Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist (1995)
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist is an American animated series that originally ran on Comedy Central from May 28, 1995 to December 24, 1999—with a final set of three shelved episodes airing in 2002—starring Jonathan Katz, Jon Benjamin, and Laura Silverman. The show was created by a Burbank, California production company Popular Arts Entertainment, with Jonathan Katz and Tom Snyder, developed and first made by Popular Arts for HBO Downtown Productions. Boston-based Tom Snyder Productions became the hands-on production company, and the episodes were usually produced by Katz and Loren Bouchard. The show was computer animated in a crude, easily recognizable style produced with the software Squigglevision in which all persons and animate objects are colored and have constantly squiggling outlines, while most other inanimate objects are static and usually gray in color. The original challenge Popular Arts faced was how to repurpose recorded stand-up comedy material. To do so they based Dr. Katz's patients on stand-up comics for the first several episodes, simply having them recite their stand-up acts. The secondary challenge was how to affordably animate on cable TV at the time. Snyder had Squigglevision, an inexpensive means of getting animation on cable, which could not afford traditional animation processes. A partnership between Popular Arts, Tom Snyder Productions and Jonathan Katz was formed and Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist was born.
Seasons & Episode
Jeff Goldblum and Ted Alexandro are patients; Ben considers joining the military after being called a "sissy" by a boyhood chum.
Teri Garr and Ed Crasnick are featured; Ben opposes gentrification of his old neighborhood and tries to form a grass-roots movement to stop it.
Margaret Cho and Paul F. Tompkins are featured; Ben has his wisdom teeth pulled, and Dr. Katz nurses him back to health.
Dom Irrera and Mitch Hedberg are featured; Ben and Dr. Katz explore past-life regression, and Katz learns he was once a barmaid in the Old West.
Tom Hertz and Al Lubel are featured; Ben throws a big party, and asks his father to make other plans.
Wanda Sykes-Hall and Jon Stewart visit the doctor; Ben joins a walk for hunger in an attempt to impress Laura.
Greg Behrendt and Ian Bagg are featured; Dr. Katz and Ben "help" Laura buy a used car.
Carol Leifer and Kevin Meaney are featured; Ben is convinced his father is about to remarry after Katz has a couple of dates with a gastroenterologist.
Merrill Markoe and Dana Gould visit the doctor; Ben cares for a neighbor's rooftop pigeons as a snowstorm approaches.
Mitch Hedberg and Matt Siegel are clients; Katz takes up gardening as a hobby, but Ben discovers his secret motivation.
Dom Irrera and Al Lubel take the couch; Ben buys a big-screen TV to replace their failed set.
When the paper doesn't get delivered for a few days, Ben observes that Katz is hooked on the news. Katz denies it and bets him that he can go longer without news than Ben can go without talking.
Dr. Katz is skeptical of a new therapy technique suggested by Ben.
Dr. Katz hosts a radio show.
Dr. Katz applies his expertise to a criminal trial.
Ben gets a job at a bakery.
Ben learns of Laura's engagement.
Conan O'Brien uses Dr. Katz's jokes on TV.
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