History Series / TheLarrySandersShow

** Stevie Grant is charismatic and relentlessly cheerful, and will often ply his clients with flattery and gift baskets, but it is blindingly obvious that he is really just a ruthless, unscrupulous bastard who only cares about money.
** Creator/HowardStern visits Larry's home ahead of his guest appearance on the show. Larry's then-wife Francine is horrified, saying "I don't want that man in my house, he is ''disgusting''". Larry assures her that his public persona is just an act. Stern returns to them and seemingly proves him right by being utterly charming and polite to her, even gifting her a copy of his autobiography. Then the second she leaves the room he loudly announces to Larry that Francine seems to be "perpetually [[AllPeriodsArePMS on the rag]]". Later he leaves Larry's office an answerphone message praising her "[[AllMenArePerverts Nice tits]]".

-->Hank's monolog, which opens most episodes

Superb late-night talk show satire that aired on Creator/{{HBO}} 1992-1998, written by and starring Creator/GarryShandling as the titular Larry Sanders, a self-centred and neurotic late-night talk show host ''à la'' Creator/DavidLetterman or Creator/JayLeno. Adopting a curious ArtShift format, the show was [[TwoForOneShow split]] between Larry's talk-show (recorded on videotape) and the back-stage exploits (recorded on film). This effortlessly presented the contrast between the professional showbiz world of the show and the petty, snide backstabbing environment behind the scenes, along with Larry's effortlessly smooth, constantly grinning and in-control stage persona and his insecure, paranoid off-camera personality. The contrast was helped by numerous real-life stars who agreed to play as 'guests' on Larry's show, including Creator/RobinWilliams, Creator/EllenDeGeneres, Creator/RoseanneBarr and Creator/DavidDuchovny, whose man-crush on Larry became a running gag.

* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist: Larry may be charming on screen, but off it he is neurotic, [[DirtyCoward spineless]], [[NoSocialSkills socially awkward]], and [[UngratefulBastard doesn't appreciate his hard-working staff]].

* NoodleIncident: The time Hank somehow managed to chip a back tooth on a urinal. This is both lampshaded, as the other characters are mystified as to how he did it, and a case of OnceDoneNeverForgotten, since they make fun of him every time it comes up.

* UnsympatheticComedyProtagonist

** Larry often enters his office to find Stevie Grant [[Jerkass sitting in his chair]].

* BerserkButton: Artie is fiercely proud, and fiercely protective, of the plants on the show's set, claiming to have grown them all himself. He frequently rearranges them and moves them when he thinks they may get damaged. When Creator/BobcatGoldthwait is due to appear on the show shortly after trashing the set of a rival talk show, Artie sternly warns him not to damage their set, but ''especially'' not the plants. Goldthwait ignores this warning and begins picking up and throwing parts of the set. When he reaches for a plant, Artie picks up and throws ''[[UnstoppableRage Goldthwait himself]]''.

* BerserkButton: Artie is fiercely proud, and fiercely protective, of the plants on the show's set, claiming to have grown them all himself. He frequently rearranges them and moves them when he thinks they may get damaged. When Creator/BobcatGoldthwait is due to appear on the show shortly after trashing the set of a rival talk show, Artie sternly warns him not to damage their set, but ''especially'' not the plants. Goldthwait ignores this warning and begins picking up and throwing parts of the set. When he reaches for a plant, Artie picks up and throws [[UnstoppableRage ''Goldthwait himself'']].

* GutteralGrowler: Artie is rough and tough, and his voice is gruff.

* GutteralGrowly: Artie is rough and tough, and his voice is gruff.

* BerserkButton: Artie claims to have grown all the plants on the show's set and warns guest Creator/BobcatGoldthwait not to lay a finger on them during his appearance. After Goldthwait ignores this warning, Artie makes him regret it.

--> '''''Paula:''' Has Larry even aproved this? He hates doing sketches.''
--> '''''Phil:''' Yes Paula, it's been aproved.
--> '''''Paula:''' By whom?
--> '''''Phil:''' By me. The head writer.
--> '''''Paula:''' Is that truth?
--> '''''Phil:''' Yes.
--> '''''Paula:''' Oh goodie! That means [[PromotedToScapegoat you'll be gone in a month]].

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: In the episode "Head Writer", Phil becomes obsessed with being promoted to the position of Head Writer. Larry wearily promotes him, mainly because he doesn't really care, the promotion is essentially meaningless, and he's sick of Phil asking. Phil soon finds himself being held responsible for a lot more problems and more stress than he can really cope with:

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: In the episode "Head Writer", Phil becomes obsessed with being promoted to the position of Head Writer. Larry wearily promotes him, knowing that the promotion is essentially meaningless but will satisfy Phil's ego. Phil soon finds himself being held responsible for a lot more problems and more stress than he can really cope with:

--> '''''Paula:''' Oh goodie! That means [[KickedUpstairs you'll be gone in a month]].

* ThreatBackfire: Throughout the first two seasons Larry repeatedly ponders leaving his glamorous but stressful career to live [[GrassIsGreener as a nobody in Montana]]. In the season 2 finale, ExecutiveMeddling leads him to make good on this threat and he quits the show. Cut to Larry pacing about outside his new waterside home, evidently bored stiff, his only company a neighbour who has never watched the show and just wants Larry to keep quiet while he is fishing, plus the frogs. Craving his old life, Larry introduces himself to nobody in particular:

-->''"And now, because he made a big mistake... Larry Sanders.[{{beat}}] Fuckin' frogs."''

-->''"And now, because he made a big mistake... Larry Sanders.[[{Beat} beat]] Fuckin' frogs."''

-->'''"And now, because he made a big mistake... Larry Sanders.[{Beat}] Fuckin' frogs."'''

-->'''"And now, because he made a big mistake... Larry Sanders.[[{{Beat}}]] Fuckin' frogs."'''

* BerserkButton: Artie claims to have grown all the plants on the show's set, and warns guest Creator/BobcatGoldthwait not to lay a finger on them during his appearance. When Goldthwaite ignores this warning, [[YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry Artie makes him regret it]].

* BerserkButton: Artie claims to have grown all the plants on the show's set, and warns guest Creator/BobcatGoldthwaite not to lay a finger on them during his appearance. When Goldthwaite ignores this warning, [[YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry Artie makes him regret it]].

* FauxAffablyEvil: Creator/HowardStern visits Larry's home ahead of his guest appearance on the show. Larry's then-wife Francine is horrified, saying "I don't want that man in my house, he is ''disgusting''". Larry assures her that his public persona is just an act. Stern returns to them and seemingly proves him right by being utterly charming and polite to her, even gifting her a copy of his autobiography. Then the second she leaves the room he loudly announces to Larry that Francine seems to be "perpetually [[AllPeriodsArePMS on the rag]]". Later he leaves Larry's office an answerphone message praising her "[[AllMenArePerverts Nice tits]]".