# The Ben Stiller Show (1992)

> A early nineties sketch show that skewers movies, television and commercials with a rotating cast of celebrity guests.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/699

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 13
- Episode runtime: 30 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: comedy
- Created by: Judd Apatow, Ben Stiller
- Network: FOX
- Cast: Ben Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Bob Odenkirk, Andy Dick, John F. O'Donohue, Sarah Jessica Parker, Micky Dolenz, Garry Shandling
- TMDB rating: 7.1/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103360/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: mild
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: none
- Tone: irreverent, playful, breezy, anarchic, knowing

## Synopsis

The Ben Stiller Show (1992-1995) is an American sketch comedy series created by Judd Apatow and Ben Stiller for FOX. Across a single season of thirteen half-hour episodes, Ben Stiller leads a core ensemble alongside Janeane Garofalo, Bob Odenkirk and Andy Dick, performing rapid sketches that lampoon the movies, television shows and commercials of its day. Each episode is built from short, self-contained bits, with the cast slipping into imitations of familiar formats and characters, while special guest stars drop into the sketches for crazy, unpredictable results. The engine is pure escalation: a premise is stated, bent slightly out of shape, and pushed until it collapses into absurdity. The overall tone is brisk, irreverent and playful, with a deliberately knowing edge toward the media landscape of the early nineties. Viewers who enjoy the anarchic energy of The Kids in the Hall, the pointed media satire of Mr. Show with Bob and David and the celebrity-driven spoofing of MADtv will find a familiar kinship here. The show is a compact snapshot of a moment when parody and sketch comedy were reshaping American late-night and cable humor.

## Shows like The Ben Stiller Show

- [KaBlam! (1996)](https://ember.film/tv/513)
- [Casper & Mandrilaftalen (1999)](https://ember.film/tv/1164)
- [The Kids in the Hall (1989)](https://ember.film/tv/1462)
- [Robot Chicken (2005)](https://ember.film/tv/672)
- [Celebrity Deathmatch (1998)](https://ember.film/tv/2299)
- [Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995)](https://ember.film/tv/576)
- [La Hora Chanante (2002)](https://ember.film/tv/12666)
- [Portlandia (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/31222)
- [MADtv (1995)](https://ember.film/tv/4250)
- [The Fast Show (1994)](https://ember.film/tv/2410)

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