It's Garry Shandling Show co-creator Alan Zweibel: We pitched the show to NBC, which wanted to strip it of everything special

Vulture

The 1970s-era SNL writer details the creation of Garry Shandling's iconic 1980s iconic comedy in his new memoir Laugh Lines: Helping Funny People Become Funnier. Zweibel recalls pitching the show to then-NBC president Brandon Tartikoff, who disliked the idea of Shandling breaking the fourth wall. "He didn’t want Garry to use his real name. He said Garry should play a character with another name," writes Zweibel. "He didn’t think the audience could relate to or care about the life of a comedian and, instead, suggested that Garry’s character be a baby photographer.”