SUNDAY SHOW SPOTLIGHT: IT'S GARRY SHANDLING'S SHOW

"This is the theme to Garry's show. The theme to Garry's show. This is the theme to Garry Shandling's show."

It's Garry Shandling's Show ran from 1986 to 1990 on the Showtime network and then picked up by FOX from 1988 to 1990. At the time it was unique for a cable show to be picked up and re-broadcasted on network television but FOX was breaking new ground and marking its place among the main three networks. Considered a sitcom, It's Garry Shandling's Show felt more like a reality show with the frequent use of breaking the fourth wall and Garry interacting with the studio audience. Half the fun of the show was Garry speaking to the camera and poking fun at some random subject. Garry usually began each show with a monologue followed by the cleverly written theme song while Garry, and sometimes cast members, pretended to be look busy over the opening.

The principal cast consisted of Garry's friends and neighbors, Nancy Bancroft and the Schumacher family. Other cast members that dropped by were Garry's mother Ruth, annoying condo association president Leonard Smith, and Nancy's boyfriend/husband Ian McFyfer. Pretty much all of Garry's friends knew he was on a TV show being taped in front of a studio audience, and they worked around it. Whatever shenanigans Garry had lined up each week was almost always poked fun at or parodied. Shandling was a genius in making fun of conventional plot devices. Whether it was particular looks into the camera, spit takes, or cliffhangers, It's Garry Shandling's Show would take the idea and run with it. The video below parodies the ending device for two-part episodes. 'To be Continued' is frequently used in sitcoms but it wasn't typical for this show since every episode resolved the issue within the 24 minutes.

It's Garry Shandling's Show would cross into other shows and genres just for the laughs. One particular episode was when the show entered the universe of the soap opera General Hospital. The story originated with a fight between Garry and his mother over advertising her store on his show. After he refuses, Ruth ends up going to General Hospital to advertise and Garry and pals witness it while watching the afternoon soap. Garry and pals enter the hospital and its the actual hospital with actual characters, not actors playing those characters. Using the typical soap opera music, camera work, and stares, Garry Shandling succeeded in making the audience laugh at the parodies. Aside from its purpose to mock lightheartedly, the show wanted to take advantage of Ian Buchanan's (Ian McFyfer) previous ties to the soap opera and actually had him reprise his role of Duke Lavery and reunite with his GH on-screen love Anna (played by Finola Hughes). Buchanan was really able to display his comedic chops thanks to Garry Shandling and shake off that shroud of soap opera drama. The scene is provided below.

In its four-year run, Garry Shandling was able to find and maintain an audience following. The adult humor on the show was a refreshing change for the television landscape, which was slowly exiting from primetime soap operas and dramas, and bringing the sitcom back on the front burner. The show was also heralded for lining up big named guest stars to pop over to Garry's house for a quick cameo. Rob Reiner and Tom Petty were frequent guest stars of the show, and Garry Shandling was the last show Gilda Radner was on before succumbing to ovarian cancer. Garry even got Jeff Goldblum to wish his little buddy Grant Schumacher a happy birthday.

Garry Shandling has a different sense of humor that attracts a range of audiences. Some get it, others don't. His shows have always been types of mockumentaries, as seen with these clips of It's Garry Shandling's Show and in HBO's The Larry Sanders Show. Garry is able to grab the television entertainment medium, poke holes at it, and slowly open each one wider.

The good people over at Shout! Factory released the complete series set of It's Garry Shandling's Show back in 2009. The release was an instant winner for the company as fans rushed to purchase the sets, at $100 a pop. The complete series set release helped establish Shout! Factory's credibility in the expanding TV-on-DVD market and most likely set the standard on how complete sets should be produced. Additionally, the company became the model of studios releasing complete series sets before individual season sets. Shout! took the risk and found out successfully that fans are willing to shell out the cash in order to get their whole shows on one set. You can purchase the complete series or individual seasons from Shout! Factory's website.

Well that about wraps up our trip down the world of Garry Shandling. If you haven't caught an episode of It's Garry Shandling's Show, we highly recommend that you do. You won't regret it, and most likely, you'll end up watching the next episode...and the next one...and the next one...and the next one.

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