Dr. Katz

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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.


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.


Episodes

Episode # Prod # Air Date Episode Title

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


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



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



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



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



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



Notable guests



Dave Attell

Todd Barry

Joy Behar

Elayne Boosler

Bill Braudis

Kevin Brennan

Dave Chappelle

Louis C.K.

David Cross

Rodney Dangerfield

David Duchovny

Mitch Fatel

Jim Gaffigan

Jack Gallagher

Jeff Garlin

Jeff Goldblum

Whoopi Goldberg

Janeane Garofalo

Bobcat Goldthwait

Gilbert Gottfried

Kathy Griffin

Mitch Hedberg

Dom Irrera

Richard Jeni

Tom Kenny

Andy Kindler

Julia Louis-Dreyfus

Ron Lynch

Denis Leary

David Mamet

Bonnie McFarlane

Kevin Meaney

Larry Miller

Kevin Nealon

Conan O'Brien

Bob Odenkirk

Patton Oswalt

Emo Philips

John Pinette

Brian Regan

Ray Romano

Mike Rowe

Rita Rudner

Winona Ryder

Lew Schneider

Garry Shandling

Sarah Silverman

Bobby Slayton

Margaret Smith

Barry Sobel

Jon Stewart

Ben Stiller

Fred Stoller

Wanda Sykes

Paul F. Tompkins

Steven Wright



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.

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.


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.


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 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."