Cable
Release Date: October 20, 2009
