Larry begins to date Illeana Douglas, but feels compelled to rehearse her through her segment. Meanwhile, Brian brings a sexual harassment suit against Phil for all his gay jokes.
WAR
33.3
Wins Above Replacement
“Putting the "Gay" Back in Litigation” ranks #77 of 90 The Larry Sanders Show episodes on the Humor Index, scoring 71.0 — Solid. The episode packs 66 scored jokes at 2.5 per minute, averaging 6.7 on craft and 6.3 on impact, with Phil landing the most laughs. Every joke is ranked below with its individual craft and impact scores.
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Top Jokes
Hank: Oh, well, see I only-- I only saw the third one, the good one.
Hank Irony/Sarcasm Observational Artie: Looks like they settled out of court.
Artie Visual Gag Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Hank: Oh, well, see I only-- I only saw the third one, the good one.
Hank Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Hank: Do you want to show a little, uh-- No? A little tuckus?
Hank Escalation Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Brian: Uh, shouldn't you be working on the monologue, Phil?
Phil: This is the monologue.
Brian Phil Meta/Self-Referential Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch All Jokes — 66 analyzed
Show all ↓ Hide ↑ Phil: Yeah, I was up till 4:00 in the morning fucking my brains out.
Phil Cringe/Discomfort Observational Beverly: Eww! Nobody wants to hear that, phil.
Brian: I do.
Phil: What is it, some gay holiday? Gay groundhog day?
Phil Wordplay/Pun Observational Phil: You know, on my way into work I figured out what the faggiest car you could drive is. A rose parade float.
Phil Setup/Punchline Observational Brian: I drive a saturn.
Phil: I stand corrected.
Brian Phil Deadpan/Understatement Reaction Beat ★ Rewatch Brian: Uh, shouldn't you be working on the monologue, Phil?
Phil: This is the monologue.
Brian Phil Meta/Self-Referential Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Phil: You know how you can tell you're gay? It's when you lean over and you see 4 balls.
Phil Setup/Punchline Observational Phil: Gay people makes really dramatic exits... A walk to the door... A graceful pivot... One last look of contempt... And slam!
Phil Physical/Slapstick Observational Brian: You're a real jerk.
Phil: Nice slam!
Brian Phil Callback Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Callback Ed Begley Jr.: You're a funny man and a great environmentalist, which explains why you're always recycling jokes.
Ed Begley Jr.: Now, Hank, if this runs, am I gonna get paid?
Paula: But lucky for you, one of bobby berosini's chimps fell off his bike, so you can have 5 minutes Friday night.
Paula Absurdist Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Illeana: I mean, not the place where he hit his head and died and everything. It was, actually, another place.
Larry: She's a good guest, right?
Artie: Absolutely.
Larry: Really?
Artie: Absolutely.
Artie: Please, don't ask me again.
Larry: She's a good guest, right?
Artie: Well, there's no dead spots, that's for sure.
Artie Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Sweetie, the last show is packed fuller than Barishnikov's tights.
Brian: On august fourth I said I didn't eat meat, and phil said, 'Does that mean your boyfriend has a tofu cock?'
Brian Wordplay/Pun Cringe/Discomfort Phil: I hate going to hawaii because I can't tell the native hawaiians from the homosexuals, because they're both wearing the same shirts.
Phil: I tried to do windsurfing, and accidentally got a blow job.
Brian: It doesn't even make sense. / What gay guys wear Hawaiian shirts?
Beverly: Have you been on santa monica boulevard in the last 10 years? / I take sunset.
Hank: So, show your tits.
Drew Barrymore: What?
Hank: Well, you know, like you did on-- on Letterman.
Drew Barrymore: What the fuck are you talking about?
Director: Cut. Cut. Cut.
Hank: I thought that was, like, your shtick, you know. Like I do 'hey now.'
Hank Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Hank: Do you want to show a little, uh-- No? A little tuckus?
Hank Escalation Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Larry: You haven't thought about it? It's comin' up in a couple days.
Illeana: I know. I thought I'd just wing it.
Larry: Wing it?
Larry: You're gonna be great. You're always great when you wing it.
Larry Irony/Sarcasm Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Hank: Oh, yeah, I hear he's gay!
Artie: Fuck you.
Hank Artie Reaction Beat Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Artie: It's thicker than Heidi fleiss' phone book.
Artie: Well, I suggest you try to get to the good jokes without going through Brian's ass.
