Larry David is a notoriously unlikely cultural icon. The Seinfeld co-creator was already known for being an awkward and odd individual during the production of his hit 90s sitcom, so the idea of adapting his actual life into a HBO comedy raised eyebrows.
Well, Curb Your Enthusiasm has blown past all expectations to become a comedy institution. The show originated in the 1999 one-shot special Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm, which was so good plans were made to develop it into an ongoing show. 12 seasons (and 47 Primetime Emmys) later it’s coming to an end, with the show’s finale airing on Apr. 7 2024.
So, what better time to cast our eyes back and rank “long ball” Larry’s misadventures?
TBA: Season 12 (2024)
We’re currently just four episodes into the twelfth and final season so it’s unfair to judge it. That said so far it’s been dynamite stuff and I’d anticipate it landing somewhere in the top half. The death of longtime co-star Richard Lewis will give his remaining scenes new weight, but right now we’re eager to see how the show goes out in its finale.
11. Season 9 (2017)
There was a six-year gap between seasons 8 and 9 and the show seemed to have a little trouble getting in gear on its return. At the core is Larry’s musical about Salman Rushdie, though the show had already done a much better arc about a musical in season 4 so it feels a bit repetitive. Plus I find Lin Manuel Miranda excruciatingly annoying – even when he’s playing an intentionally more annoying version of himself.
10. Season 1 (2000)
Let’s be clear, even a low-ranking season of Curb is still hilarious, but in season 1 the show was still finding its feet. That said there are some killer moments and the “Beloved Aunt” episode remains one of the hardest times I’ve ever laughed at a TV show. It’s a fine debut, though the formula would go on to be refined.
9. Season 10 (2020)
Season 10 landed in 2020, three years on from season 9 and finds the show very much getting back into its groove. JB Smoove’s Leon is impeccable here, with every line (and expression) hilarious. The season also boasts Jon Hamm flexing his comedy muscles as an actor studying Larry and attempting to mimic him, resulting in effectively two Larrys at a dinner party. On the menu: awkwardness.
8. Season 11 (2021)
It was perhaps inevitable that Curb would do a pandemic season. Season 11 premiered in 2021 with the pandemic receding but not entirely over. After living under a new rigid set of lockdown rules and social distancing we all tapped into our inner Larry. That said, its funniest laughs come early on in the premiere when Larry ruins Albert Brooks’ “memorial” by exposing him as a COVID toilet roll hoarder. After living through 2020 we could sympathize.
7. Season 3 (2002)
As far as season arcs go, Larry’s attempt to set up a restaurant with investors Ted Danson and Michael York is a nice break from the entertainment industry. That said, like all good Curb storylines, the various story strands come back together in the finale in fun ways and, for once, Larry gets something of a happy ending as opening night goes surprisingly well – though not in the way anybody planned. The season also features the excellent “Krazee-Eyez Killa” episode, and who can hate that?
6. Season 5 (2005)
In the wake of recent events I’m not exactly keen to rewatch a season in which Richard Lewis suffers from a life-threatening medical condition, but it was very funny at the time. Lewis’ season-long quest to find a new kidney is a brilliant concept, as is Larry’s increasingly desperate moves to get out of donating one. Running under all this is an exploration of faith and mortality that’s actually moving, though perhaps a trip to heaven was taking things a little far for Curb. It was fun to see Larry with hair though!
5. Season 2 (2001)
Season 2 set the blueprint that the show would go on to follow and drew in a huge number of new fans. Seinfeld alums Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Jason Alexander are roped into a new pilot Larry is trying to get off the ground. Mostly the season simply revels in Larry as a character caught up in some truly bonkers situations, be it tripping up Shaq, becoming an “ass man”, or cutting the hair off a priceless doll. If I’m dipping back in for a single episode, I’d probably pick one at random from season 2.
4. Season 8 (2011)
Now, more than ever, we need “Palestinian Chicken”. On paper Larry David wading into the Israel/Palestine conflict sounds like the single worst idea imaginable. In practise? It’s honestly one of the most intelligent and insightful stories about the conflict that’s aired on U.S. television. Who could blame Larry for his love of a delicious chicken dish and its sexy Palestinian owner?
Plus I adore Michael J. Fox in this season and it takes some serious balls for both Fox and Larry David to use his Parkinsons as a successful punchline.
3. Season 4 (2004)
In retrospect, we should have been able to predict exactly why Mel Brooks chose to cast Larry David as Max Bialystock in The Producers, though watching it play out is a veritable symphony of comedy. David’s own comedy skills are bolstered by the truly legendary Brooks, with Ben Stiller and David Schwimmer also hilarious. The season also provided a truly legendary meme from the finale in which Jerry Seinfeld throws his hands up and leaves Larry’s show. There are few funnier seasons of TV.
2. Season 7 (2009)
As a huge Seinfeld fan, this season was like a dream come true. The show sees Larry and Jerry Seinfeld trying to make a reunion episode work, bringing the iconic cast back together one last time. Larry and Jerry are unafraid to take jabs at themselves, particularly the notoriously iffy finale. In a truly impressive feat of writing, they even wring laughs from Michael Richards’ excruciating real-life racist outburst that torpedoed his career. Maybe we will eventually get some kind of real Seinfeld reunion, but this is good enough for me.
1. Season 6 (2007)
Up until season 6 Curb was great. It was arguably the funniest show on television and seemed to have landed on a winning template and a fantastic cast of characters. Then the Blacks arrived. Larry’s decision to house a New Orleans family rendered homeless by a hurricane gave us a bunch of brilliant new characters, though by far the greatest is J.B. Smoove’s Leon. This laconic and extremely chilled-out presence at first seems to go against the grain of the show, but his chemistry with Larry (and the entire rest of the cast) is outstanding.