As much as it is a popular culture artifact in itself, during its run in publication, The Far Side was often a critique of the media and pop culture, filtered through creator Gary Larson’s signature sense of humor. These panels hilariously put a spotlight on Larson’s warped interpretation of late night television.
In a way, Larson’s knack for lampooning the media found a particularly potent form with his jokes about talk shows and TV news programs, making them especially apt for study by hardcore Far Side fans.
Yet while they certainly carry an implicitly critical perspective, these Far Side cartoons are also among Larson’s most well-calibrated mix of silly and surreal, of out-there and outrageous, resulting in several panels that deserve to be heralded among the pantheon of all-time great Far Side punchlines.
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The Far Side’s “Thawed Out Neanderthal” Joke Was Ahead Of Its Time
First Published: August 26, 1980
This early Far Side comic features a “missing link” type of character appearing on a talk show called “Hello America,” with the grinning hosts posing the question to the creature about “what dramatic changes he’s noticed” between his world and modern civilization, “after being frozen in ice for almost 50,000 years.” The joke here starts off strong thanks to an absurd premise, with the punchline being elevated by the visual contrast between the guest, who is depicted as barely human-looking, and the hosts, who are conventionally “attractive,” at least in terms of Gary Larson’s artistic style.
This panel is also notable for the joke’s glancing similarities to the fan-favorite film Encinco Man, released over a decade after this comic in 1992, as well as the famous Geico Cavemen, who debuted nearly twenty-five years later in 2004; coincidental similarities, most likely, this is just one of many examples of how ahead of his time Gary Larson was.
8
It’s No Secret That This Is An All-Time Classic Far Side Gag
First Published: November 21, 1984
In this arguably perfect Far Side cartoon, an interview with an “organized crime informant” on the evening news is spoiled by a custodian, who unwittingly exposes the informant’s identity live on air by walking into the “darkened studio” the man is covertly being interviewed from “to protect his identity,” and flipping on a lightswitch. From set-up to punchline, this is, without question, one of Gary Larson’s most well thought-out and well-executed jokes.
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Unfortunately for the poor informant here, that is likely not the only thing that is going to be executed, as it has been broadcast to the world that he is a “snitch.” The character’s eyes growing widen in shock and horror is a Far Side staple, and this is an iconic example, made all the more impactful by the hilarity of everything surrounding it. This Far Side joke has more moving parts than most, and the fact that Gary Larson pulled it off is extremely impressive.
7
The Far Side Catches This Canine Cramming In One Last English Lesson Before Its Big Moment
First Published: January 3, 1984
The Far Side featured plenty of talking dogs; in fact, they were among the most reliable tropes in Gary Larson’s comedic arsenal. Yet while this was often presented as ordinary in Larson’s panels, there were times in which the concept of a talking dog was the punchline in its own right. That is the case with this cartoon, which features a pup nervously pawing through a book of basic English grammar moments before it has to step out from behind the curtain for a big talk show appearance, as the show’s host tells the audience: “can dogs really talk? We found one who’s willing to try, right after this message!“
It is a laugh-out-loud moment, one in which the joke hinges on the idea of a dog trying to be more human by learning how to speak human language; in a sense, The Far Side illustrates Gary Larson’s preoccupation with communication, as much as any other subject he devoted a lot of time and comedic energy to.
6
Gary Larson Couldn’t Get The “Talking Dog On A Talk Show” Idea Out Of His Head
First Published: May 14, 1984
Just a few months after the previous entry was published, Gary Larson returned to the idea of a “talking” dog on a talk show in this Far Side “sequel” of sorts. This time, Larson moves the dog in front of the camera, in mid-interview, as the host prompts, “so tell us, Buffy, how long have you been a talking dog?” while, off-screen, a production assistant holds up a cue card reading “Well, Jim, I’ve been talking for quite some time now.”
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What is great about this Far Side cartoon is that it holds the reader in a moment of suspense. Whether the canine character here can actually talk is open to interpretation; in a way, Larson almost asks the reader to hold their breath in mock anticipation, waiting forever, without resolution, for next moment after this panel, to discover whether “Buffy” actually speaks or not.
