The Sarah Silverman Program. (2007–2010) User Reviews (48)

Typical Sarah, if you don't get that it's not for you.

[jluca33 · 8/10 · 2 February 2007]

First and foremost I would like to say that I'm a huge Sarah Silverman fan, and having other people say that and then rag on the pilot is beyond me. Everything in the pilot was in typical Sarah Silverman form, maybe not directly funny, but the situation and the delivery are what counts.

If you liked Jesus is Magic then I don't see how you wouldn't like this. It has that same flow and that same rhythm. True it's only for the true fans, but if you are you'll be pleased.

Again only for the true fans, there's no way around that. If you're not used to her style then you wouldn't get why this is funny. However, it is, and I hope you think so too.

Better than those other shows!

[Arimis · 8/10 · 5 February 2007]

The Sarah Silverman program is ... better than those other shows. No laugh tracks, no painful jokes, just a program. The Sarah Silverman program. If you're like me, and you love comedy, this is probably a show for you.

Sarah Silverman brings out-there-funny, and right-here-funny to the table with ease. A mix of different styles, which makes for its own.

This program isn't something you want to start a compare war with, seeing as how it has absolutely nothing to do with them (other shows). This show is its own entity, and i think most comedy heads will like it just fine.

Go watch and see.

Bite-Size Whiplash Humour from Lovely Big S!

[zennokangae · 8/10 · 8 February 2007]

Big S isn't playing with taboos or forcing an agenda like, say Mencia or Chapelle (though I like them both). She states the obvious in subtle, near subliminal remarks. Her show won't change the World, nor is it meant to. But, along with the hilarious Brian Posehn and Paget Brewster's ex-boyfriend Jay Johnston of "Mr. Show" fame, this is one mean show with an appetite for destruction! My side's were thoroughly wrecked by the first episode. Look, I love this woman and like her famed boyfriend, Jimmy Kimmel, she just delivers the lines and lets the viewer run- with-it. The best kind of comedy around. Spoofing anything and anyone, like "Mary Poppins" in the second episode when she sings to the fake birds on to quick hitting commentary on society and college aged existential nonsense. This one is highly recommended, but only for those who still have a funny bone (and didn't lose it in their most recent lippo-suction treatment or boob job).

Best New Show I've Seen In A Very Long Time.... Fresh, Original, and Funny!

[cory76 · 10/10 · 11 March 2007]

This show is so incredibly hilarious that I couldn't stop watching the marathon on Comedy Central tonight (despite the fact that I've seen all the episodes previously). I've always regarded Silverman as a huge talent and this is finally a vehicle for that talent to be enjoyed by a wide audience. I watch this show and I laugh a very large percentage of the time... I can't say that about many TV shows... can you? This show is finally something new and interesting and (most importantly) funny! This is a show I will never miss and it is one I will buy on DVD as soon as it comes out. You owe it to yourself to watch this show... I predict a long run for this series... And just to be clear, the people who are offended by this show just don't get it... perhaps they lack the intelligence to comprehend it... they should stop making fools of themselves by attacking something they don't understand. Anyone who uses the word "bigot" in reference to Silverman, or who claims that she only aims to "shock"... is way off the mark... She's exactly the opposite; just Google her and you'll quickly see that she's a huge proponent of civil rights, etc. If you don't know that she's ironically embracing all of these outrageous viewpoints, you don't get it. And if you don't get it, do the rest of us a favor and be quiet about it so we can all enjoy the hilarity...

Started out exceptionally well, but goes low in the second season. - 7 of 10

[deadsenator · 7/10 · 21 January 2009]

I originally scored Sarah's show with a nice fat 8, but I've struggled a bit with her humor of late and a thin 7 is what's settled in. I shall explain.

You will either like Sarah's humor, or you won't. If you don't, I doubt anyone could persuade you. You folks know who you are and it's perfectly fine, but then you know that too. Moving on, the first season gave us fantastic bits about Sarah, her friends and family, and her pursuits in life. In one memorable episode, she is "pulled over" by Officer Jay whom she meets for the first time. - "Do you know why I am standing here?" he asks. "Because you got all C's in high school?" she quizzically replies. It seemed to be a genuine question. - That is funny stuff in my book. Sarah can come at you from odd angles. In another episode, her affair with God was notably funny. God being petty and jealous added wonderfully to the joke. It is clever, it is a twisted view, but she would show us the truth in the humor and we laughed.

