I saw this show when it came out, and I can still remember it and laugh. Using the conceit of the 25th anniversary of an imaginary talk show, Shandling satirizes 25 years of television. Jokes within jokes, comedy that makes you laugh and you don't know why, from slapstick and crudeness to dry wit and wet wit, Shandling sums up the golden era of 80's comedy. He pays tribute to the borscht belt, to every guy who wrote a laugh-tracked crappy sitcom, and to everyone who has told jokes in front of a brick wall, by doing their schtick as well as they ever did. You can't watch a comedy today without seeing echos of the style he invented 20 years ago.
The Garry Shandling Show: 25th Anniversary Special
(1986 TV Special)
a little known gem that changed comedy for ever
14 October 2006