The Larry Sanders Show

The Larry Sanders Show Information

The Larry Sanders Show is an American television sitcom set in the office and studio of a fictional late-night talk show. It was created by Dennis Klein and Garry Shandling and aired from August 1992 to May 1998 on the HBO cable television network. It stars stand-up comedian Garry Shandling, Jeffrey Tambor, Janeane Garofalo and Rip Torn and features celebrities playing exaggerated, self-parodying versions of themselves. Later HBO shows such as Curb Your Enthusiasm, Extras, and Entourage, shared some of its traits.

The series, in which Shandling used his experience as a guest host on The Tonight Show, is ranked by various critics and fans as one of the best TV comedies of the 1990s. The series ranked #38 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time, the only HBO comedy to make the list. It was also included in Time magazine's list of the "100 Best TV Shows of All Time."

The show won 24 major awards, including three Primetime Emmy Awards, five CableACE Awards, four American Comedy Awards, two British Comedy Awards, a BAFTA Award and a Satellite Award. It also received 86 nominations, including 56 Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, five Directors Guild of America nominations, six Writers' Guild of America nominations, six American Comedy Awards nominations, three Golden Globe nominations, three Satellite Awards nominations and a GLAAD Award nomination.

Premise

Plot

The show revolves around the production of a fictional late night talk show, also called The Larry Sanders Show. It chronicles the daily life of Larry (Garry Shandling) the host, Arthur "Artie" (Rip Torn) his producer, Hank Kingsley (Jeffrey Tambor) Larry's sidekick, the production staff and their interaction with celebrity guests, the network and everything in between. Episodes focus on the professional and personal lives of the principal characters, with most focusing on Larry. Ancillary characters are also prominently featured, among them the writers Phil and Jerry, bookers Paula and Mary Lou, and the personal assistants Beverly, Darlene and Brian. Larry's wife, ex-wife and girlfriends are frequent sources of conflict, and his home is a secondary location for the show.

A typical early episode opens to the titles with Hank's warm-up routine in the background. This is followed by the talk shows titles and an excerpt from Larry's monologue. Episodes vary after this, sometimes continuing with the studio recording, but often cutting to a back-stage shot or to the production offices.

Different kind of sitcom

The Larry Sanders Show is a satire on show business that subtly mixed fact with fiction. It featured real-life celebrity guests as they appear on the talk show, but also as they appeared behind the scenes. This gave writers and the celebrity guest the opportunity to send up their media image while making the show more realistic. For example, in the final episode Larry interviews Sean Penn who, once they cut to a commercial break, gossips freely about Shandling's acting, insecurity, and behaviour towards Penn's wife (Robin Wright) on the set of Hurlyburly, in which all three appear.

Profanities were used frequently on the show, although not gratuitously, with the writers taking advantage of the freedom allowed by HBO as a subscription cable service. It paved the way for subsequent HBO shows such as Oz, The Sopranos and Deadwood

The show used both videotape and film footage. Four video cameras recorded the show-within-a-show, while the behind the scenes footage was shot on film, often using a hand-held camera. The talk show was carefully staged with realistic music, lighting and set design. It was recorded in front of an actual live studio audience during the first season and, occasionally, later episodes.

Catchphrases

The show had several catchphrases used throughout its entire run. The most common was "Hey now", a phrase Hank repeats in the opening credits of the fictional talk show and whenever he greets someone. It mirrors the "Hi-yo" catchphrase used by Ed McMahon, upon whom Hank Kingsley was based, on The Tonight Show. In one episode, Hank says he invented the phrase when he accidentally said it to someone and liked it. In 2007, TV Land ranked "Hey Now" as the 87th Best Television catchphrase. "No flipping" is a phrase Larry uses to go to commercial breaks, encouraging the at-home audience not to change to another channel. In the series finale, the last thing Larry says on his talk show is, "You may now flip". "See you out there" is another catchphrase, typically used back-stage to a guest before their appearance on the talk show.

