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Jul 09, 2012 Issue #41 - Yeasayer By John Everhart

Taking its cues from its spiritual forebear Strangers With Candy, The Sarah Silverman Program was one of the most eccentrically hilarious sitcoms to ever grace the airwaves. Revolving around the absurd travails of the titular protagonist Sarah, seemingly stuck in an emotional moratorium, her struggles are nicely accentuated, or possibly enabled, by a stellar supporting cast of dufus comic foils.

There’s her sister Laura, the empathetic nurse played by her real life sister Laura Silverman, her dimwitted cop brother-in-law Officer Jay, played by Jay Johnston, and her neighbors, the hirsute, portly stoner gay couple Brian and Steve, played by Brian Posehn and Steve Agee. And this review would be remiss to not mention her pet dog Doug, the Chihuahua-pug mix she found in the trash. He steals the show in one of the series’ most brilliant episodes, season two’s “Vow Wow,” when she seeks to marry the pup in what’s a thinly-veiled yet excoriating parody of gay marriage opponents.

All three seasons are included in this comprehensive set, the first time the final season has been made available on DVD. But the true incentive for purchase, particularly for diehard fans of the series, is the treasure trove of bonus content, including behind-the-scenes videos and commentary from the cast and crew, alongside a collection of digital and animated shorts. Standard fare for a deluxe DVD box, but it’s anything but conventional here, as equally zany and hallucinogenic as the series itself. It’s certainly of greatest interest to hard-core completists, those who believe, and rightly so, that the series had plenty of creative gas left in its tank.

(www.shoutfactory.com)

Author rating: 8/10