And with the CURB finale, Larry David seamlessly solved the mediocre SEINFELD finale twenty-five years later. By utilizing the same narrative structure, he was able to rewrite history for SEINFELD while also providing a pretty, pretty, pretty, fantastic CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM finale.
Iāve been a huge fan of Larry Davidās work since Seinfeld premiered in the 90s. I had the fortune to work on set with him for a volunteer event in the early 2000s. The story there: as a lowly production assistant, I was tasked with driving the equipment to set, where Larry David, Cheryl Hines, Ben Stiller, and more were waiting. On the way there, I infamously got into an accident where someone ran a red light and smashed the van. Rather than report it to the police, the Line Producer stepped in and got me on the road. Did he pay hush money to the other driver? Promise an on-set visit? Iāll never know the answer. But I do know that I was extremely late, which caused the entire shoot to run behind schedule. Rather than get upset, David still shook my hand, was extremely kind, and thanked me at the end of the day. The point is that even though his persona on air is that of an angry old Jewish New Yorker, he was easygoing, genuine, and frequently hilarious in real life.
Enough about me, and back to Larry Davidās CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM. Since 2000, Larry has made audiences laugh with this outrageous improvisational sitcom. Heck, he might have invented the improv genre for TV (or, at minimum, set it up for successful future TV series to follow). The finale hits all the right notes (including theme songs from the 1950s and ā60s cop shows). From the narrative structure, the arguments involving Larry debating sex with a bearded lady and a āsuicideā worthy debate with Richard Lewis one last time all came out flawlessly. In other words, regardless of being stuck in āAirplane Mode,ā Larry David stuck the landing.
Iām sad that Larry David has retired from this hit comedic series once and for all. Yet, Iām also grateful for the 110 episodes of comedy gold he has provided us. It might have taken him a long time to complete the series, but he did so on his termsā¦ pants tent and all.
The final season is available to stream on Max.