Unlike the 21-gun salute given the departure of "Seinfeld," there is only the occasional round of sniper fire as "The Larry Sanders Show" goes off the air Sunday after six seasons on the pay cable channel HBO.
Those shots are the lingering result of the lawsuits bandied back and forth between series star and co-creator Garry Shandling and Shandling's former manager, Brad Grey. Shandling accuses Grey of putting the interests of his production company, Brillstein-Grey Entertainment, ahead of the comedian's career.
Followers of the drama find it difficult to resist equating the dog-eat-dog world of the show with the dog-eat-dog world of the lawsuits--seeing a kinship between Larry Sanders, self-absorbed, perfectionist talk-show host, and Garry Shandling, the genius comedian who, according to the Grey countersuit, drove writers from his show with his neurotic, ego-driven behavior.
What nobody disputes is the enduring quality of "The Larry Sanders Show" itself, Emmy-nominated dozens of times for its smart writing and top-notch ensemble acting, hip enough to lure real-life celebrities to come on and lampoon themselves.
On the other hand, who outside Hollywood has noticed?
Indeed, the limited orbit of the dishy legal battle mirrors the limited orbit of the series, which never averaged more than 2 million viewers per episode. That doesn't sound bad, given that HBO is carried in roughly 25% of American households. But the network often doubles the "Sanders" audience with a movie or an event such as the recent Tom Hanks space epic, "From the Earth to the Moon."
Still, HBO kept "Sanders" on the air, basking in the glow of its critical acclaim and Emmy cachet.
In its final season, the show has revolved around Larry's decision to step down amid pressure from the network suits to skew his show younger; Larry's corpse is still quite warm as the others on his staff--executive producer Artie (Rip Torn), on-air sidekick Hank Kingsley (Jeffrey Tambor) and head writer Phil (Wallace Langham)--posture their loyalty while acting in their own self-interest. In a typical episode, Hank, hoping to endear himself to guest host Jon Stewart, agrees to dress as a Nazi in a totally tasteless sketch titled "Adolph Hankler."
It's fun to watch, and it begs the question: Why take the show off the air now, when there are so many more delicious possibilities still to explore?
