Garry Shandling, the iconic American comedian, died on Thursday at the age of 66. Shandling, whose career began in stand-up comedy, became a regular guest host of Johnny Carson’s The Tonight Show and broke ground with his It’s Garry Shandling’s Show on Showtime.
But it was his HBO half-hour THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW, which ran for six season between 1992 and 1998, that became a landmark comedy series, paving the way for every single-camera sitcom that would succeed it – from Curb Your Enthusiasm to 30 Rock. In the series, Shandling plays Larry Sanders, the narcissistic host of his own late night talk show series. The show focuses on the personal and professional lives of Sanders, his sidekick (Jeffrey Tambor), his producer (Rip Torn), and his writing staff – all the while satirizing the absurdity of show business.
The clip featured above, courtesy of the YouTube channel Official Comedy, is from Season One of The Larry Sanders Show, and stars Shandling, Jeremy Piven, and Janeane Garofalo, with a cameo from William Shatner.
