The Sarah Silverman Program | |
---|---|
Genre | Sitcom Black comedy Farce |
Created by | Sarah Silverman Dan Harmon Rob Schrab |
Starring | Sarah Silverman Laura Silverman Brian Posehn Steve Agee Jay Johnston |
Composer | Adam Berry |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 3 |
No. of episodes | 32 (list of episodes) |
Production | |
Executive producers | Sarah Silverman Rob Schrab Dan Sterling Heidi Herzon |
Production locations | Hollywood Center Studios, Hollywood, California |
Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 22 minutes |
Production companies | Eleven Eleven O' Clock Productions Oil Factory, Inc. Comedy Partners |
Original release | |
Network | Comedy Central |
Release | February 1, 2007 April 15, 2010 | –
The Sarah Silverman Program (stylized as The Sarah Silverman Program.) is an American television sitcom, which ran from February 1, 2007, to April 15, 2010, on Comedy Central[1] starring comedian and actress Sarah Silverman, who created the series with Dan Harmon and Rob Schrab. The Sarah Silverman Program faced cancellation in 2009 when Comedy Central and the producers were unable to reach an agreement for the show's per-episode budget. LGBT-interest cable channel Logo stepped in to co-produce the third season.[2]
Episodes revolve around the adventures of Sarah and her friends in Valley Village, California, a district in the San Fernando Valley portion of Los Angeles that is portrayed as an autonomous city within the show. Silverman plays a fictionalized version of herself, a single, unemployed woman who leads an irresponsible life. Her most notable trait is her undiluted, childlike self-absorption, which commonly leads to awkward comedic situations in which she insults friends, family, and total strangers. The show tackled issues such as abortion, racism, and same-sex marriage; it was canceled after three seasons.[3][4] The show was filmed at Hollywood Center Studios, Hollywood, California.
Main article: List of The Sarah Silverman Program episodes |
Season | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
First aired | Last aired | Network | |||
1 | 6 | February 1, 2007 | March 8, 2007 | Comedy Central | |
2 | 16 | October 3, 2007 | December 11, 2008 | ||
3 | 10 | February 4, 2010 | April 15, 2010 |
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike put The Sarah Silverman Program on hiatus in November 2007.[8] The second half of the second season began airing on October 8, 2008.[9] The third season premiered February 4, 2010.[10] The series's first TV-MA rated episode, "Just Breve" (episode 308), aired on April 1, 2010.
The complete series was released on DVD in 2012. The series is available in open matte 16:9 high definition on various online retailers. The blackface-themed episode "Face Wars" from the second season is not available online.
DVD name | Release date | No. of episodes |
Additional information |
---|---|---|---|
Season 1 | October 2, 2007 | 6 | Audio commentary, musical performances, karaoke sing-along, and never before seen extras. A Best Buy exclusive, comes with bonus disc of Sarah's various Comedy Central material from Roasts and Crank Yankers. |
Season 2 (Volume 1) | October 14, 2008 | 6 | Audio commentary, digital shorts, behind-the-scenes footage, and the cast and creators at 2007's Comic-Con. |
Season 2 (Volume 2) | February 9, 2010 | 10 | |
Season 3 | December 18, 2012 | 10 | A Writers Conversation, Odds 'N' Ends, original pilot, audition videos, and audio commentaries. |
The Complete Series | June 19, 2012 | 32 |
A soundtrack album was released on March 2, 2010 entitled From Our Rears to Your Ears. It contains 99 tracks from the show's three seasons.
The show's premiere drew impressive ratings, 1.8 million total viewers and 1.3 with the 18–49 demographic, making it "cable's biggest audience of the night."[11] The show had the single best debut ratings "for a Comedy Central original since the premiere of the animated series Drawn Together (2.2 million viewers) in 2004."[12] On February 12, 2007, eleven days after the show's premiere, Comedy Central announced that it had "ordered 16 new episodes for air this fall and next spring." The network claimed the early pickup was because in its first two weeks, "[the show] was the most-watched cable show in primetime among all key demos." Comedy Central called it "its most successful primetime launch in three years."[13]
The show also drew positive reviews. Tim Goodman of the San Francisco Chronicle, said that the show was "bursting with imagination, audacity, rude charm, and a relentlessly funny worldview" and called the show "an offbeat gem."[14] Daniel Fierman of Entertainment Weekly called it "totally hilarious."[15] Tad Friend of The New Yorker called the show "The meanest sitcom in years – and one of the funniest."[16] Doug Elfman of The Chicago Sun-Times called the show "a live-action comedy as funny as Chappelle's Show."[17] Time magazine's James Poniewozik named it one of the top 10 new TV series of 2007, ranking it at number six.[18] The show has also been praised for its non-stereotypical portrayal of a gay couple, resulting in a GLAAD Media Awards nomination.[19]
On July 16, 2009, Silverman was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance on the series.[20]
Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
GLAAD Media Awards | 2008 | Outstanding Comedy Series | The Sarah Silverman Program | Nominated | [21] [22] |
Primetime Emmy Awards | 2009 | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Sarah Silverman | Nominated | [20] |
Writers Guild of America Awards | 2008 | New Series | Dan Fybel, Rich Rinaldi, Rob Schrab, Jon Schroeder, Sarah Silverman, Dan Sterling, Harris Wittels | Nominated | [23] [24] |
2011 | Episodic Comedy | Dan Sterling (for "NightMayor") | Nominated | [25] [24] |