For Better or Werts : TV Worth Watching

DVD ALERT: 'It's Garry Shandling's Show' and 'Ally McBeal'

UPDATE --
Here's the Amazon link to pre-order the Shandling's Show full-series set.

ORIGINAL POST --

Now there's an odd mashup. But they're only together in this alert: Both shows are finally being primed for complete-series DVD release!

It's Garry Shandling's Show is the Larry Sanders creator/star's first sitcom, debuting in 1986 on Showtime and getting a network pickup in 1988 on the nascent Fox network. Shandling plays himself -- an insecure standup comic, natch -- as a San Fernando Valley condo dweller beset with wacky neighbors, strange star pals (Jeff Goldblum, Rob Reiner), and "hilarious" personal situations.

But the whole point was using sitcom conventions to lampoon themselves, at a time TV comedy was taking itself Very Special Episode seriously. Shandling famously "broke the fourth wall" to speak directly to his viewers/studio audience about the goings-on, creating a relaxed and still-enjoyable slice of low-budget videotape tomfoolery. It's a sort of pop culture house of mirrors -- which set the stage for Shandling's more-barbed HBO Larry Sanders Show peek behind the scenes of celebrity.

The Shandling's Show release comes from the fine folks at boutique distributor Shout Factory, who know how to treat TV treats like this. (Their extras-crammed efforts have included My So-Called Life, Freaks & Geeks, SCTV, The Dick Cavett Show and this week's new Parker Lewis Can't Lose.) Looks like it'll be all four Shandling seasons on 16 discs, due Oct. 20. Amazon.com should be taking pre-orders soon.

Ally McBeal was actually one of the first shows on DVD back when the format emerged circa 2000. But all the American market saw of David E. Kelley's fanciful law/romance/Dancing Baby hour was a 2-disc first-season selection called Ally on Sex and the Single Life. Full seasons never materialized from distributor Fox Home Entertainment, possibly because the song-loving show was a music licensing nightmare.

But now Calista Flockhart, Peter MacNicol, Jane Krakowski, Robert Downey Jr. and their loopy lawyer pals look like they're on the way with a full-series giftset in time for holiday giving, as outlined by our friends at TVShowsonDVD. That would mean five seasons on an unannounced number of discs, with a possible simultaneous release of Season 1 for buyers who prefer to collect in lower-cost doses. Amazon is taking pre-orders here.

So now, where's The Wonder Years? Ed? China Beach?

In the meantime, enjoy The Theme Song to It's Garry Shandling's Show ("Garry called me up and asked/If I would write his theme song"):

2 Comments

Randy said:

Hey, D: saw a clip of Tom Cavanagh being interviewed to promote that advertising show...he said "Ed" is on its way on DVD.

June 30, 2009 10:23 AM

Sarah said:

Ah Garry Shandling show, I am pretty sure that was the first theme song I learned by heart. I was also happy when I read that Parker Lewis was coming as it is one of my favorite fun series.

June 30, 2009 2:26 PM

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Diane Werts has been glued to the tube since she can remember, growing up in a household where the TV came on first thing in the morning and stayed on till bedtime and beyond. She worked for the USA Film Festival, then for The Dallas Morning News writing about everything from Shakespeare to macrame art to rock music (and has the hearing loss to prove it). She moved to New York's Newsday to edit their glossy TV magazine, then returned to writing about television, specializing in its stranger permutations. She's a past president of the Television Critics Association.

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