Customer Reviews

Not Just the Best of

5 star:		(60)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(25)

 

 

Larry Sanders is classic comedy that is no longer shown on HBO due to the years since the series ended (1998 was its final year), and when it was on Bravo the episodes were never shown uncut due to censorship and time constraint issues. With the likelihood that so much time passes that it is finally decided that, due to its format, this show is so "nineties-centric" with all of its guest stars that it is too dated to be a success on DVD, I shall break down and buy this set and hope that, with my luck, seasons two through six promptly follow.

The selection of episodes is pretty good, although they tend to be more Larry-centric and more focused on telling the story of the show than just the best possible selection of individual episodes. There are three episodes from season one in this set, so along with Season One which is being reissued, these two sets give us 33 of the 89 total episodes on DVD. There are a couple of episodes I consider essential that I was disappointed to see were omitted from the set. The first of these is "The Grand Opening" from season two, where Hank decides to open his "Hank's Look Around Cafe". The tables in the restaurant moved around so you had a different view every few minutes. Everyone knew it was a bad idea, but Hank wanted this so much that there was no dissuading him. When Larry is eating there, the tables creak and wobble, glasses fall over, and rolls fall off the table. It's absolutely hilarious classic Hank. To quote Artie, "That's great television, my friend." The other episode I wished had been included was "Artie and Angie and Hank and Hercules" from Season 5. Besides the other subplots going on in this episode, Hank auditions to be the voice of Hercules in an animated feature. Hank is upset when he learns his voice is to be that of the village fool rather than the title character. Nobody else has actually listed the 23 included episodes, so I do that next:

Season 1:

1. "What Have You Done For Me Lately?" - featuring Robert Hays - The premiere episode that introduces the characters.

Audio Commentary by Garry Shandling and writer Peter Tolan

2. "The Spiders Episode" - featuring Carol Burnett and Jon Lovitz - Larry is afraid of spiders, and his scheduled guest is a naturalist who plans to bring some on the set.

3. "The Hey Now Episode" - featuring Bob Saget, Earl Holliman, T. Bone Burnett, and Ray Combs - Hank faces Gary's ire when he falls asleep on the show.

Season 2:

4. "The List" - featuring Alec Baldwin, Ed Begley, Jr., and Daniel Baldwin - Gary is in the process of rekindling his romance with his ex-wife, but his suspicions about her romances since their break-up cause him to be jealous.

5. "The Hankerciser 200" - Hank endorses an exercise device that has the capacity to injure people.

6. "Life Behind Larry" - featuring Bobcat Goldthwait, David Letterman, Steven Wright, Kevin Nealon, Tom Snyder, and Richard Lewis - While everyone else is concerned about finding a host for a show that will follow Larry's in the late-night line-up, Larry is only interested in the possibility of him once again not winning an award for the show.

Season 3:

7. "Hank's Night in the Sun" - featuring George Wendt and Shadoe Stevens - Classic Hank. Hank fills in for Gary when he is sick. His insecurity makes him a big hit. Not realizing this, he goes on the next night full of confidence and strikes out.

Audio Commentary by Garry Shandling and director Todd Holland

8. "Office Romance" - featuring Bob Saget - Darlene decides to date both Phil and Gary, causing a clash of egos.

9. "The Mr. Sharon Stone Show" - featuring Sharon Stone and Julianne Phillips - Larry's main concern with his dinner date with Sharon Stone is that she is more famous than he is.

10. "Hank's Divorce" - featuring Joan Embery, Wayne Rogers, and Alex Trebek - Hank's wife announces she wants a divorce on their first wedding anniversary.

Season 4:

11. "Hank's Sex Tape" - featuring Henry Winkler, Norm MacDonald, and Jon Favreau - Hank is chosen as spokesperson for Florida Orange Juice partly based on his reputation as a clean-cut guy. However, a revealing videotape discovered by Phil looks set to ruin Hank's image.

12. "I Was a Teenage " - featuring Brett Butler - Brett Butler thinks Paula is behaving strangely towards her because they once had a relationship. In fact, Paula's behavior is due to a serious medical worry.

