The Sarah Silverman Program: Season 1

• Factory sealed DVD.

Crass, narcissistic, and utterly oblivious to the pain, suffering, or even the reality of anyone outside of herself, Sarah Silverman--a character played by sly hipster comedienne Sarah Silverman (the standout in a crowded field of comedians in The Aristocrats)--tops the characters of Seinfeld for dizzying comic insufferability. In the six episodes of The Sarah Silverman Program, Silverman goes on a --hallucination-fueled car ride, takes in a homeless man to prove her humanitarianism, founds an AIDS charity on the possibility that she might have AIDS, shepherds a little girl (the outstanding Laura Marano, Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?) through the child beauty pageant that she lost in her own youth, explores lesbianism, and goes out for batteries. Every scenario, simple or absurd, is crammed thick with deranged (yet uncomfortably real) behavior and over-the-top turns (such as when Silverman, having had an unfortunate moment while trying to pass , has her prayers answered by God...with whom she then has a one-night stand). The supporting cast (including Silverman's sister Laura Silverman, Jay Johnston, Steve Agee, and Brian Posehn) all have their own appalling moments, which they execute with omb. Silverman's humor offends some while inspiring rabid devotion in others. It's best to know what you're getting into before you watch it; jokes about , sexuality, terminal illness, and scatology abound, delivered with unrepentant enthusiasm and outright joy. Silverman, for all her taboo-breaking, just wants to make the world a funnier place. For her fans, she has succeeded. The Sarah Silverman Program - Season One has some splendid extras, including an abundance of extra songs, karaoke sing-alongs, alternate versions of the show's intro, and garrulous commentaries. --Bret Fetzer