Then, came the second season. While still not without some new and inventive comedy, we seem to have slipped somewhat into banal poop and fart jokes, quite simply. I get some good laughs here and there, but much of it seems like filler while she, and the writers, struggle to foment some original material. Sophomoric and tiresome are the feelings I have for the episodes lately, but I have been gutting it out for the gems I do find (the turtle) and waiting for her to turn it around. I was a fan of her "Jesus is Magic" routine and would like to think that I understand what she is capable of. Let's get back to that.

Its not mindless humour

[Beanie72 · 9/10 · 24 January 2010]

For those who think it is strictly potty humor and immaturity, you are in fact the mindless one. While the show does contain its share of potty jokes it also contains a lot of satirical material and pokes fun at social problems, racial barriers, cliché's,stereotypes etc. You just need to read into some of her material a bit more to get it.

What I also love is that not everything is a punchline. For those expecting a formulated joke like Friends (I LOVE friends fyi), you won't find it here. Instead Sarah uses situations and other ways to achieve her humour which is more realistic. We don't walk around in this world and have witty punchlines for everything said, which is in most comedies. Instead the Sarah Silverman Program makes it more realistic in this sense.

So don't take it as mindless humor because it is so much more than that.

Holy cow, no sacred cows.

[inkkink · 6/10 · 30 December 2007]

Y'know the way you watch a hit sitcom there are cute characters, wacky situations,and just the right level of shamltz and glamour, like the characters in Friends living in apartments they couldn't afford.

It's like chocolate. Too much and it can rot your teeth.

In many ways this show is the anti-sitcom sitcom.The vegetables that your mother made you eat.

With the Sarah Silverman Show nothing is considered taboo and there isn't a single likable character. For this reason alone it's worth catching an episode.

The show is kind of like South Park. Just not as clever. It has flourishes of the surreal and is really offensive.

If you take it seriously.

At the heart of this show is a woman desperate for love. She's so selfish it's funny.

Just not really funny.

Very silly, very smart, very surreal, very Sarah Silverman

[trexthemovie · 10/10 · 11 February 2007]

This show probably won't appeal to everyone. Sarah does what she wants; she doesn't ask for permission and she doesn't apologize. This is a sitcom with zombies, robot dinosaurs, flying cars, and a team of wallet-stealing male cheerleaders. The star of the show is not a hero, she is a spoiled, bigoted pervert. If you can't appreciate the offbeat humor it offers, the show probably isn't for you. Everyone should at least give this show a chance. It brings together the comedic styling of Sarah Silverman, Brian Posehn (The Comedians of Comedy), Jay Johnston (Mr. Show), Steve Agee (Bobcat Goldthwait's 'Stay') and the creative energies of Rob Schrab and Dan Harmon (Heat Vision & Jack, Monster House). It also showcases the best talents of the burgeoning online community, channel101.com. (If you're into this show, keep an eye out for "The Department of Acceptable Media" on vh1 this March, it'll be drawing from the same talent pool.)

Watch Sarah Silverman's show. This kind of stuff is the future of entertainment.

Another Great Comedy Central Show

[idioteckida · 7/10 · 3 June 2007]

The thought of Sarah Silverman having her own show worried me at first. The films she has appeared in were not very funny and her humor is a bit off. However, I was very surprised to see her true colors shine in this Comedy Central gem. I could possibly put her on par with the likes of Amy Sedaris in Strangers with Candy -- Sarah's character is a true sociopath, very comparable to Sedaris' Jerri Blank.

The one downfall of this show is its supporting cast. Her sister's character is good; Funny at times, but ultimately meant not to steal Sarah's show. However, the rest of the cast is extremely sub-par in comparison.

I'm glad, though, that Comedy Central has given Sarah a chance to show her unique and crazy sense of self and humor.

Sarah Silverman: As funny as Bill O'Reilly

[johnbn · 1/10 · 5 March 2007]

I watched an episode. Yes I sat through the entire miserable experience, and I have to say, this brand of comedy is one of the worst you will get. Imagine Peter Griffin, of Family Guy fame. Now imagine Peter Griffin as a(admittedly slim and minus the glasses) woman, except that he now lacks the something that made him hilarious. Peter Griffin is an idiot, but he doesn't know he's an idiot. Sarah has none of the genuine character, none of the acting ability to pull her character off. Maybe its the trite, formulaic jokes that pull her comedy even lower than her character can take it by herself. Maybe it's the lack of believable foils. Her insensitive, bigoted persona may appeal to insensitive, bigoted people unlike the mass appeal that Stephen Colbert's insensitive, bigoted character has. Like Bill O'Reilly, Sarah creates an annoying, unfunny character. She lacks something that is necessary for the genre of satire, let alone for the entire world of comedy. What Sarah Silverman lacks, its noticeable. And when you don't believe it and identify with it, it's not funny anymore.

