Dr. Katz

Dr. Katz

Dr Katz, Professional Therapist 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


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.

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.

Mixed in with all the scenes involving the doctor and his clients are scenes dealing with the doctor's
personal life. He has a son, Benjamin, who is an aimless and childish grown son. His secretary, Laura
(Laura Silverman) is disinterested and useless. He has two friends: Stanley (Will Le Bow), and the
barmaid, Julie, voiced by one of the show's producers, Julianne Shapiro. Another character, Todd
(Todd Barry) interacted with Ben.

Each show would typically begin with Dr. Katz and Ben waking up and beginning a plotline shared by
the two.

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 something similar to that.

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.