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
David Threlfall David Threlfall David Threlfall (born 12 October 1953) is an English stage, film and television actor and director. He is probably best known for playing Frank Gallagher in Channel 4's series "Shameless". He has also directed several episodes of the show. In April 2014, he portrayed comedian Tommy Cooper in a television film entitled "". In 2014, he starred alongside Jude Law in the thriller "Black Sea". The son of a plumber, Tommy Threlfall and his wife, Joyce Foulds, David was born in Crumpsall, Manchester, Lancashire. The family lived in Blackley then moved to the Bradford area of Manchester and