The Sarah Silverman Program | |
---|---|
Genre | Sitcom Black comedy Farce |
Created by | Sarah Silverman Dan Harmon Rob Schrab |
Starring | Sarah Silverman Laura Silverman Brian Posehn Steve Agee Jay Johnston |
Composer | Adam Berry |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 3 |
No. of episodes | 32 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Sarah Silverman Rob Schrab Dan Sterling Heidi Herzon |
Production locations | Hollywood Center Studios, Hollywood, California |
Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 22 minutes |
Production companies | Eleven Eleven O' Clock Productions Oil Factory, Inc. Comedy Partners |
Original release | |
Network | Comedy Central |
Release | February 1, 2007 – April 15, 2010 |
The Sarah Silverman Program (stylized as The Sarah Silverman Program.) is an American television sitcom, which ran from February 1, 2007, to April 15, 2010, on Comedy Central [1] starring comedian and actress Sarah Silverman, who created the series with Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab. The Sarah Silverman Program faced cancellation in 2009 when Comedy Central and the producers were unable to reach an agreement for the show's per-episode budget. LGBT-interest cable channel Logo stepped in to co-produce the third season. [2]
Episodes revolve around the adventures of Sarah and her friends in Valley Village, California, a district in the San Fernando Valley portion of Los Angeles that is portrayed as an autonomous city within the show. Silverman plays a fictionalized version of herself, a single, unemployed woman who leads an irresponsible life. Her most notable trait is her undiluted, childlike self-absorption, which commonly leads to awkward comedic situations in which she insults friends, family, and total strangers. The show tackled issues such as abortion, racism, and same-sex marriage; it was canceled after three seasons. [3] [4] The show was filmed at Hollywood Center Studios, Hollywood, California.
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | Network | |||
1 | 6 | February 1, 2007 | March 8, 2007 | Comedy Central | |
2 | 16 | October 3, 2007 | December 11, 2008 | ||
3 | 10 | February 4, 2010 | April 15, 2010 |
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike put The Sarah Silverman Program on hiatus in November 2007. [8] The second half of the second season began airing on October 8, 2008. [9] The third season premiered February 4, 2010. [10] The series's first TV-MA rated episode, "Just Breve" (episode 308), aired on April 1, 2010.
The complete series was released on DVD in 2012. The series is available in open matte 16:9 high definition on various online retailers. The blackface-themed episode "Face Wars" from the second season is not available online.
DVD name | Release date | No. of episodes | Additional information |
---|---|---|---|
Season 1 | October 2, 2007 | 6 | Audio commentary, musical performances, karaoke sing-along, and never before seen extras. A Best Buy exclusive, comes with bonus disc of Sarah's various Comedy Central material from Roasts and Crank Yankers . |
Season 2 (Volume 1) | October 14, 2008 | 6 | Audio commentary, digital shorts, behind-the-scenes footage, and the cast and creators at 2007's Comic-Con. |
Season 2 (Volume 2) | February 9, 2010 | 10 | |
Season 3 | December 18, 2012 | 10 | A Writers Conversation, Odds 'N' Ends, original pilot, audition videos, and audio commentaries. |
The Complete Series | June 19, 2012 | 32 |
A soundtrack album was released on March 2, 2010 entitled From Our Rears to Your Ears. It contains 99 tracks from the show's three seasons.
