It's Garry Shandling's Show: Garry Met a Girl Named Maria

It's Garry Shandling's Show: Garry Met a Girl Named Maria
Showtime
January 23, 1987
Sitcom
DVD
B-

Ed Solomon's first of eight IGSS stories, collaborating with Janis Hirsch on her second of two, kicks off the return of the series after a hiatus (as Garry notes in his opening monologue).  Although it has some nice touches, like the map during the credits and the characters bursting or threatening to burst into song, I don't think it's aged as well as the episodes we looked at previously.  To some extent, it's a parody of the "regular character considering marrying a female illegal alien to prevent her being deported" plot, as Garry fully acknowledges, and I think naming her Maria (as was the name on What's Happening!! and Three's Company, while it was Angelina on Welcome Back, Kotter) is a nod to this trope that would reach its ultimate expression in that fall's series I Married Dora, on of course ABC.  But the stereotypes (not just Latino but gay) are presented without much finesse and the "Lou Gehrig" joke gets dull with repetition.

Tony Plana, whose TV debut was as Amid on What's Happening!!, plays Maria's brother Jorge.  Richard Karron, who was an Officer on Three's Company, is again a Priest on this show.  Assistant Director Peter Barth again appears as himself.  And Barbara Cason, who was a Nurse on Mork & Mindy and Miss Fritzinger in The Brady Girls Get Married, makes her third appearance as Garry's mother Ruth.