Episodes

Season	Episodes	Premiere Date	End Date	Timeslot
1	13	August 15, 1992	November 7, 1992	Saturdays at 10:00 PM
2	18	June 2, 1993	September 29, 1993	Wednesdays at 10:00 PM
3	17	June 22, 1994	October 12, 1994
4	17	July 19, 1995	November 22, 1995
5	13	November 13, 1996	February 26, 1997
6	11	March 15, 1998	May 31, 1998	Sundays at 10:00 PM

Series overview

Season 1

The first season premiered on August 15, 1992, and ended on November 7, 1992, and was an immediate success. Story arcs include the breakdown of Larry's relationship with his second wife and his abuse of Excedrin tablets.

The season was nominated for eight Emmy Awards. After changes in eligibility rules in 1988, The Larry Sanders Show became the first cable TV series to be nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, but lost to Seinfeld. Garry Shandling was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Rip Torn and Jeffrey Tambor were nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Dana Carvey and Carol Burnett were nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor and Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. Dennis Klein and Garry Shandling were nominated for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for the pilot, "The Hey Now Episode", which was broadcast at the end of the season. Garry Shandling, Paul Simms, Peter Tolan and Rosie Shuster were nominated in the same category for "The Spider Episode".

Season 2

The second season premiered on June 2, 1993 and ended on September 29, 1993.

Jeremy Piven grew tired of playing the character Jerry, head writer of the fictional talk show, because his character was not given much of a background. He was written out during the episode "Larry's Birthday", where Artie fired Jerry because of his behavior. Eventually, Phil replaced Jerry as the talk show's head writer. The story arc in this season involved Larry beginning a new relationship with his first wife, after he had divorced his second wife.

Some popular episodes of the season were: "Larry's Agent", in which Larry tries to fire his agent; "Broadcast Nudes", in which Hank wants Darlene to pose nude in Playboy magazine (Linda Doucett, the actress who played Darlene and also Garry Shandling's girlfriend at the time, actually appeared in the September 1993 edition of the magazine); "Larry's Birthday" in which Larry doesn't want anyone throwing a party for his birthday; "The Grand Opening", in which Hank tries to promote his new restaurant; "Off Camera", in which Artie has to deal with all the stress that Larry suffers every show; and the season finale "L.A or N.Y?", in which Larry leaves the talk show and moves to Montana, to protest the network's desire to shift the talk show's base from L.A. to New York.

The show was nominated for four Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series, but lost to Frasier and would continue doing so for the rest of its run. Rip Torn was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy. Todd Holland was nominated for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series for the episode "Life Behind Larry". Garry Shandling, Paul Simms, Drake Sathers, Victor Levin and Maya Forbes were nominated for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series for the episode "Larry's Agent".

Season 3

The season premiered on July 22, 1994 and ended on October 12, 1994.

Some of the most popular episodes of the season were: "Montana", in which the talk show gets back on the air after Larry discovers that life in Montana is not to his liking; "You're Having My Baby", in which a woman claims that she is having Larry's baby; "Hank's Night in the Sun", in which Hank fulfills his dream of becoming guest host; "The Mr. Sharon Stone Show", which Larry dates Sharon Stone and finds out what it means to be the less famous member of a show business couple; and the season finale "End of the Season" in which Larry gets engaged to Roseanne Barr.

The season was nominated for six Emmy awards, including, for the third year in a row, Outstanding Comedy Series. Garry Shandling was nominated as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Rip Torn was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Todd Holland was nominated for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series for "Hank's Night in the Sun". The show received two nominations for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series: Peter Tolan for "Hank's Night in the Sun", Garry Shandling and Peter Tolan for "The Mr. Sharon Stone Show". Garry Shandling also received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Lead Actor in Musical or Comedy. Todd Holland received a nomination for the Directors Guild of America Award for "The Mr. Sharon Stone Show".

Season 4

The season premiered on July 19, 1995 and ended on November 22, 1995.

