Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist
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| Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist | |
|---|---|
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| Format | Animated Sitcom |
| Created by | Jonathan Katz Tom Snyder |
| Starring | Jonathan Katz H. Jon Benjamin Laura Silverman |
| Country of origin | USA |
| No. of seasons | 6 |
| No. of episodes | 81 (3 unaired) |
| Production | |
| Running time | approx. 0:22 |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Comedy Central |
| Original run | May 28, 1995 – December 24, 1999 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist is an animated series that originally ran on Comedy Central from May 28, 1995 to December 24, 1999, starring Jonathan Katz, H. Jon Benjamin, and Laura Silverman. The show was created by Katz and Tom Snyder, made by Tom Snyder Productions, and usually produced by Katz and Loren Bouchard. The show was computer animated in a crude, easily recognizable style called Squigglevision, in which all persons and animate objects are colored and have constantly squiggling outlines, while all other inanimate objects are static and usually gray in color.
Contents |
[edit] Format
The show focused on the title character, Dr. Jonathan Katz, who was voiced by, and visually based on, the comedian of the same name. Dr. Katz was a professional psychoanalyst who had famous comedians and actors as patients, usually two per episode. The comedians' therapy sessions generally consisted of them doing their onstage material while Dr. Katz offered insights or simply let them rant. Meanwhile, therapy sessions featuring actors and actresses offered more interpersonal dialogue between Katz and his patient to better suit their predisposition. Dr. Katz is a very laid-back, well-intentioned man who enjoys playing the guitar and spending time at the bar with his friends, Stanley and Julie.
Interspersed with these scenes were scenes involving Dr. Katz's daily life, which included his aimless, childish grown son, Benjamin Katz (H. Jon Benjamin), his disinterested and dishelpful secretary, Laura (Laura Silverman), and his two friends: Stanley (Will Le Bow), and the barmaid, Julie, voiced by one of the show's producers, Julianne Shapiro. In later episodes, Todd (Todd Barry), the video store clerk, became a standard counterpart to Ben.
Each show would typically begin with Dr. Katz and Ben waking up and beginning a plotline shared by the two. These plots included events like Ben attempting to become a radio personality, believing he is in possession of ESP, and the moral conundrum he suffers after receiving a chain-letter. The development of these plotlines would occur fragmentedly throughout the episode alongside the segments between Dr. Katz and his guests.
The show would end in a similar way each week; while Dr. Katz was in a session with a patient, music signaling the close of the show would begin to play. Katz would acknowledge it and tell the patient "Whoops, you know what the music means... our time is up" or some variant thereof.
Much of the show's content, particularly dialogue between Katz and Benjamin, was improvised through a process called "retroscripting", in which a vague outline is developed but the actual dialogue is ad-libbed. This style, as well as Squigglevision, would reappear in Home Movies, a cartoon that features many members of the Dr. Katz cast and crew.
[edit] Original airing
The first episode of Dr. Katz aired on May 28, 1995. A total of 81 episodes were produced, though the final three -- "Bakery Ben," "Uncle Nothing" and "Lerapy" -- did not air in the United States. (They were aired in Canada and overseas, however.) Comedy Central began the show's sixth and final season on June 15, 1999, but ran only the first six episodes. The network chose to schedule nine of the remaining twelve episodes for a Christmas Eve marathon, which served as the show's finale. The final three episodes were not released until their inclusion on the 2007 DVD box set.
[edit] Episodes
Episode # Prod # Air Date Episode Title
[edit] Season 1: 1995
1. 1- 1 101 28 May 95 Pot-Bellied Pigs 2. 1- 2 102 4 Jun 95 Pretzelkins 3. 1- 3 103 11 Jun 95 Bully 4. 1- 4 104 18 Jun 95 Cholesterol 5. 1- 5 105 25 Jun 95 Everybody's Got a Tushy 6. 1- 6 106 2 Jul 95 Family Car
[edit] Season 2: 1996
7. 2- 1 201 15 Oct 95 Bystander Ben 8. 2- 2 202 29 Oct 95 Real Estate 9. 2- 3 203 12 Nov 95 Glasses 10. 2- 4 204 17 Dec 95 Office Management 11. 2- 5 205 14 Jan 96 Bees and SIDS 12. 2- 6 206 21 Jan 96 Drinky the Drunk Guy 13. 2- 7 207 7 Apr 96 Sticky Notes 14. 2- 8 208 14 Apr 96 It Takes Some Getting Used To 15. 2- 9 209 21 Apr 96 The Particle Board 16. 2-10 210 28 Apr 96 A Journey for the Betterment of People 17. 2-11 211 5 May 96 Theory of Intelligence 18. 2-12 212 12 May 96 Henna 19. 2-13 213 26 May 96 ESP
[edit] Season 3: 1996-1997
