CLASSIC TV
A pretty, pretty good sitcom…
2000-2024 DVD, BD, DIGITAL, SKY/NOW
After making history with sitcom mega-hit Seinfeld, series co-creator Larry David could have sat back and retired on his television fortune. Instead, he went on to do it all over again with Curb Your Enthusiasm.
The writer and comedian had already created a heavily-fictionalised version of himself in Seinfeld’s George Costanza (played by Jason Alexander) – but with Curb, David became master of his own domain, playing Larry David, Seinfeld co-creator and agent of chaos. A true self-portrait? Not entirely: ‘I’m cranky,’ David told The Guardian. ‘He’s not cranky. I’d be much happier if I were more like him.’
Each intricately structured episode sees a delicate web of misunderstandings come crashing down around disaster-prone Larry, culminating in payoffs like the ‘beloved aunt’ debacle, or the ‘pants tent’ he suffers while on a cinema date. Such excruciating incidents required the cast to think quickly on their feet. ‘The idea was to do this unscripted so that actors could improvise dialogue and it would feel more genuine,’ said executive producer Robert Weide of the show’s then-unique approach.
Larry’s rich social life includes a thick-as-thieves relationship with his manager Jeff (Jeff Garlin); their sc