Darlene, Hank's loyal assistant left the show at the end of season three. (Linda Doucett, the actress who portrayed her, was previously in a relationship with Shandling, but the couple had become estranged between seasons and she was written out of the show. Doucett filed a lawsuit against Shandling and producer Brad Grey's company for sexual harassment and wrongful termination, which was settled out of court for $1 million.) Hank hires Brian as Darlene's replacement, but has reservations about him when he learns he is gay. In season 6, Brian sues the talk show for sexual harassment.

Some of the most popular episodes of the season included: "Rosanne's Return", in which Larry has to face Roseanne Barr after their engagement broke off; "Arthur After Hours", in which it is revealed what Artie does after an unsuccessful broadcast; "Jeannie's Visit", in which Larry's ex-wife visits the talk show; "Hank's Sex Tape", in which Hank becomes incensed when Phil circulates a tape of him having sex with two women; and the season finale "Larry's On Vacation", in which Sandra Bernhard tries to take over the talk show.

The show won its first Emmy award: Rip Torn for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. It was nominated for a further 12, including for Outstanding Comedy Series. Jeffrey Tambor was also nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Garry Shandling was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and the show received two nominations for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series: One for Todd Holland for "Arthur After Hours", another for Michael Leachmann for "I was a Teenage Lesbian". It received three nominations for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series: one for Garry Shandling, Steve Levitan and Maya Forbes for the episode "Roseanne's Return", a second for Peter Tolan for the episode "Arthur After Hours", and a third for Jon Vitti for "Hank's Sex Tape". Janeane Garofalo was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Rosie O'Donnell and Mandy Patinkin were nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress and Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. Garry Shandling was nominated for the second year in a row for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy Series at the Golden Globe Awards. This season received four Writers' Guild of America Awards, one for Garry Shandling, Steve Levitan and Maya Forbes for "Roseanne's Return", another for John Riggi for "Hank's New Assistant", another for Peter Tolan for "Arthur After Hours" and finally one for Peter Tolan for "Eight". It received one Director's Guild of America Award nomination: Todd Holland for the episode "Arthur After Hours".

Season 5

The season premiered November 13, 1996 and ended on February 26, 1997.

Janeane Garofalo decided to leave due to decreasing screen time for her character Paula, the talk show's booker. Mary Lou, her assistant, replaced her as booker. Jon Stewart became a frequent guest who threatened to replace Larry on the talk show.

Some of the most famous episodes of the series were made in this season: "Everybody Loves Larry", in which Larry starts suspecting that David Duchovny has sexual feelings for him; "My Name is Asher Kingsley", in which Hank explores his Jewish roots, much to the crew's dismay; "Ellen, or Isn't She?", in which Larry and Artie try to find if Ellen DeGeneres is really a lesbian; "The New Writer", in which Wendy (Sarah Silverman) begins working as a writer, much to Phil's dismay; "The Book", in which Larry is convinced to write an autobiography; "Pain Equals Funny", in which Paula leaves the show; and the season finale, "Larry's New Love", in which Hank is afraid the network is trying to replace him.

The show was nominated for 16 Emmy awards, breaking the record for most nominations for a Comedy Series for an individual Emmy year. The record was maintained for ten years, until 30 Rock received 17 nominations. The show was nominated for the fifth time for Outstanding Comedy Series, and was considered a front-runner for the award, but was defeated again by Frasier. Garry Shandling was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Rip Torn and Jeffrey Tambor were nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Janeane Garofalo was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. It received two nominations for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series: one for Todd Holland for "Everybody Loves Larry", another for Alan Myerson for "Ellen, Or Isn't She?" It received three nominations for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series: one for Garry Shandling, John Markus and Judd Apatow for the episode "Ellen, Or Isn't She?", another for Peter Tolan for "My Name is Asher Kingsley", and another for Jon Vitti for "Everybody Loves Larry". David Duchovny and Ellen DeGeneres received nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor and Guest Actress in a Comedy Series. The show was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Series-Musical or Comedy. It received two Directors Guild of America Award nominations; one for Todd Holland for "Everybody Loves Larry", another for Alan Myerson for "Ellen, Or Isn't She?" It was also nominated for two Writers' Guild of America Awards: one for Maya Forbes for "The Book" and another for Garry Shandling, John Markus and Judd Apatow for "Ellen, Or Isn't She?"