Season 5:

13. "Everybody Loves Larry" - featuring David Duchovny, Elvis Costello, Jon Stewart, and Charles Nelson Reilly - Larry is concerned the network wants to make Jon Stewart a permanent guest host. Larry is also concerned that David Duchovny is attracted to him.

14. "My Name is Asher Kingsley" - featuring Tom Poston and They Might Be Giants - Hank is intent in bringing his new found faith on the air with him. His religious fervor lessens, though, when he discovers his beautiful rabbi's interest in him is purely spiritual.

15. "Ellen, or Isn't She?" - featuring Ellen DeGeneres (plus a deleted scene with Larry Miller) - Artie encourages Larry to quiz Ellen about her personal life on the air. However, an unplanned fling between Larry and Ellen makes this task an uncomfortable one.

16. "Larry's New Love" - featuring Bruce Greenwood, Jeff Foxworthy, Daisy Fuentes, Warren Littlefield, and Paul Westerberg - Larry's new girlfriend wants to use her spot on Larry's show to launch her own career.

Season 6:

17. "Another List" - featuring Winona Ryder, Jon Stewart, and Smash Mouth - Once again, Larry feels threatened by Jon Stewart. However, this time he is afraid he is actually going to be replaced by Jon.

18. "The Beginning of the End" - featuring Jon Stewart and Colin Hay - A creative consultant joins the show and completely changes the format. Meanwhile, Larry's agent is courting Jon Stewart and insinuating the show would be better off with Stewart as host.

19. "Pilots and Pens Lost" - featuring Dave Chappelle, Bridget Fonda, and Jonathan Katz - Phil decides to write a pilot for another show. Artie loses a pen Larry gave him as a gift.

20. "The Interview" - featuring Vince Vaughn, Jim Belushi, Ben Folds Five, Maureen O'Boyle, and David Spade - Larry does an interview for "Extra" while Mary Lou can't figure out how to tell Hank she has hit his car.

21. "Adolf Hankler" - featuring Jon Stewart, Jason Alexander, Kristen Johnston, and the Wu Tang Clan - John Stewart fills in for Larry. Problems arise when he insists on doing a completely offensive comedy skit.

22. "Back in Litigation" - featuring Illeana Douglas, Bruno Kirby, Ed Begley, Jr., and Drew Barrymore (plus a deleted scene with Michael Richards) - Larry is hesitant to have an actress on his show that he's dating. Brian considers an harassment suit. Hank shoots videos of celebrity guests wishing Larry well as the last show nears.

23. "Flip - Parts I & II" - featuring Warren Beatty, Clint Black, Jim Carrey, David Duchovny, Greg Kinnear, Bruno Kirby, Tom Petty, Jon Stewart, Tim Allen, Carol Burnett, Ellen DeGeneres, Sean Penn, and Jerry Seinfeld (plus a deleted scene with Illeana Douglas) - Larry wants big stars for his final show, and thus decides to visit David Duchovny to solicit his attendance despite his unease over Duchovny's crush on him.

Please -- listen -- This is an amazing set. Most of these reviews were written before any of the reviewers had had a chance to see the actual product. I have just gotten the set and have looked at about half of it. If you are a fan you have to have this. I may add to this review later but I feel that it is important to post this now.

If you love the Larry Sanders Show, this set will be a revelation to you. There are something like eight hours of outtakes, interviews, commentary, and a totally interesting documentary about the making of the series. There is fascinating stuff here about how the episodes were conceived, filmed, cast -- original audition footage, interviews with the cast members -- not throwaway stuff but really, really interesting stuff about how the show was assembled. Anyone who really knows why this show was, and is, so special will be bowled over by this.

I, too, am disappointed at not being able to get a complete run of the show. EVEN IF THEY MAKE A COMPLETE RUN AVAILABLE LATER, YOU WILL WANT TO OWN THIS. I am not a flak-in-disguise or a covert operative for Sony. I think Garry Shandling put a lot of creative effort into what he saw as a creative revisioning of the arc of the whole series we all love so much. This is definitely not a cynical best-of set with a few extras thrown in to bilk the unwary. It is a creative efort in its own right. Seriously. Plus you get all these great episodes in quality that, previous post notwithstanding, is as good as you will ever see.