12 years after airing...

[brenswee · 10/10 · 31 January 2019]

And I still love watching this every so often! Sarah Silverman plays this character so well. In real life, someone that self obsessed (character) would probably drive you a bit mad, but there's a really endearing side to her. The timing and reactions are perfect. Laura: "Sarah, you could get a job!" *Sarah slaps Laura hard* Sarah: "Don't you ever say that word to me!"

There are so many gags here that you couldn't see anywhere else. I'd never be creative enough to come up with some of the crazy plots and themes! Of course, the show is not gonna be to everyone's taste, but if you love a quirky comedy, you're in for a treat. I just wish it was still being produced :(

Idiots shouldn't throw stones...

[julie_bryner · 1 February 2008]

Sarah Silverman is a comedienne/actress, and a damn good one to. Her show is hilarious. If you believe that watching her program somehow made you less intelligent, I would put money on the fact that you were stupid to begin with. If you are so offended by the swearing on her show maybe you should refer the message you posted where you swore. I believe it was something about her getting some "God Damn" acting lessons. Kinda hypocritical..Her show is not meant for people that get offended so easily. Thats why its on later at night. If you don't like her don't watch her show. You don't need to come to this website and trash talk her, this is for her fans. You don't have to be a fan of everyone, but no one wants to hear your whiny crybaby crap. Have a nice day!

Either a creative triumph, or a stupid, stupid waste of time, you pick : D!

[Huang_Gai · 6/10 · 9 February 2007]

Let me preface this by saying I can easily see why someone can hate this show.

The Sarah Silverman Program is about Sarah Silverman, playing a fictional version of herself. Her parents are both dead, and she lives with her younger sister, who pays the rent, while she generally acts like a self-centered and impulsive child. Her only real friends are her sister, who is very close to her, their two gay neighbors (two fat nerdy guys), and a Chihuahua Sarah found in the garbage (don't worry, it's still alive, and she seems to treat it rather well). The show chronicles her day to day adventures which tend to be bizarre and rather pointless. As of this review, she's been arrested for DUI after driving while drinking Cough Syrup and nearly killed by a crazed homeless man whom she allowed to come live with her in her apartment.

Sarah Silverman has a weird, obnoxious sense of humor that doesn't really stretch across the typical demographic. Honestly, I don't find Sarah Silverman the comedienne that funny, but the show ranges mildly amusing to actually laugh out loud funny. There are some moments that just grind on the ears (any time she sings), but there are moments that are genuinely amusing. Give the show a try. If you don't like it, you've only wasted half an hour of your life, so don't be too upset =]

Good show if you lack a brain

[Freebird314 · 1/10 · 7 May 2007]

I wouldn't be so quick to look at all the good reviews and say this might be a good show..This show is only good if you don't know what "talent" is..I won't even say how offensive it is (I know it can be offensive to a lot of people) because thats not really what bothers me about the show.. What bothers me is that people watch this and think it's funny..It makes me feel like our generation is getting to stupid and I'm actually scared that it will one day be run by people who watch this garbage..

Basically the plot is simple..it's about an offensive,self centered,spoiled women(Sarah Silvermen) getting through everyday life..

Thats it..Like that hasn't been done a million times..In fact almost every joke either has been done or is racist..

Sarah also likes to sing..I like her voice..thats it..not the lyrics..The lyrics are dreadful..which she likes to sing about a lot of things..

If you like to see a hot women put everyone else down and make them feel like crap while at the same time farting and saying crap about every race then this show is for you..

Hooray for the Purposefully Stupid !!!!

[eld-7 · 10/10 · 2 February 2007]

Sarah Silverman is a dangerous Bitch! She's beautiful, sexy, funny and talent, dark and demonic. I read the other 'comment' on this show as well as the message board stuff and people just don't get it. Nothing that appears on T.V. is an accident. Too much money, time and work is put into the production of a T.V. show for there to be mistakes. This show is stupid because Sarah wanted it to be stupid. This show is juvenile because Sarah wanted it to be juvenile. I thought the jokes were great and the theme show as well as the other musical numbers are wonderfully bizarre. It's a lot like Pee-Wee's Playhouse for maladjusted, slacker twenty-something glue sniffing, Future Pornstars of America from the Valley. The cast is awesome. The scenarios and action is well-paced. I hope this show succeeds since Comedy Central didn't let David spade keep his show. Who plays Sarah's sister? She not in the cast listing on the show's home page. I would love to see her stand-up. Does anyone know about her up-coming show dates or DVDs that may be floating around out there?

