Time For A Cookie Party!

The Sarah Silverman Program (2007-Present) - 5 Stars

Comedy is, by and large, a man’s game. Entertainment history is spotted with great male comedians, ranging from the timeless Groucho Marx and Charlie Chaplain, to the inimitable SNL stylings of Steve Martin, Bill Murray and Eddie Murphy. Indeed, I would challenge you, fair reader, to name me ten truly popular comediennes without clutching at straws past number five.

And so, refreshingly, the cute-as-a-button politically-questionable Jewish princess known as Miss Sarah Silverman has finally found her place amongst the greats.

I first came across Silverman in her role as editor-in-chief of Sweetknuckle Junction in the short-lived puppet sitcom Greg the Bunny, a show cancelled long before its time. After supporting roles in a number of movies including Rent and The School of Rock, her face became known amongst students and bored office workers for the viral hit I’m F*cking Matt Damon, in which Silverman used her unrivalled talent for turning just about any topic into a catchy tune to poke fun at her then boyfriend, chat-show host Jimmy Kimmell. And from then, she was perhaps not a household name, but at least a cult figure amidst the YouTube generation.

The Sarah Silverman Program places Sarah beside her real-life sister Laura in a childlike world of political incorrectness and puerility that is made so charmingly cute by Silverman’s innocence and girlish pep. Literally larger than life gay stoners Steve and Brian complete the unlikely ensemble and aid Sarah in her quest to make sense of the big wide anti-semantic, anti-Semitic world.

Approaching with pre-school glee such subjects as racism, religion and the death of an ailing mother, Silverman takes us on a nonsensical yet compellingly hilarious tour of her mixed-up psyche, introducing us to such memorable characters as Homeless Mike, Norman the nerdy cat, Sir Corin Ashley (a wonderful appearance by the coolest cat in comedy Mr Matt Berry; Garth Merenghi’s Dark Place, The IT Crowd), and even God himself, with whom Sarah develops an “intimate” relationship.

The Sarah Silverman Show is certainly not to everyone’s taste, and is definitely not a show to watch with your Grandmother, but nevertheless showcases Silverman’s amazingly “dotnose” talent, placing her firmly in the ranks of the greatest Single Female American Jewish Comedians of all time.