"The Larry Sanders Show" Performance Artist (TV Episode 1993) Poster

(TV Series)

(1993)

User Reviews

Review this title
4 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
8/10
Weirdly Prescient
mrdoyle25 August 2015
Warning: Spoilers
The previous review stated that The Performance Artist satirized Bill Hicks' set being cut from an episode of The Late Show with David Letterman. Untrue. In a weirdly prescient coincidence, this episode of The Larry Sanders Show first aired over a month BEFORE Bill's final Letterman performance. (The Performance Artist - 25 August 1993, Bill Hicks on Letterman - 1 October 1993).

It is notable mainly for that reason & Roseanne calling Larry out for censoring the performance artist (Tim Miller) - would that Bill have had the same kind of support back in the day.

The Performance Artist is a great measure of this program's reading the pulse & pressure of the late night TV talk show environment and is as valid (and funny) today as it was back in the early 1990s.
4 out of 4 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
8/10
Larry makes a bad call
Woodyanders7 August 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Larry (Garry Shandling, splendidly neurotic and on edge) decides not to broadcast a button-pushing monologue done by bold gay avant-garde performance artist Tim Miller on his show.

This episode smartly addresses the whole issue of censorship and freedom of expression, with the best and most bracing moment occurring when both Roseanne Barr and Tom Arnold take Larry to task on his show for not airing Miller's routine. In a nicely ironic twist, Miller goes on to perform his racy monologue about being a homosexual uncensored on Jay Leno's show instead. An on target show.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
One of the most influential sitcoms ever
khan089017 November 2009
When you look at the greatest comedies of the last 10 years: The Office (UK), Arrested Development and Curb Your Enthusiasm they are all direct descendants of the Larry Sanders' Show and really couldn't have happened without it. When the show first aired it was groundbreaking, offensive, hilarious and unlike anything TV had seen. It was one of the shows that propelled HBO into the whole "it's not TV" era of Sopranos, The Wire etc.

Today when you look around at shows on TV like The Office (US), Parks & Rec, Community and Modern Family - the influence of Garry Shandling's show is everywhere.

The Performance Artist is one of the more biting and political episodes that satirizes David Letterman's decision to cut Bill Hicks' act from his show 15 years ago. A great episode and a great show.
5 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
Time Traveling Writers?
andylurie-4891211 February 2021
An earlier review for this episode suggested that this was meant to satirize when David Letterman censored Bill Hicks' performance. If that's the case, we need to talk to the writers of the show about their secret time traveling device considering this episode of Larry Sanders aired in August 1993, and the incident with Hicks being censored on David Letterman's show took place in October 1993.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Clear your history

Recently Viewed