‘CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM’ REVIEW: SEASON 10 BRINGS THE BEST OF THE WORST OF LARRY DAVID
“You’re such an a------.” — Larry’s ex-wife to Larry in the Season 10 premiere of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
‘CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM,’ SEASON 10, EPISODE 1 ★★★½
Larry David is the worst. THE WORST. And in the premiere episode of the 10th season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” which debuted Sunday, David acknowledges the love/hate relationship he has with his fans in a meta-fashion that would annoy the hell out of Larry David.
What a jerk.
Over the course of 10 seasons of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” on HBO, spread out over some 20 years, David has created the most lovable misanthrope this side of the entire “Seinfeld” gang he co-created with Jerry Seinfeld.
The exaggerated version of Larry’s real life has proven to be fertile ground for one of the greatest comedy series of the 21st century.
In the kickoff episode to the new season of “Curb,” Larry stars in a kind of greatest hits tribute to the show, as he offers a medley of offensive opinions in rapid-fire fashion.
“My husband is African-American,” says a white woman, and Larry calls her out, saying, “You like saying that.”
Observing a pregnant woman working out, Larry says, “You’re jostling the fetus.”
In order to avoid having lunch with television showrunner and liberal activist Phil Rosenthal, Larry wears a MAGA hat.
In the meantime, a slimmed-down, bearded Jeff all of a sudden happens to look just like Harvey Weinstein, which makes for some horribly uncomfortable situations.
Not that Larry cares. As ever, he’s all about Larry.
The Season 10 premiere also includes myriad callbacks and tributes to previous recurring characters and storylines, delivered in a way only Larry David can deliver. Every moment of this episode is a kind of reward to those of us who have been there from the beginning.
“Curb” premiered with an hourlong mockumentary special on Oct. 17, 1999. The official debut of the episodic series was on Oct. 15, 2000, with “The Pants Tent,” which set the tone for the show when Larry’s trousers bunched up in a way that made it appear as if he was … enthusiastic in public.
The Season Eight finale aired on Sept. 11, 2011 — the 10-year anniversary of 9/11, and just the kind of thing that would make for an episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” It was a typically politically incorrect show, with Larry leaving New York City for Paris and immediately getting into a confrontation with a local over his sloppy parking job.
After a six-year hiatus, “Curb” returned for a ninth season in 2017 — and now, a little more than two years later, it’s back for a 10th and final season.
Unless of course Larry decides to do another season or 10 at his convenience.