YMMV / The Larry Sanders Show

• Harsher in Hindsight:
  • Watching Hank awkwardly and inappropriately try and flirt with almost every woman who crosses his path in "Next Stop... Bottom!" takes on a much more uncomfortable air after 2017, when Jeffrey Tambor was accused of sexual harassment by several of the women working on Transparent and subsequently fired from the show.
  • In a more general sense, while more self-aware than Hank, Larry isn't exactly an angel in this regard either, making contemporary viewers wonder how either Larry or Hank might cope in a post-#MeToo world. In fact, Shandling himself didn't cope too well in the pre-#MeToo world, being sued for sexual harassment and wrongful termination after he broke up with Linda Doucett (Darlene) and then fired her; the suit was settled for $1m.
  • Lori Loughlin appears as herself on the show, being accused of stealing money from Larry's wallet in one episode. The gag originally being the absurdity that the squeaky clean star of tame family sitcoms would never do something criminal and completely petty. (It eventually turns out she stole at least some of the money in an ending gag) Flash forward to 2019, and Loughlin was arrested for bribery of college officials and refused to plead guilty, causing her to face serious legal penalties. Suddenly the idea of her stealing money from Larry wasn't so absurd. She eventually pleaded guilty in May of 2020.
• Hilarious in Hindsight:
  • Jeffrey Tambor as Hank Kingsley looks an awful lot like Dr. Phil.
  • Hank becomes offended when he's not asked to play Liza Minnelli in a sketch. (He eventually does). Flash forward a few years and Tambor would star as a transgender woman in Transparent and star with Liza in Arrested Development.
  • It's hard to watch Bob Odenkirk as a sleazy-but-charismatic agent with a fondness for lairy suits and not picture him as a proto-Saul Goodman.
• Values Dissonance: While it can be amusing to some for being deliberately offensive, the show's general attitude towards its female characters can often come off as shamelessly dismissive and sexist — Darlene as The Ditz, Paula (Janeane Garofalo) often given nothing to do, Penny as the put-upon P.A., Larry's various nagging partners, etc., all of which can be very cringeworthy today when sexual misconduct and discrimination in the workplace are taken much more seriously.

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