Artie Wordplay/Pun Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Phil: [Straining] We are great.
Phil Physical/Slapstick Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Phil Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Brian: Phil, do you like my outfit?
Phil: Yes, I do.
Brian: Isn't it fetching?
Phil: Yeah, that's-- that's not the word I'm looking for.
Brian Phil Setup/Punchline Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Phil: What, did you get that at the freddy mercury estate sale?
Phil Cringe/Discomfort ★ Rewatch Brian: And when I say 'straight,' I mean guys. And when I say 'come,' I mean on my face.
Beverly: I wish my ass looked like that.
Beverly Observational Cringe/Discomfort Phil: I think my dog is gay because his penis tastes bitter.
Phil: That's my joke.
Phil: He's a fucking asshole.
Artie: Absolutely.
Phil: Did you see what he was wearing? This is entrapment!
Phil Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Artie: You know who runs this town?
Phil: The jews.
Artie: No. The gay jews.
Hank: It just didn't feel...sincere.
Hank: I would just-- I would make it bigger.
Hank Hank Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential ★ Rewatch Bruno Kirby: Bruno kirby doesn't take direction from some talk show sidekick.
Hank: Now you've got something. Bring that--
Bruno Kirby: I was in the godfather, for god's sake.
Bruno Kirby: And Bruno Kirby doesn't take direction from some talk show sidekick.
Hank: Oh, well, see I only-- I only saw the third one, the good one.
Hank Irony/Sarcasm ★ Rewatch Hank: Oh, well, see I only-- I only saw the third one, the good one.
Hank Irony/Sarcasm Observational Illeana: Cockaponset.
Larry: Pardon me?
Illeana: What?
Larry: What was cockaponset?
Illeana: The name of the forest.
Larry: Oh, that's hilarious.
Illeana: And I said, 'hey, I need a psychic for that?'
Illeana Setup/Punchline Observational Larry: Wow! A little clear-air turbulence right there.
Larry Meta/Self-Referential Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Larry: How can it take 17 minutes to read a TV guide?
Larry Observational Setup/Punchline Beverly: Wow. Larry's monologue really sucks tonight.
Brian: Oh, I'm sorry.
Beverly: No problem.
Artie: Hitting new levels of self-loathing, Larry.
Larry: Cheers, motherfucker.
Artie Larry Character Comedy Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Larry: I actually don't know if anyone is still watching.
Larry Meta/Self-Referential Cringe/Discomfort Beverly: Well, I was born black.
Brian: What? What does that mean?
Beverly: Well, you chose to be gay.
Brian: Shame about your monologue.
Brian Deadpan/Understatement Character Comedy Larry: Guess what. I just put a lawyer on retainer.
Larry: Five fucking grand for one phone call.
Brian: Thank you.
Larry Brian Observational Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Brian: I wore that outfit just to provoke you.
Brian: You know that i, um-- I just bought it that morning.
Larry: Cape fear is the nickname for me in the bedroom. It's a superhero I play. I come out in a cape and have fear written all over one specific part... of my body.
Larry: Cape Fear is the nickname for me in the bedroom. It's a superhero I play. I come out in a cape and have fear written all over one specific part... of my body.
Larry Setup/Punchline Wordplay/Pun Phil: And I'm gonna be blackballed by the gay jews.
Phil Callback Dark/Subversive ★ Rewatch Callback Larry: Was there an all-girls school there, by any chance?
Illeana: Actually, it was right near beaver meadow.
Illeana: I think it's more important to you whether or not I'm a good guest on your show.
Illeana Character Comedy Cringe/Discomfort Larry: I'm a fuckin' talk show host, ok? I'm all fucked up.
Larry Character Comedy Meta/Self-Referential Illeana: I paused at the beaver meadow thing. The beaver meadow thing killed. Like you told me. And then I-- I did the cannon joke. The cannon joke? Did you hear the audience?
Illeana Character Comedy Callback Callback Illeana: I paused at the beaver meadow thing.
Illeana: The beaver meadow thing killed.
Illeana: Like you told me.
Illeana Larry Meta/Self-Referential Character Comedy ★ Rewatch Callback Artie: Looks like they settled out of court.
Artie Visual Gag Deadpan/Understatement ★ Rewatch Artie: Oh, by the way, Drew Barrymore's lawyer just called me.
Larry: What's that about?
Larry: Oh, by the way, Drew Barrymore's lawyer just called me.
Artie: What's that about?
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