I rarely watch the late night talk shows. Growing up in the 60's & 70's saw Carson (and Merv & Mike Douglas occasionally in the afternoon, not much else on at times) with regularity, but by the 80's when cable arrived I found other things more interesting to watch the formulaic late night talk shows. Plus I don't find stand- up comedy monologues particularly funny (exception Rickles, Dangerfield and Carlin.) But "The Larry Sanders Show" a sit-com about the genre, may be the funniest show ever done, a masterful satire about the pretentious and egotistical creatures who inhabit the TV and entertainment world.At the heart of it is a trio of very funny comedic actors. Garry Shandling as Larry, Jeff Tambor as Hank "Hey Now" Kingsley, the announcer and sidekick and screen vet Rip Torn as Artie, the producer. Larry Sanders is a completely neurotic and self- absorbed comedian who has made it to the pinnacle of his profession. His main concerns are staying there and also getting laid by hot looking women and if they happen to be celebrities, so much the better. Hank is a virtually talentless asshole (at one time he had been the MC on a cruise ship) who is blessed with a superb voice and an absolutely massive ego. Artie is the producer, with 40 years of being backstage in the TV business. His specialty is kissing ass with the network suits, the guests and most importantly Larry's, while kicking virtually everyone else's. The key to the chemistry of this is that Shandling actually lets Torn and Tambor get the best story lines and consequently some of the funniest dialogue. A word of caution to the snowflakes or anyone who may be easily offended. TLSS is loaded with hilarious repartee and situations that may be considered sexist, racist and homophobic by those who can't appreciate rich, earthy and realistic dialogue.

A few fast points off the top. Talk shows were "discovered" by the suits in the late 50s, but it was not until the 60s, when an accountant accidentally found that one single show, the Carson talk show, was covering almost all the expenses of the network, that talk shows became sacred cows. This show was created to kill those sacred cows and it did so masterfully. It was steady and reliable and fun. Satire so subtle you almost though you were watching a real talk show. Rip Torn was great. Shandling (who more recently played the tortoise in OVER THE HEDGE) was superb. It was a one of kind show and had a loyal following. Rumor is that the show was not so much cancelled as it suicided. Shandling made a request for more money which, the rumour went, was so outrageous that it veritably drove a stake into the heart of the production.

The award winning Larry Sanders show is subtle genius. Brilliantly written, superbly acted and hilarious, it took the documentary style comedy of Spinal Tap and re-tuned it to define a new sitcom style that inspired many other shows including Brit comedy The Office.It ran alongside Sienfeld during the 90s but seems to have been overlooked by the mainstream and is in danger of slipping into obscurity.The series follows the days in the lives of everybody involved in the production of a popular late night American talk show. The action centers around the three main characters, Larry Sanders the star and host of the show, Rip Torn's hilarious producer, Artie and the wonderful Hank Kingsley, Larry's sidekick.The action is split into two styles, the behind the scenes docu-drama and the actual broadcast talk show. The two formats cleverly cut to tell the story of the characters. I don't know how they do it but the show is subtle and understated but at the same time fast moving and in your face.I haven't seen the American version of The Office yet, but I strongly suggest that you don't even bother with it - just watch this instead. There are at least 7 or 8 series of it and you have to watch them in sequence too, because the stories cleverly develop and come to almost apocalyptic climaxes.Do it!

THE LARRY SANDERS SHOW: A COMPLAINT. There is a series 2 of dismal shows like Hi de Hi, Allo Allo, Cutting It and Footballers Wives available on DVD. This is possibly the finest, wittiest, sharpest comedy series OF ALL TIME. And it got funnier and darker in the later series. So why no series 2, (or should I say season 2) release on DVD. Or seasons 3-6? I know for a fact all my friends (well, all the ones who matter) agree with me. Please rectify. I'm too busy to start a petition. But there must be someone important like Brad Grey or the HBO dudes who can sort this immediately. Failing that, Garry Shandling must have some pull in DVD-land (even after making that alien comedy and the one with Warren Beatty which didn't even reach Britain). Please email IMDb if you agree with me. I bet I'm not the only one who wants more than one series of Sanders on DVD. Thank you.