Truly, truly -- I think Garry Shandling was involved on every level here, down to the packaging, and it is NOT A CYNICAL ATTEMPT TO MILK $$ OUT OF FANS. You need to know this. This is totally different from anything else I have seen. You will learn a lot about television from watching this, you will see interviews with Tambor, Rip Torn.... all kinds of minutiae that will knock you out if you dig the Larry Sanders Show. You can learn a lot about directing from watching this, and about acting, and about writing (I am a writer). Listen to me -- if you dig the show, you need this. I hope others who watch this set will post their reactions as well. It is brilliant, risky, brave and exhilarating. Thank you, Garry Shandling.

Will this serve as the definitive Larry Sanders DVD set? It will probably depend on the sales. Much of what is here is wonderful. The show itself is as fascinating and enjoyable as ever. Hank Kingsley is one of the greatest creations ever, and one has to wonder how much someone like Ed McMahon, say, resembled him behind the scenes. But even greater to me is the amazing Rip Torn as Artie, Larry's producer, mentor, protector, and father figure. What a remarkable character! I can count on Artie alone to make me bust out laughing five or six times an episode, and that beats even Homer Simpson! I wish there was more commentary on the episodes in this set -- I find these discussions the most worthwhile. Unfortunately there are also a number of conversations taped recently between Garry Shandling and a number of the shows' guest stars, and these are far less interesting. Shandling himself calls them self-indulgent and not intended for public consumption, and he is right. Still, there are some memorable moments. Like Alex Baldwin demonstrating his anger and bulk in a boxing ring -- one prays for unfortunates who may have been intimately acquainted with either. There is a tremendously tedious sequence with Tom Petty -- apparently both men enjoyed some herbal refreshment before the interlude, and they make our eyes droop as well. Then there is the spectacle of Jerry Seinfeld having a cow because he can't find his favorite leather jacket. Yes, citizens, even gazillionaires can get upset over such mundane matters, except that THEY have assistants they can interrogate to resolve these difficulties over their cell phones. On the up side, Carol Burnett proves herself as sly and adept in her interview as she always was in physical comedy. What a talent! So, I am deducting one star for this potpourri of hit-and-miss extra material -- and the dreadful ultra-slim DVD cases. BE VERY CAREFUL WHEN YOU REMOVE THE DVDS FROM THESE CASES!!! Although I have handled hundreds of DVDs over the last five years, Disc 3 cracked almost in half when I tried to remove it from its case. Fortunately Amazon was good enough to replace the set with a new one, but consider yourself forewarned...

This is a terrific collection of episodes, deleted scenes and extras. To begin with the show is terrific- witty, well-done, really some wonderful television. The 3 stars- Shandling, Tambor and Torn are really good together- the timing and writing is top notch. The guest stars and supporting cast add depth to the shows. The DVD set is particularly impressive. It is a great set of episodes- some of the best they did- I might have put in others but that is a minor complaint. The extras are great on these 4 discs. Nice set of deleted scenes and current interviews with a whole range of people associated with the show. Most TV box sets are just not this well put together. Someone organized this well and put in extras that are interesting- at least if you like the show. The addition of original material for the DVD set really adds value to the set. Anyone who appreciated the show should really enjoy this set.

Maybe I'm confused, but isn't the entire point of writing a review here to actually review the product and not simply act as if its a forum to complain about release practices of studios? Personally, I don't think 90% of the reviews here should relate to either people begging others to buy it in hopes of more seasons on DVD, or angry rants about the greed of studios. This is about the product itself. There are dozens and dozens of shows that have released best of compilations, and none of them have this same freakish level of scrutiny. Personally, this has some of my favorite episodes of the series, Hank's Sex tape alone is worth buying any DVD set. But better yet there's tons and tons of special features on this show. I'm going to buy it, not because I hope it will increase the chances of further seasons, but because I love the show, and want to see the features. If you are "protesting" then maybe you should find a cause worthy of your time and energy, and not waste it on things this superficial.

