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STUDIO: Paramount Home Video
MSRP: $19.99
RATED: Not Rated
RUNNING TIME: 132 minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Musical Performances
• Karaoke Sing Along
• Never-Before-Seen Extras
• Audio Commentary
The Pitch
“Sarah Silverman gets to be funnier than Jimmy Kimmel on a weekly basis.”
The Humans
Sarah Silverman, Brian Posehn, Steve Agee, Laura Silverman and Jay Johnston
The Nutshell
Sarah Silverman is gaining a reputation as being the cute girl that talks about anal sex and other taboos. Now, Comedy Central has given her a show that has taken off after its mid-season debut of six episodes. Watch Silverman get into weekly adventures with her two gay friends, her quiet sister and local cop Jay.
The Lowdown
The Sarah Silverman Program – Season One is a wonderful entry into the Comedy Central line-up. Honestly, I’m just glad that it’s not more shit like Mind of Mencia. The Sarah Silverman Program premiered with the second half of South Park’s 10th Season back in March. No one thought that Silverman was going to find the foothold that she would, but with the help of Channel 101 co-conspirators Rob Schrab and Dan Sterling she did. But, what makes it crazier is that it’s a pretty straight sitcom minus the bullshit laugh track.
A penis buck is still worth more than a Schrute buck.
The show opens on Sarah and Laura Silverman, as they try to keep a date to watch Cookie Party together. Afterwards, we get the quick intro for the lead characters and the neighbors that fill their lives. But, the action begins when Silverman can hit her timing in the setup. This is where she tends to lose a lot of viewers, as so much of her comedy is dependent on setting up the aura of discomfort. Posehn, Agee, Johnston and the others play off it off and find ways to develop their own voice in the situation.
This is my new desktop wallpaper.
Hell at times, Posehn and Agee steal the thunder away from Silverman during the course of her storyarcs. It exposes the weakness of Silverman’s technique, but it also gives strength to the show as an ensemble piece. Working with the other cast members is where Silverman stands tall and gives her leverage into a new world outside of her stand-up. The highlight for this is the episode Not Without My Daughter. Sarah finds a little protégé, as she tries to break her way into a local Beauty Pageant. Giving Silverman a foil makes her perform better and acts as a backboard to strengthen her jokes.
That’s not to say that the second season starting in less than two weeks should feature a sidekick, because that’s not the show. The program succeeds as an expansion of Silverman’s stand-up routine into a world of ongoing comedy. Hopefully, the supporting cast can ride her star power into bigger roles for themselves. I haven’t seen an ensemble work together this well since the premiere of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. And, if it’s Philly good…you know that you’re onto something.
Beverly Cleary presents "Are You There Sam? It’s Me…Your Infernal Servant."
The Package
The Sarah Silverman Program – Season One is a rather loaded release for a one disc set. The set features multiple commentaries for the episodes featured on the set. But, most of these are rather lame and uninformative. The musical performances are fun, as it gives Sarah a chance to play some songs off the rest of the cast. If that’s not enough for you, there’s also a sing-along section for you to sing about poop and the wonderful things that populate the show.
By the Power of AIDS, I’ll soon be as good as Arthur Ashe.
A few animated sequences that were discarded from the show are also found, but there’s a reason why they’re deleted. You’ve got to be stoned out of your gourd to dig it. So far, I’ve found one Easter Egg. If you go to the picture above the second title pitch, you can click it. From there, you’ll be shown a small clip featuring Sarah Silverman and a guy in a Tron costume talking about Sarah’s asshole.
This set is Sarah Silverman’s strongest work of her professional career and I recommend this set as a blind buy. So, do the right thing and click on the Amazon link to show CHUD some financial loving. You know what kind of loving that is…the dirty kind. It’s the type where you get to kiss them on the lips after you pop. Nice.
The Homeless vs. Stove: Requiem flick never hit theaters. I’m just glad that I still have the press stills.