The show's premiere drew impressive ratings, 1.8 million total viewers and 1.3 with the 18–49 demographic, making it "cable's biggest audience of the night." [11] The show had the single best debut ratings "for a Comedy Central original since the premiere of the animated series Drawn Together (2.2 million viewers) in 2004." [12] On February 12, 2007, eleven days after the show's premiere, Comedy Central announced that it had "ordered 16 new episodes for air this fall and next spring." The network claimed the early pickup was because in its first two weeks, "[the show] was the most-watched cable show in primetime among all key demos." Comedy Central called it "its most successful primetime launch in three years." [13]
The show also drew positive reviews. Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle , said that the show was "bursting with imagination, audacity, rude charm, and a relentlessly funny worldview" and called the show "an offbeat gem." [14] Daniel Fierman of Entertainment Weekly called it "totally hilarious." [15] Tad Friend of The New Yorker called the show "The meanest sitcom in years – and one of the funniest." [16] Doug Elfman of The Chicago Sun-Times called the show "a live-action comedy as funny as Chappelle's Show ." [17] Time magazine's James Poniewozik named it one of the top 10 new TV series of 2007, ranking it at number six. [18] The show has also been praised for its non-stereotypical portrayal of a gay couple, resulting in a GLAAD Media Awards nomination. [19]
On July 16, 2009, Silverman was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance on the series. [20]
Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
GLAAD Media Awards | 2008 | Outstanding Comedy Series | The Sarah Silverman Program | Nominated | [21] [22] |
Primetime Emmy Awards | 2009 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Sarah Silverman | Nominated | [20] |
Writers Guild of America Awards | 2008 | New Series | Dan Fybel, Rich Rinaldi, Rob Schrab, Jon Schroeder, Sarah Silverman, Dan Sterling, Harris Wittels | Nominated | [23] [24] |
2011 | Episodic Comedy | Dan Sterling (for "NightMayor") | Nominated | [25] [24] | |
The Larry Sanders Show is an American television sitcom set in the office and studio of a fictional late-night talk show. The series was created by Garry Shandling and Dennis Klein and aired from August 15, 1992, to May 31, 1998, on the HBO cable television network.
Mr. Show with Bob and David, also known as Mr. Show, is an American sketch comedy series starring and hosted by Bob Odenkirk and David Cross. It aired on HBO from November 3, 1995, to December 28, 1998.
Sarah Kate Silverman is an American stand-up comedian, actress, and writer. Silverman first rose to prominence for her brief stint as a writer and cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live during its 19th season between 1993 and 1994. She then starred in and produced The Sarah Silverman Program, which ran from 2007 to 2010 on Comedy Central. For her work on the program, Silverman was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist is an American adult animated sitcom created by Jonathan Katz and Tom Snyder for Comedy Central. It originally ran from May 28, 1995, to February 13, 2002. The series starred the voice talents of Jonathan Katz, H. Jon Benjamin, and Laura Silverman. The show was produced by Popular Arts Entertainment, HBO Downtown Productions, and Tom Snyder Productions. The series won a Peabody Award in 1998.
Laura Jane Silverman is an American actress and the older sister of actress and comedian Sarah Silverman. She acted in Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic and The Sarah Silverman Program portraying a fictionalized version of herself. She also stars as Jane Benson on The Comeback with Lisa Kudrow and voiced Laura, the sarcastic receptionist on the animated comedy television series Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist. Her dramatic roles include guest appearances in House and Nurse Jackie.
Jay Johnston is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his work as a writer and cast member on Mr. Show with Bob and David and for his roles on The Sarah Silverman Program, Arrested Development, and Bob's Burgers.
Brian Posehn is an American stand-up comedian, actor, voice actor, musician, and writer. After numerous appearances as a television guest star, Posehn acquired his first major recurring role in HBO's Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995–1998). He is known for his roles as Jim Kuback on The WB's Mission Hill and Brian Spukowski on Comedy Central's The Sarah Silverman Program. Posehn had a recurring role on The Big Bang Theory as geologist Bert Kibbler.
30 Rock is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live, takes place behind the scenes of a fictional live sketch comedy show depicted as airing on NBC. The series's name refers to 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City, where the NBC Studios are located and where Saturday Night Live is written, produced, and performed. The series was produced by Lorne Michaels's Broadway Video and Fey's Little Stranger, in association with NBCUniversal.
Douglas Steven Benson is an American comedian, marijuana rights advocate, television and podcast host, and actor, best known for hosting the podcasts and TV series Doug Loves Movies (2006–present), The Benson Interruption (2010-2013), Getting Doug with High (2013-2019) and The High Court with Doug Benson (2017). As a comedian, he has released 10 comedy albums, starting with Professional Humoredian in 2008, and has regularly appeared on TV shows including Comedy Central Presents, Best Week Ever and @midnight. In 2007, he was a contestant on the 5th season of the reality competition show Last Comic Standing.
