Synopsis
The 30 minute series stars Garry Shandling as, more or less, himself: a neurotic, somewhat self-obsessed stand-up comedian, who just happens to be aware he is a TV sitcom character. Garry spends just as much time interacting with the studio audience as he does the regular cast members, offering up opening monologues and show-closing summations of the episode's events (much like George Burns on The Burns and Allen Show). On Garry's show, however, all the supporting characters know they are on a TV show, not just Garry; and the studio audience is often in the storyline. In one episode, Garry invites them to make themselves at home after he leaves the scene (they end up throwing a raucous party); in another, a surprise birthday party for Garry's mother goes awry when the audience's shout of "Surprise!" causes her to have a heart attack. In a memorable episode, Garry moves out of town, with his apartment (and show) taken over by Red Buttons; when Garry tries to return, his friends admit they like Red better.
At the time of the show's production, Garry Shandling actually lived in Sherman Oaks, CA, just like the character on the TV show. His condominium on the show was styled to be just like his real-life condo, down to the room layout and the furnishings.
Storylines were often manipulated by Shandling to create more favorable outcomes, or simply to speed things along (one episode ended years later, for example). On America's presidential election night in 1988, Showtime presented a live episode wherein Shandling brought in Soul Train host Don Cornelius to incorrectly announce that Michael Dukakis had soundly defeated George H. W. Bush.
The show's bouncy, well-remembered theme song was "This is the Theme to Garry's Show", sung by Los Angeles musician Bill Lynch. The song's lyrics are self-referencing, explaining how the song came to be ("Garry called me up and asked if I would write his theme song") and asking what the listener thinks of it.
Considered a critical and niche success, It's Garry Shandling's Show ran 72 episodes and was on the air for four seasons (1986–1990). The show was later picked up by Fox Broadcasting Company from 1988 to 1990 as part of its Sunday night lineup; Fox began airing the show from the beginning, but due to longer seasons for network shows versus cable, had caught up by the time the show left Fox in March 1990. New episodes continued for a few months thereafter on Showtime. The show introduced much of the country to Shandling and paved the way for his more successful run as late-night talk show host Larry Sanders on HBO's The Larry Sanders Show.
Read more about this topic: It's Garry Shandling's Show