'''Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist''' was an
animated series that originally ran on
Comedy Central from
1995 to
1999, and starred
Jonathan Katz.
It 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
Dr. Katz with his guitar
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.
Interspersed with these scenes were scenes involving Dr. Katz's daily life, which included his son, Benjamin Katz (
H. Jon Benjamin), his secretary, Laura (
Laura Silverman), and his two friends: Stanley (
Will Le Bow), and the barmaid, Julie, voiced by the show's producer, Julianne Shapiro. In later episodes, Todd (
Todd Barry), the video store clerk, became a usual counterpart to Ben.
Ben Katz with his discarded stuffed animal, Bully
Each show would typically begin with Dr. Katz and Ben waking up and beginning a plotline shared by the two. These plots included events like Ben attempting to become a
radio personality, believing he's in possession of
ESP, and the
moral conundrum he suffers after receiving a chain-letter. The development of these plotlines would occur fragmentedly throughout the episode alongside the segments between Dr. Katz and his guests.
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 "Well, you know what the music means" or some variant thereof.
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.) For reasons never explained, Comedy Central began the show's sixth and final season on
June 15, 1999, ran it for six weeks -- and then put it on hiatus until
Christmas Eve, when it aired nine new episodes in an all-night marathon that served as the show's series finale. The hiatus was so sudden that the week the show was yanked,
TV Guide still listed the show and highlighted the upcoming episode as a must-see "Editor's Choice."
Notable guests
Crossovers
★ In "
Summer Sucks," an episode of ''
South Park'', another Comedy Central
cartoon, Dr. Katz appears as
Mr. Garrison's psychiatrist.
★ 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.
[1]
★ 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. |
| Season 3 | November 20 2007 | 13 | Included on "The Complete Series" boxset, with a collectible book with new Katz stories and artwork. |
| Season 4 | November 20 2007 | 13 | Included on "The Complete Series" boxset, with a collectible book with new Katz stories and artwork. |
| Season 5 | November 20 2007 | 13 | Included on "The Complete Series" boxset, with a collectible book with new Katz stories and artwork. |
| Season 6 | November 20 2007 | 13 | Included on "The Complete Series" boxset, with a collectible book with new Katz stories and artwork. |
| The Complete Series | November 20 2007 [2] | 71 | A collectible book with new Katz stories and artwork. |
External links
★
★
Eric D. Snider's Complete 'Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist' Episode Guide.''
★
Jeff Sass presents The Many Faces of Dr. Katz"
★
Dr. Katz comic strip
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