Buzz
In the late 1980s, comedian Garry Shandling frequently filled in as a guest host on Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show. While his hosting didn't earn him Carson's spot, NBC took notice of his talent and offered him David Letterman's chair when Letterman left Late Night. However, Shandling—who sadly passed away in 2016—turned down the network's generous offer of reported $5 million per year, leading NBC to famously hire a '30-year-old unknown comedy writer' named Conan O'Brien instead.
After CBS offered Shandling its own 12:35 a.m. time slot, the comedian realized he didn’t have the desire—or need—to be on TV every single night. Instead, Shandling co-created The Larry Sanders Show with Dennis Klein, an HBO series that cleverly spoofed late-night talk shows. Below are 15 things you may not know about the influential show, which first aired 25 years ago.
1. GARRY SHANDLING DREW INSPIRATION FOR LARRY SANDERS FROM HIS PRIOR SHOW.
While guest-hosting on The Tonight Show, Shandling also starred in Showtime's It’s Garry Shandling’s Show from 1986 to 1990. In this series, the comedian portrayed himself and often interacted directly with both the studio audience and the camera. During an episode where Garry appeared on a morning talk show (“Take My Girlfriend, for Example”), he had an epiphany that there could be an entirely new show told from the television host’s perspective.
2. JEFFREY TAMBOR MADE A DESPERATE PLEA TO LAND THE ROLE OF HANK KINGSLEY.
Feeling good about his audition, Jeffrey Tambor found himself unusually calling Shandling hours later to express his strong desire for the role of Hank Kingsley. Shandling responded by telling him that making a call after an audition was exactly the kind of thing Hank Kingsley would do.
3. ALBERT BROOKS’S DEFENDING YOUR LIFE HELPED RIP TORN LAND THE ROLE OF ARTIE.
Peter Tolan, the executive producer, believed that lawyer Bob Diamond from Defending Your Life shared traits with the character they envisioned for Larry Sanders’ producer, Artie. When Torn and Shandling first met, Torn refused to read the script until the two had some casual conversation.
4. THE "HEY NOW" EPISODE WAS ACTUALLY THE FIRST EPISODE WRITTEN AND PRODUCED.
When The Larry Sanders Show was available on Netflix, “Hey Now” was correctly listed as the first episode. However, when it originally aired on HBO, it was the final episode of the first season. Shandling credited Dennis Klein for coming up with Hank Kingsley’s iconic Ed McMahon-like catchphrase.
5. THE CINEMATOGRAPHER SHOT ON ROLLER SKATES.
The scenes set within the talk show were filmed using four video cameras and shown once a month to a studio audience. Meanwhile, the scenes outside the talk show were shot on film with three cameras working simultaneously, with cinematographer Peter Smokler backpedaling on roller skates to capture the walk-and-talk moments through the studio corridors.
6. THE ACTORS GOT TIRED OF CLEANING UP THEIR LANGUAGE.
Until the middle of season two, actors would film a second take of completed scenes without swearing, allowing the possibility of airing the show in non-cable syndication. However, they eventually grew weary of the extra effort, resulting in more relaxed edits when it was later broadcast on IFC and Bravo.
7. EDDIE MURPHY WAS THE TOP PICK TO GUEST STAR ON HANK KINGSLEY’S HOSTING EPISODE.
The role in “Hank’s Night In The Sun” was ultimately taken by Cheers star George Wendt.
8. JEREMY PIVEN LEFT THE SHOW TO PURSUE A ROLE IN P.C.U.
Jeremy Piven, who played Sanders' head writer Jerry, was written out of the show in the early season two episode “Larry’s Birthday.” Piven had Shandling’s approval to leave. When his movie career failed to take off, he joined the sitcom Ellen as a co-star.
9. JANEANE GAROFALO LEFT LARRY SANDERS TO JOIN SNL.
Mary Lou Collins (played by Mary Lynn Rajskub) was promoted to booker after Janeane Garofalo's Paula character was written off the show. Garofalo spent less than a season on SNL and later admitted she regretted leaving Larry Sanders.
10. DAVID DUCHOVNY’S ATTRACTION TO LARRY WAS DUCHOVNY’S IDEA.
The X-Files star proposed the idea of his character being sexually attracted to Sanders while they were playing basketball.
11. SHANDLING WROTE THE JOKES MAKING FUN OF HIMSELF.
In the series finale, “Flip,” Sean Penn jokes about Garry Shandling to Larry Sanders—marking the only time Shandling is mentioned in the series. (Penn and Shandling had recently collaborated on the film version of Hurlyburly.) Shandling revealed to The New York Times that he was the one who wrote the self-deprecating jokes, saying, "Nobody can write better jokes putting me down than me ... I know how to destroy myself."
12. DAVID LETTERMAN THOUGHT IT WAS VERY REALISTIC.
Letterman once told Shandling, “This show is like every day of my life.”
13. JOHNNY CARSON WAS SHANDLING'S DREAM GUEST.
Although Shandling wasn't able to arrange a cameo by Carson, he was informed that Carson was a fan of The Larry Sanders Show.
14. BEFORE AGREEING TO PLAY BRIAN, SCOTT THOMPSON MADE SHANDLING AGREE TO THREE CONDITIONS.
The Kids in the Hall star requested that Hank Kingsley’s new assistant actually like his boss (a first, since no one else does), avoid being overly flamboyant in his homosexuality, and be Canadian.
15. IT FEATURED JUDD APATOW’S DIRECTORIAL DEBUT.
Judd Apatow, a writer and producer on The Larry Sanders Show, made his directorial debut with the episode “Putting the ‘Gay’ Back in Litigation.”
