Going out with ‘Enthusiasm’: Larry David, HBO say goodbye to ‘Curb’ after 12 seasons
After a total of 24 years on television, the two-time Emmy-winning comedy series, “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” is headed for the door. The semi-improvisational series, which began in 2000 and took a six-year hiatus between Season 8 (released July 2011) and Season 9 (released October 2017), ends its run with a final 10-episode season. With new episodes dropping on HBO and the Max streaming service each Sunday night until the April 7 finale, the show’s creator and star, David, is looking forward to ending the show on his own terms. The series’ 12th season premieres on HBO and Max Sunday, Feb. 4.
“As ‘Curb’ comes to an end, I will now have the opportunity to finally shed this Larry David persona and become the person
God intended me to be — the thoughtful, kind, caring, considerate human being I was until I got derailed by portraying this malignant character,” David quipped in an HBO news release this past December.
He continued: “And so ‘Larry David,’ I bid you farewell. Your misanthropy will not be missed. And for those of you who would like to get in touch with me, you can reach me at Doctors Without Borders.”
David, who gained popularity for his particular brand of sardonic humor, is perhaps best known for his work on the cult classic ‘90s sitcom “Seinfeld.” A co-creator of the show alongside Jerry Seinfeld himself, David has embraced the quick-witted, ironic wordplay and anti-authoritarian themes that have become synonymous with Jewish humor in Hollywood. While he and Seinfeld are certainly not the only Jewish comedians to make it big in television, “Curb” and “Seinfeld’s” combined 293 episodes certainly carry a lot of weight in the business.
In fact, the “Seinfeld” finale some 26 years ago was so masterful that fans of both shows are wondering if perhaps David will opt to end “Curb” on a similar note.
Now, for those who may not be familiar with “Seinfeld’s” ending (26-year-old spoiler coming), the series’ nine seasons culminate with all four main characters — Jerry (Seinfeld), Elaine (Julia Louis-dreyfus, “Veep”), George (Jason Alexander, “Pretty Woman,” 1990) and Kramer (Michael Richards, “Airheads,” 1994) — sitting in a jail cell together for neglecting to stop a robbery. While on trial, they are confronted by the enemies they made over the years, who have come to testify against their characters.
In “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” David certainly made a fair number of his own enemies, so this could be a fun callback.
That said, no details have actually surfaced regarding the way the writers plan to end the series.
According to HBO, however, the final season of “Curb” “continues to prove how seemingly trivial details of one’s day-to-day life can precipitate a catastrophic chain of events.”
Additionally, viewers can expect to see the return of many ongoing jokes, bits and recurring characters, including Jeff Garlin (“The Goldbergs”) and Susie Essman (“Cop Out,” 2010) as Jeff and Susie Greene; Cheryl Hines (“Suburgatory”) as Larry’s wife, Cheryl David; J.B. Smoove (“Spider-man: No Way Home,” 2021) as Leon Black; Vince Vaughn (“Wedding Crashers,” 2005) as Freddie Funkhouser; Tracey Ullman (“The Tracy Ullman Show”) as Irma Kostoski; and Richard Lewis (“Robin Hood: Men in Tights,” 1993) and Ted Danson (“The Good Place”) as fictionalized versions of themselves.