Season 6

The season premiered on March 15, 1998 and ended on May 31, 1998. HBO and Garry Shandling announced that the show would not continue for a seventh season.

Most of the changes to the show occurred offscreen this season. Many of the show's writers left (all except Garry Shandling, Peter Tolan, and Judd Apatow), and a new writing staff was hired. Shandling's relationship with his manager, Brad Grey, had broken down and, in January 1998, Shandling filed a lawsuit for $100 million against Grey. In an interview with The New York Times, Shandling said "We had a situation in which the writers were leaving the show for other Brillstein-Grey shows, which became part of the issue of a lawsuit". (The suit was settled out of court for $10 million.) Todd Holland, who directed more than 48 episodes of the show, only directed two of the sixth season. This season was also markedly less comedic than earlier ones. Sid, the cue card guy at the talk show, commits suicide on the 8th episode.

Some of the most popular episodes of the season were: "Another List", in which the network threatens to replace Larry with Jon Stewart unless he makes some changes; "The Beginning of the End", in which the talk show gets a new creative consultant who wants to make big changes; "Adolf Hankler", in which Hank has to play Adolf Hitler, while Larry is on vacation and Jon Stewart guest hosts; "Beverly's Secret", in which Beverly tries to tell the father that she's pregnant; "Putting the 'Gay' Back in Litigation", in which Brian sues Phil and the talk show for sexual harassment; and the series finale "Flip", in which the cast gets ready for their final broadcast and Larry and Artie deal with Hank and the emotions of the crew.

The finale was written by Garry Shandling and Peter Tolan. It was directed by Todd Holland with a running time of 53 minutes. It aired on May 31, 16 days after the finale of Seinfeld, and was watched by 2.5 million viewers, which was a significant number for HBO. The finale got very positive reviews from critics, especially in comparison to Seinfeld's series finale. Coincidentally, Jerry Seinfeld appears as himself in the Larry Sanders finale.

For its final Emmy year, it received 10 nominations and won two awards. Both wins were for the finale: Todd Holland for Outstanding Directing in a Comedy Series; Garry Shandling and Peter Tolan for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series. It received its sixth nomination for Outstanding Comedy Series, but lost once again to Frasier, for the fifth year in a row. Garry Shandling was nominated Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Rip Torn and Jeffrey Tambor were nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series. Richard Day, Alex Gregory and Peter Huyck were nominated for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for "Putting the 'Gay' Back in Litigation." It received only one nomination for Directors Guild of America Award: Todd Holland for the episode "Flip."

Cast and characters

See List of characters on The Larry Sanders Show for more information

Main Characters

The following is a list of cast and characters who have appeared in all or some seasons of the show.

Garry Shandling as Larry Sanders, the show's primary character.
Rip Torn as Arthur ("Artie"), the talk show's producer
Jeffrey Tambor as Larry's sidekick, Hank Kingsley
Penny Johnson as Larry's personal assistant, Beverly
Janeane Garofalo as the talk show's booker Paula (until the 5th season)
Mary Lynn Rajskub as the talk show's booking assistant/booker Mary Lou (from episode 69)
Jeremy Piven as head writer Jerry (until episode 25)
Wallace Langham as writer/head writer Phil
Linda Doucett as Hank's personal assistant Darlene (until episode 48; Doucett was Garry Shandling's live-in girlfriend at the time of production)
Scott Thompson as Hank's personal assistant Brian (from episode 50)
Megan Gallagher as Larry's second ex-wife Jeannie (episodes 1-13, 53)
Kathryn Harrold as Larry's first ex-wife Francine (episodes 14-31)
Deborah May as network executive Melanie Parrish
Bob Odenkirk as Larry's agent Stevie Grant
Sid Newman as Sid the cue-card guy (various episodes)

Guests

Most episodes featured celebrity guests who usually played themselves appearing on the fictional Larry Sanders Show, and who were often the primary source of conflict between Sanders and his co-workers. The following is a list of some of the celebrity guests who appeared at one time or another on the show.