Oscar Martinez is a fictional character in the US mockumentary-style television series The Office. His counterpart in the British iteration of the show is accountant Oliver. Oscar appears in 176 of 188 episodes and is portrayed by Oscar Nunez.
"Blind Date" is the third episode of the first season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock. It was written by co-executive producer John Riggi and directed by Adam Bernstein. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on October 25, 2006. Guest stars in this episode include Brett Baer, Katrina Bowden, Kevin Brown, Grizz Chapman, John Lutz, Stephanie March, Maulik Pancholy, Keith Powell, and Lonny Ross.
Kyle Dunnigan is an American comedian, actor and writer, best known as a writer for Inside Amy Schumer, and for his role as Craig in Reno 911!
Funny or Die is a comedy video website and film/television production company owned by Henry R. Muñoz III that was founded by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay, Mark Kvamme, and Chris Henchy in 2007. The website contained exclusive material from a regular staff of in-house writers, producers and directors, and occasionally from a number of famous contributors including Judd Apatow, James Franco and Norm Macdonald. The associated production company continues to make TV shows including truTV's Billy on the Street, Comedy Central's @midnight and Zach Galifianakis' web series Between Two Ferns.
The 2007 MTV Movie Awards took place on June 3, 2007 were hosted by Sarah Silverman. The ceremony featured performances by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z, who performed "Umbrella", and Amy Winehouse, who performed "Rehab". It was the first MTV Movie Awards show broadcast live to American audiences, and it was located at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. Mark Burnett directed the show and executive produced this year's ceremony. Nominees were announced on April 30, 2007, and the voting for the main categories ran until the end of May.
Sonny with a Chance is an American teen sitcom created by Steve Marmel that aired on Disney Channel for two seasons between February 2009 and January 2011. The series centers on Sonny Munroe, portrayed by Demi Lovato, a teenage comedian from Wisconsin who joins the cast of a sketch comedy television series titled So Random! after moving to Hollywood, Los Angeles. Episodes deal with Sonny's attempts to develop relationships with her castmates and establish her role within the group, focusing on her life working on the show's set, as well as coming to terms with her newfound fame. The main themes depicted include the focus on friendships and adolescence. The series also stars Tiffany Thornton, Sterling Knight, Brandon Mychal Smith, Doug Brochu and Allisyn Ashley Arm. Sonny with a Chance also contains fully-produced comedy sketches from the show-within-a-show. These elements draw inspiration from the Nickelodeon series All That, which executive producers Brian Robbins and Sharla Sumpter Bridgett previously worked on, as well as 30 Rock.
"The Puppy Episode" is a two-part episode of the American situation comedy television series Ellen. The episode details lead character Ellen Morgan's realization that she is a lesbian and her coming out. It was the 22nd and 23rd episode of the series's 4th season. The episode was written by series star Ellen DeGeneres with Mark Driscoll, Tracy Newman, Dava Savel and Jonathan Stark and directed by Gil Junger. It originally aired on ABC on April 30, 1997. The title was used as a code name for Ellen's coming out so as to keep the episode under wraps.
Mathilde "Tig" O'CallaghanNotaro is an American stand-up comedian, writer, radio contributor, and actress known for her deadpan comedy. Her acclaimed album Live was nominated in 2014 for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. The special Tig Notaro: Boyish Girl Interrupted was nominated in 2016 at the 68th Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing for a Variety Special. In 2017, the album Boyish Girl Interrupted was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Comedy Album at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards.
The Bentzen Ball is a comedy festival held in Washington, D.C., first in 2009, and then in 2013. It is produced by the D.C.-based online magazine and event company Brightest Young Things and curated by Tig Notaro.
Harris Lee Wittels was an American comedian. He was a writer for The Sarah Silverman Program, a writer and executive producer for Parks and Recreation, and a recurring guest on Comedy Bang! Bang! He coined the word humblebrag in 2010.
The depiction of LGBTQ characters in Western animated series in the 2000s changed significantly from the previous decade. This included series such as Queer Duck, the first animated TV series with homosexuality as a predominant theme, The Boondocks, American Dad, bro'Town, W.I.T.C.H., The Venture Bros., Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World, Moral Orel, Lizzy the Lezzy, and many others would include LGBTQ characters.