5
Humans Are A Novelty To The Far Side’s Alien Talk Show Viewers
First Published: July 25, 1988
Some of The Far Side’s most memorable cartoons involved aliens, because they literally embodied Gary Larson’s “out of this world” perspective on humanity and human behavior. That is exemplified by this cartoon; captioned “alien talk shows,” the panel features an extraterrestrial couple appearing on a talk show to promote their book, which describes their bizarre encounter, in which “two creatures walked up to [their] spaceship like they were in some sort of trance…so [they] took them on board and conducted a few tests…” to make sure the creatures were okay.
In this way, Larson hilariously inverts the experience of human/alien contact; the humor of this Far Side cartoon derives from the way it presents the alien side of an abduction encounter, revealing it to be far more innocuous than the human “victims” would believe, while also amusingly making it clear that humans are as strange to these extraterrestrials as they were to the Earthlings.
4
The Far Side Critiques Sensational TV Journalism With This Cartoon
First Published: January 2, 1990
Up to this point, the Far Side cartoons cataloged here have largely been lighthearted jokes poking fun at the conventions of late night television, but this one has a bit more bite to it, as it takes a direct jab at a real-life figure, Geraldo Rivera, and implicitly calls out his style of aggrandized, over-the-top journalism. In a way, The Far Side was perfectly suited to making this exact time of social commentary, which is what makes this panel stand out.
Captioned “Geraldo Rivera of the wild,” it features the wild animal version of the notorious TV host, interviewing a group of animal guests who “all share the strange behavior of dressing up like other species and mating out of season.” While this is perhaps the biggest laugh line of the panel, the caption makes it clear that the true humor lies in Larson’s critique of “journalism” like this, which prioritizes spectacle and salaciousness over serious reporting.
3
The Far Side Takes A More Lighthearted Shot At A Famous TV Host
First Published: January 5, 1990
Here, Gary Larson’s punchline comes at the expense of a real person, but it is more playful than his Geraldo joke, thought at the same time it is not without a degree of edge to it. In the panel, a shriveled old figure sits in the guest chair on a late night talk show, against a colorful curtain backdrop, with the caption explaining that “suddenly, on a national talk show in front of millions of viewers, Dick Clark ages 200 years in 30 seconds.”
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The joke here, of course, is that despite being over sixty years old in 1990, Dick Clark barely looked at day over 40; Clark would famously continue to host the “Rockin’ New Years Eve” special that he pioneered in the ’70s up until 2004, when Ryan Seacrest took over the role. Clark passed away in 2012, in his ’80s, making it particularly amusing that Gary Larson was making jokes about his advanced age in The Far Side over twenty years earlier.
2
Another Classic Far Side Joke About Late Night News Exposes
First Published: June 30, 1992
Once again, dogs take center stage in this Far Side cartoon, which features a canine news program, which is about to interview several “dogs who drink from the toilet bowl,” who are depicted in shameful silhouettes off to the side of the sound stage, as a dog anchor behind a wooden desk cuts to commercial.
As this list makes clear, any time Gary Larson combined canines and late night television, he had an immediate hit on his hands. The mix was golden, in terms of Far Side success rate, with each of the entries aggregated here standing out as unique takes on a similar premise, and with each one debatably earning a spot in the Far Side hall of fame, among Larson’s most reliably laugh-out-loud cartoons.
1
Not Enough People Saw This Far Side Bonus Comic
First Published: October 13, 1998
This is actually one of a handful of Far Side cartoons released after Gary Larson’s retirement; published in The New York Times, this sublime panel depicts “science meets tabloid TV,” depicting a Springer-style day-time talk show in which a scientist is confronted by a member of the studio audience for tossing a rival’s “cat in the super collider” following a dispute over sources in a scholarly paper.
Even many of Gary Larson’s most die-hard fans haven’t seen this cartoon, but it certainly deserves more attention, given that it represents everything that made The Far Side’s jokes about talk shows and news programs great, while also delivering one more iconic Far Side scientist joke before all was said and done. Despite its limited exposure, this comic should be recognized for its high-level premise, and its highly effective punchline, which make it an immediate classic entry in Larson’s vast body of work.
The Far Side
- Writer
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Gary Larson
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Gary Larson
Summary
Written and drawn by Gary Larson, The Far Side is a comic strip series that ran from December 1979 to January 1995. A worldwide hit, The Far Side explores life’s surreal side and uses a mix of humans and anthropomorphic animals. As of 2020, Gary Larson decided to pick his pencil back up again and has started The Far Side up, circulating the comics on his official website.