Sharon Stone
Dave Thomas
Lea Thompson
Alex Trebek
Vince Vaughn
Hervé Villechaize
Jimmie Walker
George Wendt
Paul Westerberg
Andy Williams
Robin Williams
Henry Winkler
Steven Wright
Warren Zevon

In a commentary on the season 1 DVD, Shandling says the guests were invariably happy to parody their media images and generally shared the same sense of humor as himself and the other writers.

Crew

Directors

The show had a total of thirteen directors. Ken Kwapis directed most of the first season, including the pilot, and contributed to the visual style of the show. (He later went on to direct episodes of The Office, also including the pilot, using a "mockumentary" approach.) Todd Holland directed 51 episodes spanning all six seasons. Garry Shandling directed three episodes of the final season. Acting coach Roy London directed two episodes and received a "Special Thanks" credit at the end of every episode for his influence on the show. The show received one Emmy Award for directing. It went to Todd Holland for the series finale "Flip".

Writers

More than 40 writers wrote episodes of the show. Garry Shandling and Peter Tolan were the head writers for the entire six-season run. Garry Shandling and Dennis Klein wrote the pilot episode of the show. Shandling wrote 38, while Tolan wrote 23 episodes. Shandling and Tolan received an Emmy Award for writing the series finale "Flip". Other writers on the show were Maya Forbes, Paul Simms, Judd Apatow, John Riggi, Jon Vitti, Chris Thompson, Dennis Klein, Drake Sather, Molly Newman, Lester Lewis, Becky Hartman Edwards and Jeff Cesario.

Reception

Critical reaction

After the show ended, the New York Post called it "One of the Greatest Achievements in Television". LA Weekly called it "Very Funny". Time said it was "The Closest Sitcom Ever Came to Perfect Pitch". The Washington Post called the show "Brutally and Blatantly Hilarious" and USA Today gave it four stars.

Many critics alike called it one of the greatest television shows of all time. Metacritic gives the show a metascore of 96%, based on 8 reviews. Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly said "Revisiting former colleagues and friends to find out how they felt about both Larry Sanders and Garry Shandling amounts to a monumental display of ...fearless revelation and humor." Doug Elfman from the Chicago Sun-Times said "It is simply the one of the best sitcoms ever". Ivan Morales calls it "the greatest HBO sitcom of all time".

Awards and honors

Award	Category	Recipient
American Comedy Awards 1994	Funniest Supporting Male in a TV Series	Rip Torn
American Comedy Awards 1998	Funniest Male Performance in a TV Series	Garry Shandling
American Comedy Awards 1999	Funniest Male Guest Appearance on a TV Series	David Duchovny
American Comedy Awards 1999	Funniest Female Guest Appearance on a TV Series	Ellen DeGeneres
British Comedy Awards 1997	Best International Comedy Show
British Comedy Awards 1999	Best International Comedy Show
BAFTA Awards 1999	Outstanding International Program	Garry Shandling
CableACE Awards 1993	Outstanding Comedy Series
CableACE Awards 1994	Outstanding Comedy Series
CableACE Awards 1995	Outstanding Comedy Series
CableACE Awards 1996	Outstanding Comedy Series
Emmy Awards 1998	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Comedy Series	Peter Tolan & Garry Shandling (for "Flip")
Emmy Awards 1998	Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing in a Comedy Series	Todd Holland (for "Flip")
Emmy Awards 1996	Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series	Rip Torn
Peabody Awards 1998		"Flip"
Peabody Awards 1993
Rose d'Or 1997	Sitcom
Satellite Awards 1997	Best Television Series " Comedy or Musical
Television Critics Association Awards 1997	Outstanding Achievement in Comedy
Television Critics Association Awards 1998	Outstanding Achievement in Comedy

BAFTA Television Awards

1998: Best International Programme or Series (won)