There's not really much I can add to much of what has already been expressed--this is a HUGE disappointment. First of all, I'd be rebuying episodes from season one that I have already owned on DVD for FOUR years now, and second of all...let's face it, I've already downloaded all of the episodes from season two through six for free off of the internet. I'd feel obligated to pay for the actual DVD season sets should they ever get released...and lets face it, if they ever do get released, I won't have to worry about rebuying episodes I would have on DVD if I had bought this set. "Not Just The Best Of The Larry Sanders Show"? More like..."Not The Best Possible Larry Sanders Show Set".

Anybody else angry about this? In an interview in the New York Times Gary Shandling said how he's been working for years on revisiting the Larry Sanders Show. So he tracked down many cast members and guests for their thoughts. The project seems like a real labor of love.

So what do we get? Eight hours of "extras," including a lot of "self-reflection" on the meaning behind/influence of the show...but only 23 episodes!

Memo to Mr. Shandling: you created one of the funniest, most clever shows on television. But we really don't need to be subjected to your personal catharsis.

I MIGHT watch the extras once, if at all. I would have prefered the rest of the series, but alas, this collection seems to be it.

Alright, enough screwing around. It took me only two days to get through this box set - I want more!!! One of the great things about this DVD is the 3 part documentary on the last disc. Absolutely brilliant and inspirational to anyone who has an idea for their own series...

BUT PLEASE - RELEASE THE WHOLE DAMN SERIES ALREADY!!!

Like everyone else who loves this show I was crying out for the full seasons and was upset to only see this best of. But it appears this will be the only release for a while so I broke down and got it and I am really glad I did.

Don't listen to those who are saying the extras are boring. They are absolutely fascinating. In fact, the first time I watched the GS personal interviews I was a little confused. It wasn't until I watched the Shandling one-on-one interviews the second time that the fascination set in.

The Seinfeld interview was terrific. You get the sense that you're seeing Jerry as he really is. The Sharon Stone interview was VERY Sharon Stone (she is very manipulative) and there are mysterious allusions to what could have been a possible relationship between the two in the past? but I could be reading more into that. Tom Petty is a hoot. I could have done with more of the Jon Stewart interview. The Baldwin interview was unique; The Carol Burnett interview was more run of the mill. GS really worked hard to make these interviews different from any other DVD extras and for me, it worked.

I was happy to get this set because it contains my favorite episode, Everybody Loves Larry. But I missed many episodes from the initial run and will get the full seasons 2-5 when they finally release them.

With a show this great, a fan cannot do anything else.

I used to keep HBO just to watch the Larry Sanders Show. Heck, I used to keep CABLE just to keep HBO just so I could watch Larry Sanders. I loved Garry Shandling, Rip Torn, Jeffrey Tambor, and was first introduced to Jeremy Piven's talents on this show. The late, great Warren Zevon, doing a begrudging "Werewolves of London." Elvis Costello, selling Hank an MG with a multitude of problems. Hank and "Playboy After Dark." Burt Reynolds staying in the "little house" after the divorce with Loni. Artie, telling the stage manager to "walk away" after "taking the pink down a scoche." Garry pal Warren Beatty's cameo in the last episode. Larry's tearful "You may now flip" on the last episode. I will buy this DVD set, even if these moments are not on there, and I will buy any future DVD set, even if I own all the episodes, which I do. I was one of the lucky ones who videotaped all the episodes from all the seasons. Maybe Sony has a private police force, so I hope Amazon doesn't publish my e-mail address, or else the Sony posse will be after me. Those episodes I didn't have, I found by hook or by crook. That's how big a fan I am. Look: we all know that corporations suck, and Sony is as bad as any of them, but to me, this DVD set is better than nothing. It's DVD quality, and from the other reviews that I have read, there are extras on there that bring together at least some of the original cast. It's worth the price of admission alone. I watched "Arrested Develpment" on the off-chance that there would be an erstwhile Garry Shandling cameo. That there wasn't a G.S. cameo was a tragedy to that great show. But I digress. Do I think there will ultimately be a full-scale issuing of Larry Sanders? Yes. Hopefully it won't be after Garry Shandling is dead, but I'm willing to wait that long. It's that good a show, one of those rarities you can quote years after the fact. Corporations want to make money. They'll make mine this time, because I know I'm going to get a quality product. They'll get my money again when--WHEN, baby!--the complete series comes out again. That's what you do when you're a fan. That's what you do when you are a DVD collector.