The Ben Stiller Show
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| The Ben Stiller Show | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Ben Stiller Judd Apatow |
| Written by | Ben Stiller Judd Apatow Robert Cohen David Cross Brent Forrester Bob Odenkirk Sultan Pepper Dino Stamatopoulos |
| Starring | Ben Stiller Andy Dick (Fox version) Janeane Garofalo (Fox version) Bob Odenkirk (Fox version) |
| Theme music composer | Dweezil Zappa |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Running time | ~23 minutes |
| Production company | HBO Independent Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | MTV (1990) Fox (1992–93) Comedy Central (1995) |
| Release | January 21, 1990 (1990年1月21日) – March 1, 1990 (1990年3月1日) |
| Release | September 27, 1992 (1992年9月27日) – August 26, 1995 (1995年8月26日) |
The Ben Stiller Show is an American sketch comedy series starring Ben Stiller that aired in two iterations, the first series airing six episodes on MTV in 1990, and the second series airing 12 episodes on Fox from September 27, 1992, to January 17, 1993, with a 13th episode airing in 1995 on Comedy Central. The Fox version also starred Andy Dick, Janeane Garofalo and Bob Odenkirk. Character actor John F. O'Donohue also appeared in every episode.
The program featured numerous filmed comedy segments, many of which parodied pop culture trends from the late '80s to early '90s. Despite receiving mostly positive reviews, Fox canceled the series after only 13 episodes, due to low ratings.[1] [2]
Unlike most sketch comedy programs, The Ben Stiller Show did not use a studio audience, and was the first Fox sketch comedy program not to use a laugh track. The semi spinoff, The Andy Dick Show , used the same format. After cancellation, the series won the 1993 Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Variety or Music Program.
MTV series
[edit ]The original MTV version of The Ben Stiller Show aired in 1990, and ran for six episodes. It is not available on DVD, although excerpts from the program are featured as a bonus on the release of the Fox series. Produced by Jim Jones, who would go on to produce the Fox series and starring Ben Stiller and co writer Jeff Kahn, it was a self effacing show within a show format.
Part of MTV's pre-Real World and experimental Vid-Com season of 1989 to 1990, it was interspersed with music videos that Ben and company would introduce in their short comedy sketches. Regulars included Harry O'Reilly and Ben's sister Amy Stiller. Guest stars included Ben's parents Anne Meara and Jerry Stiller, as well as John F. O'Donohue, Melina Kanakaredes, Al Lewis and MTV regular Martha Quinn.
Episodes
[edit ]| No. | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Pilot" | September 27, 1992 (1992年9月27日) |
| 2 | "With Bobcat Goldthwait" | October 4, 1992 (1992年10月4日) |
| 3 | "With James Doohan" | October 18, 1992 (1992年10月18日) |
| 4 | "On Melrose Avenue" | October 25, 1992 (1992年10月25日) |
| 5 | "With Colin Quinn" | November 1, 1992 (1992年11月1日) |
| 6 | "With Sarah Jessica Parker" | November 8, 1992 (1992年11月8日) |
| 7 | "With Rob Morrow" | November 15, 1992 (1992年11月15日) |
| 8 | "With Flea" | December 6, 1992 (1992年12月6日) |
| 9 | "With Garry Shandling" | December 13, 1992 (1992年12月13日) |
| 10 | "With Dennis Miller" | December 20, 1992 (1992年12月20日) |
| 11 | "At the Beach" | January 3, 1993 (1993年1月3日) |
| 12 | "A Few Good Scouts" | January 17, 1993 (1993年1月17日) |
| 13 | "ZooTV at Night" | August 26, 1995 (1995年8月26日) (on Comedy Central) |
Home media
[edit ]Warner Home Video released all 13 episodes of the Fox version of The Ben Stiller Show on DVD in Region 1 on December 2, 2003.[3] [4]
| DVD Name | Ep# | Release Date | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Ben Stiller Show: Complete Series | 13 | December 2, 2003 |
|
Reunion
[edit ]In November 2012, there was a reunion at the New York Comedy Festival with the original cast members.[5] [6] Apatow hosted the reunion which featured Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Andy Dick and staff writers Robert Cohen and Jeff Kahn. Bob Odenkirk also appeared via Skype video chat.[7]
References
[edit ]- ^ "The New York Comedy Festival Announces Additional Shows To 2012 Schedule – New York Times". Markets.on.nytimes.com. September 21, 2012. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
- ^ "The Ben Stiller Show | DVD Review". Slant Magazine. December 3, 2003. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
- ^ "The Ben Stiller Show : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". Dvdtalk.com. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
- ^ Wolk, Josh (December 5, 2003). "Stiller Standing". EW.com. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
- ^ Itzkoff, Dave (September 21, 2012). "'Ben Stiller Show' Reunion Is Set for New York Comedy Festival - NYTimes.com". Artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
- ^ Itzkoff, Dave (September 22, 2012). "ARTSBEAT - Reunion at Festival For 'Ben Stiller Show' - Brief - NYTimes.com". New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2012.
- ^ Luippold, Ross (November 12, 2012). "Janeane Garofalo Forgot She Was Married For 20 Years". Huffington Post.
External links
[edit ]- 1990s American musical comedy television series
- 1990s American parody television series
- 1990s American sketch comedy television series
- 1990s American variety television series
- 1992 American television series debuts
- 1993 American television series endings
- Fox Broadcasting Company original programming
- MTV original programming
- Primetime Emmy Award–winning television series
- American English-language television shows
- Television series by HBO Independent Productions
- Television series created by Judd Apatow
- Television shows set in Los Angeles