The best thing about Sarah Silverman is even if you know she’s one of the filthiest and most offensive comics out there, you never see it coming. Ever.

The camera will pan to this tiny brunette with a little-girl voice and a face that’s too cute to hate, and out will come a slew of one-liners about everything from her vagina to the disabled, drugs, sex and AIDS. And, of course, there’s always the classic farting gag. It’s this contradiction that makes the show so funny.

‘The Sarah Silverman Program’ is basically a shortened version of her 2005 show/movie, ‘Jesus is Magic.’ But what Silverman couldn’t do on the stage by herself, she excels at in the quick half-hour sitcom formula.

If there’s one thing to be said about the show, it’s that it never gets old. In fact, it’s often impossible to keep up. It has a ‘Pee Wee’s Playhouse’ kind of feel, in which real-life scenarios are often thrown to the window and replaced by the zany antics of a main character who is so insane her actions almost makes sense … almost.

The show focuses on Silverman and her daily life. In the first episode, you meet the other characters who inhabit her world (and since Silverman is, at best, egomaniacal, and at worst, certifiably insane, the whole world is her world). There is her protective little sister, her sister’s boyfriend, her two gay neighbors (or ‘gaybors’ as she refers to them) and her dog, Doug, whom she found in the trash. Each one is either participating in, or suffering from, Silverman’s antics.

Silverman’s show often takes on different tones, making fun of sitcoms, horror films, cop dramas and lifetime movies, with a healthy dose of pop-culture spoof on the side. These only help to add to the randomness of Silverman’s life.

There are also a number of Silverman’s trademark musical numbers, which like the rest of the show, seem to come from nowhere. The songs may start out as cute, kid-friendly songs about life, but they quickly turn into horrifying X-rated ditties about anything that comes into Silverman’s head. It’s hard to tell if you should be disgusted by these tunes, or download them all to your iPod.

The only real problem with Silverman’s show is it can be so ridiculous at times that it becomes hard to watch. You can’t help but cringe at the awkwardness of Silverman’s situations, or roll your eyes at some of the show’s utter stupidity. Still, like every scene of every episode, these moments end as quickly as they began, and something new, random and hilarious will certainly arise.

Silverman is clearly trying to play with expectations. You get the feeling that she’s sick of people thinking of her as this cute, intelligent, Jewish girl and is going over-the-top to fight this stereotype. In fact, her whole show is focused around destroying labels. You meet people like ‘the friendly cop,’ ‘the gay couple,’ ‘the old black lady,’ but none of these characters remain typical for long. Every episode takes the concept of politically correct humor and stabs it repeatedly, and then laughs at its created chaos.

Each show ends with a moral message of sorts from Silverman as she sits in bed and reflects on her day. These words of wisdom sum up the feeling of the show in the way only Silverman can. For example, after the second episode, in which Silverman adopts a homeless man and is almost killed by him, she ends the show by saying, ‘I learned that if you open your heart and help people, they’re going to eventually stab you to death. And that’s sad.’

So while Silverman may look sweet and innocent, there’s clearly something awful hidden behind those big brown puppy-dog eyes – something awfully hilarious, that is.

If You Watch

What: The Sarah Silverman Program, season finale

When: Wednesday, 10:30 p.m.

Where: Comedy Central, channel 50

Top 5 shows to set your TiVo for:

1. Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? – Thursday, 9 p.m. on FOXJeff Foxworthy hosts a new game show in which contestants are asked questions straight from elementary school textbooks.

2. 24 – Monday, 9 p.m. on FOXJack Bauer’s long day continues. That man needs some sleep.

3. Pussycat Dolls Present: The Search for the Next Doll – Tuesday, 9 p.m. on CWThe Pussycat Dolls loosen up their buttons as they try to select a new singer and dancer for the successful pop group.

4. The Real World: Denver – Wednesday, 10 p.m. on MTVThis group of housemates is the biggest collection of nuts you’ll ever see. They are not rational human beings.

5. The Wedding Bells – Friday, 9 p.m. on FOXFOX’s new ‘romantic dramedy’ about two sisters who inherit their parents’ wedding planning business and attempt to make it a wedding empire.

Published on March 4, 2007 at 12:00 pm