Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist (1995)
Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist is an American animated series that originally ran on Comedy Central from May 28, 1995 to December 24, 1999—with a final set of three shelved episodes airing in 2002—starring Jonathan Katz, Jon Benjamin, and Laura Silverman. The show was created by a Burbank, California production company Popular Arts Entertainment, with Jonathan Katz and Tom Snyder, developed and first made by Popular Arts for HBO Downtown Productions. Boston-based Tom Snyder Productions became the hands-on production company, and the episodes were usually produced by Katz and Loren Bouchard. The show was computer animated in a crude, easily recognizable style produced with the software Squigglevision in which all persons and animate objects are colored and have constantly squiggling outlines, while most other inanimate objects are static and usually gray in color. The original challenge Popular Arts faced was how to repurpose recorded stand-up comedy material. To do so they based Dr. Katz's patients on stand-up comics for the first several episodes, simply having them recite their stand-up acts. The secondary challenge was how to affordably animate on cable TV at the time. Snyder had Squigglevision, an inexpensive means of getting animation on cable, which could not afford traditional animation processes. A partnership between Popular Arts, Tom Snyder Productions and Jonathan Katz was formed and Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist was born.
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Episode 1 - Sissy Boy
Release Date: 1999-06-15Jeff Goldblum and Ted Alexandro are patients; Ben considers joining the military after being called a "sissy" by a boyhood chum.
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Episode 2 - Pullman Square
Release Date: 1999-06-22Teri Garr and Ed Crasnick are featured; Ben opposes gentrification of his old neighborhood and tries to form a grass-roots movement to stop it.
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Episode 3 - Wisdom Teeth
Release Date: 1999-06-29Margaret Cho and Paul F. Tompkins are featured; Ben has his wisdom teeth pulled, and Dr. Katz nurses him back to health.
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Episode 4 - Past Lives
Release Date: 1999-07-06Dom Irrera and Mitch Hedberg are featured; Ben and Dr. Katz explore past-life regression, and Katz learns he was once a barmaid in the Old West.
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Episode 5 - Ben's Partay
Release Date: 1999-07-13Tom Hertz and Al Lubel are featured; Ben throws a big party, and asks his father to make other plans.
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Episode 6 - Walk for Hunger
Release Date: 1999-07-20Wanda Sykes-Hall and Jon Stewart visit the doctor; Ben joins a walk for hunger in an attempt to impress Laura.
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Episode 7 - Used Car
Release Date: 1999-12-24Greg Behrendt and Ian Bagg are featured; Dr. Katz and Ben "help" Laura buy a used car.
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Episode 8 - Ball and Chain
Release Date: 1999-12-24Carol Leifer and Kevin Meaney are featured; Ben is convinced his father is about to remarry after Katz has a couple of dates with a gastroenterologist.
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Episode 9 - Snow Day
Release Date: 1999-12-24Merrill Markoe and Dana Gould visit the doctor; Ben cares for a neighbor's rooftop pigeons as a snowstorm approaches.
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Episode 10 - Garden
Release Date: 1999-12-24Mitch Hedberg and Matt Siegel are clients; Katz takes up gardening as a hobby, but Ben discovers his secret motivation.
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Episode 11 - Big TV
Release Date: 1999-12-24Dom Irrera and Al Lubel take the couch; Ben buys a big-screen TV to replace their failed set.
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Episode 12 - Vow of Silence
Release Date: 1999-12-24When the paper doesn't get delivered for a few days, Ben observes that Katz is hooked on the news. Katz denies it and bets him that he can go longer without news than Ben can go without talking.
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Episode 13 - You're Belinda
Release Date: 1999-12-24Dr. Katz is skeptical of a new therapy technique suggested by Ben.
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Episode 14 - Radio Katz
Release Date: 1999-12-24Dr. Katz hosts a radio show.
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Episode 15 - Expert Witness
Release Date: 1999-12-24Dr. Katz applies his expertise to a criminal trial.
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Episode 16 - Bakery Ben
Release Date: 2002-02-03Ben gets a job at a bakery.
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Episode 17 - Uncle Nothing
Release Date: 2002-02-03Ben learns of Laura's engagement.
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Episode 18 - Lerapy
Release Date: 2002-02-03Conan O'Brien uses Dr. Katz's jokes on TV.