# The Larry Sanders Show (1992)

> A paranoid late night talk show host and his obsequious sidekick and protective producer navigate the backstage chaos of a cable talk show.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/1807

## Facts

- Seasons: 6
- Episodes: 90
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Garry Shandling, Dennis Klein
- Network: HBO
- Cast: Garry Shandling, Jeffrey Tambor, Wallace Langham, Rip Torn, Penny Johnson Jerald, Janeane Garofalo, Linda Doucett, Megan Gallagher
- TMDB rating: 8.5/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103466/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: none
- Tone: bitter, cringe, sardonic, neurotic, biting

## What critics say

Acclaimed as a sharp, behind-the-scenes satire of late-night television, praised for its writing, improvisational performances and unsparing portrait of celebrity vanity.

## Synopsis

The Larry Sanders Show (1992-1998) is an American HBO satirical comedy series created by Garry Shandling and Dennis Klein. Garry Shandling plays a fictionalized version of himself, the paranoid, insecure host of a late night talk show, while Jeffrey Tambor plays his obsequious sidekick Hank Kingsley and Rip Torn plays Artie, the fiercely protective producer who keeps the program running. Wallace Langham, Penny Johnson Jerald and Janeane Garofalo fill out the staff and guest circle. The engine of the show is simple and cruel: Larry wants to be loved and respected, but his anxieties, his ego and the constant demands of a nightly broadcast keep getting in the way, and every episode is built from the petty crises of talk show production, from guest bookings and network meddling to backstage feuds and wounded pride. Across six seasons it runs as a serialized sitcom with recurring threads rather than standalone gags, filmed in a mockumentary-style documentary feel that pulls viewers behind the camera. The tone is bitter, cringing and sharply funny, with a warm undercurrent of loyalty beneath the cynicism. Fans of Curb Your Enthusiasm, 30 Rock and Louie will find a similar appetite for uncomfortable, self-aware comedy about celebrity vanity.

## Shows like The Larry Sanders Show

- [Toast of London (2013)](https://ember.film/tv/54756)
- [Ellen (1994)](https://ember.film/tv/251)
- [The Ben Stiller Show (1992)](https://ember.film/tv/699)
- [Episodes (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/29313)
- [NewsRadio (1995)](https://ember.film/tv/3775)
- [I'm Alan Partridge (1997)](https://ember.film/tv/1009)
- [Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006)](https://ember.film/tv/1590)
- [Just Shoot Me! (1997)](https://ember.film/tv/4355)
- [Dilbert (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/4705)
- [Murphy Brown (1988)](https://ember.film/tv/3061)

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