The Larry Sanders Show in its use of celebrity guests, its lack of laugh track, and its comedy of embarrassment by "Curb Your Enthusiasm", "The Office" and "Arrested Development". Shandling's performance is a precursor to Larry David's in "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and Ricky Gervais ("The Office", "Extras") as David Brent. Gervais said in "Variety" that he was heavily influenced by the show and that "It taught me that flawed characters can be compulsive viewing — seeing them squirm and get their comeuppance." Armando Iannucci said that his political satire "The Thick of It" strove to mix comedy and authenticity in a similar manner to
Josh Thomas (comedian) Josh Thomas (comedian) Joshua Michael Thomas (born 26 May 1987) is an Australian comedian, actor, writer living in Melbourne. In 2005, he won the Melbourne International Comedy Festival's Raw Comedy Competition. He has since appeared on television numerous times, including as a regular and Generation Y team captain on Network Ten's "Talkin' 'Bout Your Generation". In 2013, Thomas created the award-winning ABC2 and Pivot television series "Please Like Me", which he also co-wrote and starred in. Thomas was born in Blackwater, Queensland. He lived in Chapel Hill and Westlake in Brisbane's western suburbs and attended Kenmore State High School, graduating