Grease Meets South Park!!

[yossarian100 · 10/10 · 2 February 2007]

Sarah Silverman is like a totally manic Zooey Deschanel and I think I'm in love already. Yeah, if you loved Jesus is Magic, you'll love this. If you didn't, what the heck is wrong with you? Kudos to the Comedy Channel for shoving this in my face. My life finally has meaning, and "Your car smells like farts" is my kind of humor. I'm a happy guy. The first episode had me laughing hysterically and I'm hungrily looking forward to next week. This is like Grease meets South Park. Completely outrageous. Sarah Silverman is someone I could watch reading the phone book. Her delivery is precise and oh so funny. She never skips a beat. Come to think of it, it's not so much her choice of material. which is some really good stuff by the way, as it is the way she chooses to deliver it. Thank you, Sarah Silverman! Thank you, Comedy Channel!

Once you get it, it's great!

[metalgoth · 9/10 · 11 March 2007]

When I first saw this show, I thought it looked interesting. I watched it, saw how it revolved around Sarah, like the character sees the world...revolving around her. I got it, but wasn't laughing very much.

Onstage and in her show, she's racist, crude, insensitive and hugely self-centered. I didn't get her at first, and took it all at face value. Then I got to see her movie, Jesus is Magic. I think that served as a Sarah Silverman primer for me, explaining to me just what 'language' she's speaking. She's like Marilyn Manson, working so hard to give us a faceful of horrible ideas and images, but you eventually realise it isn't an assault, it's a statement. And once you understand that, you find you're glad someone's finally giving it to you straight.

I don't mean to suggest only smart people will understand, or that to hate this show is to prove your idiocy. While I like a lot of 'smart' shows, I still to this day do not see the humor of Curb Your Enthusiasm. I get the impression that it's good, but I just don't get it. Many people will never get the Sarah Silverman Program, but I'm glad I eventually came around.

The creators of this show do work hard, every episode is loaded not just with dialogue and plot, but with songs, or dream sequences, production numbers. These people aren't putting together something to fill a time slot and please advertisers, they appear to be on a mission to make the best show they can put together. If I was to predict the future of this show, I'd say it will go the way of Arrested Development and Freaks & Geeks. It will get canceled before it's time and live on in fans' hearts and on DVD. But take heart, SSP creators, your audience IS out there, and we'll be watching for as long as they let you make the show.

Am I taking crazy pills?

[cdpyne · 1/10 · 9 February 2007]

This is absolutely the worst comedy I have ever seen, except possibly her stand-up. It is utterly not funny, and the whole point of it is apparently to be funny. I am easy to entertain, and I'll admit I chuckled maybe a couple times during the half hour (I saw the one about queefing). But the show in general made me just confused because I don't understand whats funny. I mean, she throws sunglasses on the floor, and then calls them floor glasses. That's the joke! (Plus, thats the one they play on all the commercials, so obviously they are proud of it). I seriously wonder if I'm taking crazy pills, or maybe I am too old to get it, but I'm only friggin 26! Someone tell me, am I taking crazy pills?

summary

[pancake_repairman · 10/10 · 12 March 2007]

Following a sitcom plot is so mindlessly easy that having her character simultaneously operate both within and without the context the rest of the cast inhabit is the kind of experimentalism that sitcoms could really use. The supporting characters ground the show in a sitcom reality which provides a contextual counterpoint to Sarah's erratic persona which, beyond general insensitivity, has no specific recurring traits for behavioural expectations to be based on, making her less a character than a canvas to be repainted in every episode if not scene. Sarah's ability to see everything from an outside perspective enables her to parody aspects of social behaviour that are subtle enough to usually go unnoticed. Every time she speaks it's like a self-contained 5 second skit. She overemotes a lot, demonstrating the countless things a smile or change in vocal pitch can signify, but never sticks with one idea long enough for you to get comfortable and form expectations that will be satisfied. This may be the most creative, original and experimental TV program ever.

this is horrible

[eadverts · 1/10 · 2 February 2007]

When the zombies harvest my brain for nourishment, there will be little nutritional value left because I am certain that most of my brain has melted in self defense from watching this awful show. It couldn't have been much worse or more hacky than it already was. It was inexcusably insufferable.

Hacky, Hacky pile of crap, "put a stick up her butt then put the dookey in her eye".