Directors Guild of America (DGA)

1994: Outstanding Directing " Comedy Series (Todd Holland for "The Mr. Sharon Stone Show", nominated)

1995: Outstanding Directing " Comedy Series (Holland for "Arthur After Hours", nominated)

1996: Outstanding Directing " Comedy Series (Holland for "Everybody Loves Larry", nominated)
1996: Outstanding Directing " Comedy Series (Alan Myerson for "Ellen, Or Isn't She", nominated)

1998: Outstanding Directing " Comedy Series (Holland for "Flip", nominated)

GLAAD Media Awards

1996: Outstanding Series " Comedy (nominated)

Golden Globe Awards

1994: Best Actor " Musical or Comedy Series (Garry Shandling for playing "Larry Sanders", nominated)

1995: Best Actor " Musical or Comedy Series (Shandling, nominated)

1996: Best Series " Musical or Comedy (nominated)

Image Awards

1997: Outstanding Supporting Actress " Comedy Series (Penny Johnson for playing "Beverly Barnes", nominated)

Satellite Awards

1996: Best Actor " Musical or Comedy Series (Garry Shandling for playing "Larry Sanders", nominated)
1996: Best Actor " Musical or Comedy Series (Rip Torn for playing "Arthur", nominated)
1996: Best Series " Musical or Comedy (won)

1997: Best Actor " Musical or Comedy Series (Shandling, nominated)
1997: Best Series " Musical or Comedy (nominated)

Writers Guild of America (WGA)

1995: Best Writing " Episodic Comedy (Garry Shandling for "Roseanne's Return", nominated)
1995: Best Writing " Episodic Comedy (John Riggi for "Hank's New Assistant", nominated)
1995: Best Writing " Episodic Comedy (Peter Tolan for "Arthur After Hours", nominated)

1996: Best Writing " Episodic Comedy (Tolan for "Eight", nominated)

1997: Best Writing " Episodic Comedy (Shandling for "Ellen, Or Isn't She?", nominated)
1997: Best Writing " Episodic Comedy (Maya Forbes for "The Book", nominated)

Other honors

After the show ended, it came to be considered one of the finest TV shows of all time. The biggest honor it received was a spot on Time magazine's 100 Greatest Shows of All Time. In 2008, Entertainment Weekly ranked The Larry Sanders Show the 28th Greatest Show of the past 25 years. Also, TV Guide named it the 38th Greatest Show of All Time, the only HBO comedy to make it to the list. During its six year run, The Larry Sanders Show won 24 awards including three Emmy awards. In 1997, the episode "Everybody Loves Larry" was ranked #39 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.

DVD releases

In 2000, The Larry Sanders Show: The Best Episodes was released by Sony Pictures UK in Region 2. The compilation contains the episodes: #302, "Montana" (Robin Williams); #403, "Hank's Sex Tape" (Henry Winkler, Norm Macdonald); #408, "Larry's Big Idea" (Courteney Cox, David Letterman); #411, "I Was a Teenage Lesbian" (Brett Butler). Also included are two first season episodes (#109, "The Guest Host;"#113, "The Talk Show"), as well as the second season episode, "The List" (#203) which was left out of the US cable syndication package offered to Bravo. However, it is available to local affiliates.

On February 26, 2002 Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released the complete first season on DVD in Region 1.

On April 17, 2007, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released a best-of compilation featuring episodes from all six seasons entitled Not Just the Best of the Larry Sanders Show. The 4-disc DVD set features 23 episodes and features 8 hours of bonus material.

On November 2, 2010, Shout! Factory released The Larry Sanders Show: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 (USA). The 17-disc set features extensive bonus features including featurettes, commentaries & outtakes. Shout! Factory has also released the seasons as stand-alones one by one.

Books

Confessions of a Late-night Talk-show Host: The Autobiography of Larry Sanders (ISBN 067102910X) was written by Garry Shandling in-character as Larry Sanders. It was released October 4, 1999. The book was the topic of season five's episode ten, which was also under the same title.