20. 3- 1 301 6 Oct 96 Monte Carlo 21. 3- 2 302 13 Oct 96 Blind Date 22. 3- 3 303 20 Oct 96 Fructose 23. 3- 4 304 27 Oct 96 Earring 24. 3- 5 305 3 Nov 96 Koppleman and Katz 25. 3- 6 306 5 Jan 97 Guess Who 26. 3- 7 307 12 Jan 97 Day Planner 27. 3- 8 309 19 Jan 97 Studio Guy 28. 3- 9 308 26 Jan 97 Mourning Person 29. 3-10 310 2 Feb 97 L'il Helper 30. 3-11 311 9 Feb 97 Big Fat Slug 31. 3-12 312 2 Mar 97 New Phone System 32. 3-13 313 9 Mar 97 Reunion
[edit] Season 4: 1997
33. 4- 1 405 9 May 97 Ben Treats 34. 4- 2 401 22 Jun 97 Memoirs 35. 4- 3 402 29 Jun 97 Electric Bike 36. 4- 4 403 6 Jul 97 Broadcaster Ben 37. 4- 5 404 13 Jul 97 Trash Day 38. 4- 6 406 27 Jul 97 Sharon Meyers 39. 4- 7 407 3 Aug 97 Mask 40. 4- 8 408 10 Aug 97 Closets 41. 4- 9 409 17 Aug 97 Wild Weekend 42. 4-10 410 24 Aug 97 Chopper 43. 4-11 411 31 Aug 97 Alibi 44. 4-12 412 7 Sep 97 Ben-Centennial 45. 4-13 413 14 Sep 97 Undercover
[edit] Season 5: 1998
46. 5- 1 503 17 Jun 98 Old Man 47. 5- 2 501 22 Jun 98 Fanny Pack 48. 5- 3 505 29 Jun 98 Metaphors 49. 5- 4 502 6 Jul 98 Movies 50. 5- 5 512 13 Jul 98 Ticket 51. 5- 6 504 20 Jul 98 Phone Luv 52. 5- 7 506 27 Jul 98 Chain Letter 53. 5- 8 507 3 Aug 98 Babysitting Ben 54. 5- 9 508 10 Aug 98 Miles Away 55. 5-10 509 17 Aug 98 London Broil 56. 5-11 510 24 Aug 98 Feng Shui 57. 5-12 511 21 Sep 98 Alderman 58. 5-13 513 28 Sep 98 Paranoia 59. 5-14 514 5 Oct 98 Waltz 60. 5-15 515 12 Oct 98 Anniversary 61. 5-16 516 19 Oct 98 Community Theater 62. 5-17 517 26 Oct 98 Ping-Pong 63. 5-18 518 23 Nov 98 Thanksgiving
[edit] Season 6: 1999
64. 6- 1 601 15 Jun 99 Sissy Boy 65. 6- 2 602 22 Jun 99 Pullman Square 66. 6- 3 603 29 Jun 99 Wisdom Teeth 67. 6- 4 604 6 Jul 99 Past Lives 68. 6- 5 605 13 Jul 99 Ben's Partay 69. 6- 6 615 20 Jul 99 Walk for Hunger 70. 6- 7 606 24 Dec 99 Used Car 71. 6- 8 607 24 Dec 99 Ball and Chain 72. 6- 9 608 24 Dec 99 Snow Day 73. 6-10 609 24 Dec 99 Garden 74. 6-11 610 24 Dec 99 Big TV 75. 6-12 611 24 Dec 99 Vow of Silence 76. 6-13 612 24 Dec 99 You're Belinda 77. 6-14 614 24 Dec 99 Radio Katz 78. 6-15 613 24 Dec 99 Expert Witness 79. 6-16 616 Bakery Ben 80. 6-17 617 Uncle Nothing 81. 6-18 618 Lerapy
[edit] Notable guests
[edit] References in popular culture
- In "Summer Sucks," an episode of South Park, another Comedy Central cartoon, Dr. Katz appears as Mr. Garrison's psychiatrist.
- In an issue of Mad, Dr. Katz moves to South Park and counsels the characters.
- In episode 307 "Bush is a Pussy" of Mr. Show a Dr. Katz scene is played out between Katz and Kedzie Matthews, a spoof of a typical college comic, at the end of the episode.
- In the Family Guy episode Saving Private Brian the main character Peter Griffin is seen talking to Dr. Katz, while sitting on a recliner. Peter makes a comment about the Squigglevision style in which Dr. Katz is animated, saying "What the hell is wrong with you? Your skin is like moving around or something," to which he replies, "I believe I'm having some sort of seizure."
- In the Squidbillies episode Government Brain Voodoo Trouble, the therapist (later clarified as "the rapist") is voiced by an uncredited Jonathan Katz.[1]
- In the Space Ghost Coast to Coast episode, "Brilliant Number One," Space Ghost was drawn in Dr. Katz's style briefly, while asking Peter Fonda, "What does this tell us about your childhood?"
- In the Space Ghost Coast to Coast episode "King Dead," which featured H. Jon Benjamin as the guest, the Dr. Katz show is mentioned by name. Space Ghost is briefly shown in Squigglevision while stating "cable is important" a reference to the fact Dr. Katz was on Comedy Central and Space Ghost was shown on Cartoon Network, both of which were basic cable channels.
- In the direct-to-DVD parody film, Farce of the Penguins, Jonathan Katz appears as Steve, the owl who gives therapeutic advice for $275/hr.
- In the children's animated series Arthur, there was an episode where the children all proposed an idea for a TV-show episode, all of which were based on various animated programs. Arthur's idea had himself seeing Dr. Katz, complaining about his sister, D.W.
- On the sitcom Help Me Help You, Jonathan Katz appeared as Dr. Katz.
[edit] Comic strip
A comic strip of the same name was produced by the LA Times syndicate. One book collection was published, Hey I've Got My Own Problems. Writers included Bill Braudis and Dave Blazek, with artwork by Dick Truxaw.
[edit] DVD releases
Season Releases
| DVD Name | Release Date | Ep # | Additional Information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | May 9, 2006 | 6 | Bonus features include cast and crew commentary, and several animated shorts. |
| Season 2 | November 21, 2006 | 13 | Bonus features include cast and crew commentary, and "follow-up calls" with previous guest stars. |
| The Complete Series | November 20, 2007 [1] | 81 | Bonus Features include a 28-page booklet with patients' "memories from the couch" and new drawings, as well as "An Evening with Dr Katz: Live from the Comedy Central Stage." |