How many drugs do you have to be on to write this and just laugh hysterically, like you know they were doing the first time they said this or heard it or, god help us all!!!!!!!!!!

the zombies haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa my brains!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blow-milk-out-your-nose funny

[gort-8 · 10/10 · 5 October 2007]

I think this show is screamingly funny! It's not for every taste, and I'm not going to elevate or denigrate the folks that don't get it. I'm sure they're wonderful bright people that operate at a different wavelength. But if you like it, you REALLY like it. Sarah plays a self-infatuated loser named "Sarah Silverman" who often finds her self in Homerian predicaments (that's "Homerian" as in "Homerian Simpsonian").

I remember Sarah Silverman from her brief gig on Saturday Night Live in the early 90's. I liked her immediately then and I go out of my way to check out anything she's done.

This show is choke-on-your-food-and-wet-your-pants funny. Therefore I always fast before watching it and wear adult diapers. Check it out!

expectedly offbeat

[Rob-Mahon · 10/10 · 2 February 2007]

I have to vote this 10 out of 10 in the rare chance that she happens to see this review, takes pity on me, whisks me to Hollywood and involves me in her freaky/funny world. But in all seriousness, it was good. First episode is obviously finding it's feet, but it's got that Silverman weirdness running all the way through it. It's not a laugh out loud sort of comedy, but that's good thing, too much has a laughter-track to it, and this wouldn't be right with cues when to laugh, it's to the audience to hear their inner jester laughing at the absurdness of it all. I can easily see this as being the bizarro Drew Carey show with it's weird characters and incredibly strong central character. Well worth a watch, look forward to the following episodes. A VERY good chance from the usual comedy out there.

ps, Sarah? Call me....

uhhh

[keatenjunts · 10/10 · 2 February 2007]

dope as mess fool. this show sets humor as we know it straight. no more bogus jokes about government/ politics/ the world as we know it. It is my kinda 12-year-old humor that lacks the seriousness and brings on the bowel movements. the show is basic and to the point. diarrhea, farts, pubic hair, drugs, homosexuality, and retardation is funny, no doubt about it. There are no higher levels of humor that can keep their edge anymore. It goes to the far end of entertainment and is really the only non-animated program on television that can keep my attention. The show in my opinion is very ballin' and well worth the thirty minutes the viewer decides to set aside. complete gnar brah

Sarah Silverman is Stupid

[clibinarius · 1/10 · 8 February 2007]

Comedy Central has a habit of putting on great programs at times-Chappelle's Show, The Daily Show, Colbert Report, and then there are those that some people love or hate-Stella, Dr. Katz. Then there are some shows that have their defenders but are just plain awful- Mencia, and now, Sarah Silverman.

This show is based on the fact Silverman is self-Centered, which can be funny (Colbert Report) but can be horrible (Mind of Mencia). It should shock no one that I believe the latter is the case. This show is a parody of a sitcom and society, a program so absurd it loses itself in its absurdity and it simply isn't funny. A woman farting has been done in comedy many many times because its not something that's common. We don't need 25 minutes of it. When a criminal is disarmed by a queef, it simply loses its appeal-we saw it in Jay and Silent Bob Strike back, except the women were hotter, and the whole scene was more absurd, making it better. But the best comparison of this show is to Stella, except Stella was more subtle, which is what made the absurdist comedy funny. It had better acting, and I suppose, a bit more of a fantastical realist view.

Perhaps the fact some reviews are so negative (I'm very skeptical of the critical acclaim but do not dispute fan reaction) to this show is the amount of advertising on it, very obnoxious ads through many programs far outdo advertising on for other programs. Many people are wondering why Sarah Silverman has a career, and others are still bitter when better shows have been canceled. This show should've never made it past the unaired pilot stage. Back to Norm showed far more promise, yet this show makes it further. And as far as critics being correct, many things have been universally panned have seen their status rise immensely. Last I checked, Britney Spears gets good reviews too also. Take that comparison however you want because someone will no doubt accuse me of being psychotic on IMDb for not liking this show.

Really Wrong and Really Funny

[shark-43 · 8/10 · 5 February 2012]

This show is not for everyone. It is insensitive and rude and harsh and mean but it is brilliantly written, savagely funny and her lead character is a great satire of selfish and narcissistic people.Silverman is so good at playing this kind of person. She loves to really go as far out there as one can and really pushing the envelope - whether its AIDS, sick kids, being gay, etc. The supporting cast is strong - the gay couple next door really make me laugh - and the Offficer Jay character is also funny (he was a regular on the fantastic Mr. Show). The fist season of this show is really super funny. The second season wasn't as good and you could tell they were running out of steam. Hats off to Comedy Central for putting on to begin with.