The Sarah Silverman Program: Season 1 (2007)

In The Sarah Silverman Show, Sarah plays herself as a sweet naif whose misunderstandings of social mores (esp. utterances and incidents of political incorrectness) continually get her in trouble. Even so, in every instance she is saved by her facile ability to inspire or unite the crowds she previously offended. Think of it as The Office meets Moral Orel -- that is, a Jewish female version of Michael Scott who foments mobs (until she pacifies their anger with ironically didactic platitudes). Sarah plays the classic "holy fool" in secular fashion and with (e)scatological themes. The ensemble of actors is acceptable: Laura is Sarah's real sister; Jay is Laura's bend-the-rules policeman boyfriend; Brian and Steve are Sarah's gay neighbors (though so gone-to-seed, not to mention off-gaydar, that their frumpishness has to be ironic). Season 1: 1/Officer Jay (swilling cough syrup while driving, Sarah lands a DUI but gets off when Officer Jay is introduced to Laura), 2/Humanitarian of the Year (Sarah, to upstage Jay for winning a Humanitarian of the Year award, takes in a homeless man [Zach Galifianakis] but is smug about things like actually feeding him), 3/Positively Negative (Sarah takes an AIDS test then, assuming she has AIDS, empties her sister's account to promote a smarmy AIDS awareness foundation), 4/Not Without My Daughter (Sarah coaches a young girl to vicariously compete in a beauty competition), 5/Muffin' Man (Jay's new partner is a lesbian so Sarah claims to be one too), 6/Batteries (Sarah shops for batteries for her remote so she can turn off help-sick-children commercials then has a one-night stand with God, who is black). Topical, cutting-edge humor plus lowbrow poop jokes! 4.5 stars.