So, after never having watched it during its run, but having heard of its greatness several times over the years, I finally watched the series - all 6 seasons of it - over the past few weeks. Man, what a fantastic show. While the laugh out loud moments are somewhat few and far in between, it is just constant subtle humor and entertainment that leaves you smiling from ear to ear throughout every last episode. I wish I had been a viewer during its run, but I probably wouldn't have appreciated it as much as I do today. Phenomenal writing, phenomenal characters, and just a clever, hilarious, terrific show. I am not a fan of Arrested Development, and feel that it is, for the most part, corny humor and they try too hard for laughs with every line, so I didn't think much of Jeffrey Tambor before now, but...wow. Hank Kingsley instantly jumps into my top 5 or so (maybe even #1) in the pantheon of the greatest sitcom characters of all time, joined with the likes of Homer, Kramer, and Louis de Palma and Jim Ignatowski from Taxi, to name a few off the top of my head. His insecurity, neuroses, fierce loyalty and worship of Larry(unless he felt crossed or threatened), willing to do anything for a dollar, and tons of other crazy traits, resulted in possibly the funniest, over-the-top character i've ever seen. It seemed like Hank got the same treatment as Homer did in the Simpsons. The first couple seasons, he was somewhat overshadowed by other characters, but once the writers got grasp of how funny he was and what they could do with his character, by around the 4 seasons, he WAS the show's main source of funnies. Rip Torn was fantastic as well. One question I had for fans who remember the show well: What was with the constant digs and shots at Conan throughout the series? It was obvious to me that they were not the light-hearted jabs that they made at Leno, but were made with malice and definitely had something behind them. I wonder what the story behind that is. Anyway, I was upset when it ended, but am glad that I finally got to see it. Another great show from HBO. I'd put it side by side by side with Six Feet Under as my two favorites that they have produced. Although only Season 1 is currently out on DVD, I think at least season 2, and possibly the entire series are supposed to be released later this year. I'd recommend this show to anybody.
Maybe it just seemed that way. I doubt there is any tension between the two because I remember Gary Shandling helping Conan O'brien out at an award show (he was hosting) with a skit where they were riding on the same horse together down a beach. Oh, and if Gary Shandling had not turned down NBC (they wanted him to replace Letterman), O'brien would not have had a show. Maybe that was sort of like an inside joke on Larry Sanders.
that show paved the way for Curb Your Enthusiasm and other meta/celebrities playing themselves shows that are popular today... Hey Now!