The Sarah Silverman Program: Season 1

It is impossible to watch this show without some kind of strong reaction. There were times watching this show that I laughed as hard as I have laughed at anything I've seen in recent years. But there were also times when I was simply appalled at how unfunny and in bad taste some parts were, as if the point had ceased being to make us laugh and had become to shock and dismay us. There are many moments when I am simply blown away by the brilliance and originality of Silverman's comic vision and times when I wonder if she has any conception of what is funny and what is not.

This is definitely not a show for everyone and it has nothing to do with how well one's sense of humor is developed. There are simply a lot of absolutely terrible moments in these episodes to go along with some hysterically funny ones. If you can filter out or ignore the bad and merely focus on the good, this is a show you will either partially enjoy or consider a masterpiece. But if you can't filter out the bad or if you obsess over the bad to a degree where you can't appreciate the genuinely funny bits, then you could well consider this to be one of worst shows ever concocted.

I especially loved the initial episode, where Sarah buys some cough syrup that has a decided effect on her perception of reality. That episode -- and especially Sarah's self-absorption that is so extreme that she almost obtains a childlike innocence -- reminds me very much of the balance that Paul Reubens was able to strike in PEE WEE'S PLAYHOUSE. Unfortunately, she is not able to maintain that balance through the rest of the series. I did not enjoy any subsequent episode as much as that one, though the one in which she thought she was dying of AIDS came close. Here is a bit that presents the show at its best. Sarah is feeling a bit down so she decides to go get an AIDS test so that she'll feel better when it comes up negative. As part of the exam she is asked to respond to a questionnaire that tracks her lifestyle choices. Here is a bit of that dialogue:

Nurs: Did you ever have a blood transfusion in the 80s?
Sarah: Yeah.
Nurse: (alarmed) You did? You had a transfusion in the 80s?
Sarah: (bemused) Oh! Ha! No--I thought you said in Haiti.
Nurse: (even more alarmed) How long were you in Haiti?
Sarah: Oh that's hard to say; I was doing a lot of heroin at the time.

On the other hand, there are the truly awful moments, most of which cannot be repeated on a board like this. It wasn't merely that they were off color or excessive or extreme. They were simply not funny. And being extreme simply for the sake of being extreme is not funny. Andy Kaufman could pull that off, but few others.

So, this is a show that can only receive a limited recommendation. More perhaps than any other comedian today, Sarah Silverman invites extreme reactions. There have been many moments where I have found her to be as funny as anyone alive and times when I can't tolerate her. I suspect that this is pretty much what you will always get with her. But I will say this: there isn't anyone else out there quite like her.

I heard the buzz about this show and Tivo'd it a few weeks ago. Now I'm addicted. If you enjoy tasteless, no holes barred comedy that will make you squirm in your seat and fall on the floor laughing, this show is right up your alley. The show has nothing in common with Seinfeld other than both are sitcoms and very funny - for totally different reasons. TSSP is more akin to 'It's Always Sunny in Philly' than anything else on the air right now. For that reason alone, it's worth checking out.

A hit and miss affair at some points, but when it hits, it hits solid. The Sarah Takes in a Homeless Guy episode and the Sarah Becomes a Lesbian episode are highlights. Can't wait to see the second season. Oh, and maybe you should watch the show if you think she's in any way trying to be Seinfeld.

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