“Here comes trouble with a capital S.” – Officer Jay (Jay Johnston in “Bored of the Rings”)

You know how when you go in for your eye exam, the doctor shows you two different slides and asks, “Which is better, number one or number two?” While for most of us, it’s hard to distinguish as they continually flip mirrors around and ask us to read nonsensical vision charts, my guess is that when anyone from The Sarah Silverman Program goes in for an appointment, they always go for number two. And after getting the instant gratification juvenile laugh at saying, “number two,” when asked again if they’re presented with two completely different slides, they’ll keep right on saying “number two,” until they’re fitted with specs or contacts so blinding that they don’t realize that you can’t build an entire series around number two.

Sure, one joke here and there keeps the masses entertained but as Mike Myers learned with the crass Love Guru, after awhile, if all you’re dishing up are repetitive jokes about number two and all of the bodily functions and parts connected to that area, the comedy itself is going to make the entire show seem like number two and find people reaching for the remote to put on any other channel not associated with that number.

This being said, I think Sarah Silverman is one of the funniest comics working today. I love her courageousness and ability to take real risks with her material as evidenced in her uneven but wildly hilarious film Jesus is Magic (that was best when on stage and a disaster when off) or in small film roles like in I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With. However, when you find her reined in on basic cable and unable to say some of the things that make her hilarious, obviously there’s a creative blockage that happens (no pun intended) and the result is nothing but two.

In Season 2, Volume 1 of The Sarah Silverman Program which arrives on DVD on October 14, Sarah and Laura Silverman, Brian Posehn, Steve Agee, and Jay Johnston are back reprising the roles from the first season, and in the sparse six episodes they manage to tackle such hot button topics as abortion, illegal immigration, racism, and a number of other things I won’t even begin to repeat here. With an extra disc filled with bonus materials featuring the cast and creators at 2007’s Comic-Con and behind the scenes clips, and digital shorts, it also contains audio commentary by those involved including Sarah Silverman, commenting on her childish, self-obsessed television alter-ego who causes destruction, offense, and chaos with each step she takes in her adorable sneakers.