Larry David became a household name by co-creating Seinfeld, considered one of the most successful sitcoms of all time. The character of George was based upon him and was played by Jason Alexander. David left after the seventh season and returned two seasons later to write the series finale, considered one of the most unsuccessful of all time. He struck comedy gold again by creating Curb Your Enthusiasm. He stars as a fictionalized version of himselfin a world he finds unjust because it doesn’t line up with his sensibilities.
Buy Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete SeriesThe pilot, which is included as an extra, is a hour-long special under the pretense a documentary is being shot about Larry’s return to stand-up comedy. The seeds of the series are here as viewers see him annoyed his friend is wearing sunglasses inside a restaurant (only blind people and asshole do that), bothered when Caroline Rhea corrects him on the pronunciation of her name (Caroline, not Carolyn), and screwing up a job-recommendation call when he is taken aback by the person telling him they aren’t a fan of Seinfeld. His manager Jeff Garlin (Jeff Greene), his wife Cheryl (Cheryl Hines), and his friend Richard Lewis (Richard Lewis) appear.
The first episode, “The Pants Tent,” drops the documentary aspect but is filled with the series’ trademark uncomfortable humor, ranging from Cheryl’s friend Nancy mistakenly thinking an excess of pants material is Larry’s erection to getting into a fight with a woman at a movie theater he doesn’t realize is Richard’s girlfriend to upsetting Jeff’s parents by jokingly calling Cheryl “Hitler.” Jeff’s wife Susie (Susie Essman) appears, but she doesn’t hurl any profanities, an act which made her a fan favorite.
After the first season, the show has story arcs play out across a season. In Season 2, Larry tries to pitch a new series about an actor typecast after starring in a hit show. Initially, Jason Alexander is involved and then Julia Louis-Dreyfus. In Season 3, Larry joins a venture group that is investing in a restaurant. In Season 4, Mel Brooks casts Larry in The Producers on Broadway. Also, Larry is trying to hold Cheryl to her promise of granting him a 10th anniversary hall pass.
In Season 5, Richard needs a kidney transplant and Larry offers his, which he regrets and searches for a replacement. Also, Larry believes he may be adopted and searches for the truth. In Season 6, the Davids take in the Blacks, a New Orleans family displaced by a hurricane. They move out the following season, except Leon (J. B. Smoove), who stays on the rest of the series. Also, Larry and Cheryl split up. In Season 7, which was previously reviewed, finds Larry putting on a Seinfeld reunion in order to reunite with Cheryl. In Season 8, Larry heads to New York to avoid a charity event.
In Season 9, Larry has a fatwa placed upon him after promoting a new musical he wrote about the fatwa placed upon Salman Rushdie. Also, Ted Danson begins dating Cheryl. In Season 10, Larry opens a coffee shop to spite Mocha Joe and Larry’s assistant sues him for sexual harassment. In Season 11, a burglar drowns in Larry’s pool, which did not have the proper fencing around it. He is blackmailed into hiring the burglar’s niece, Maria (Keyla Monterroso Mejia), a horrible actress, to co-star in Larry’s new Netflix show. In order to change the fence law so he can fire Maria, he romances the unappealing Councilwoman Irma Kostroski (Tracey Ullman). In Season 12, Larry is arrested in Atlanta for providing Leon’s aunt water while she is in line to vote. The series finale sees Larry in court, which allows the real Larry David a second chance at getting the Seinfeld finale right.
Throughout the series, David mines humor from uncomfortable situations as Larry pushes boundaries in his questioning and mocking of social norms, tackling topics that are timeless, like the fairness of a doctor’s office sign-in sheet, and topical, such as Larry discovering he can avoid some people by wearing a MAGA hat. Larry is not as smart as he thinks he is and while he makes small strides in his favor, he usually receives a comeuppance, but it is great that he provides baseball player Bill Buckner a moment of redemption for his infamous error in the 1986 World Series. The series is packed with guest stars, some playing characters, like Shelley Berman as Larry’s father, some playing themselves like Michael J. Fox, who Larry thinks uses his Parkinson’s to treat him rudely, such as when he gives Larry a shaken soda.
Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete Series collects all 12 seasons of Larry David’s hysterical sitcom across 24 discs. Two Epik Pak cases each hold six seasons. The video has been given a 1080p/MPEG-4 AVC encoded transfer displayed at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The first six seasons were shot in SD and broadcast in an aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The focus and texture details are soft. Colors are dull and blacks are light. The image noticeably improves, starting in Season 7 when they began shooting in HD, with a sharper image and bright hues. The audio is available in DTS-HD MA 2.0 for Seasons 1 through 6 and DTS-HD MA 5.1 in Seasons 7-12. The show is dialogue heavy, which comes through clear throughout. The effects are minimal and there’s little difference when the track expands to five channels. The score is mainly used for transitions
The Special Features (in SD on Seasons 1-7, in HD on Seasons 8-12):
Season 1, Disc 2
- Interview with Bob Costas (29 min)
- Original HBO Special – Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm (59 min)
Season 3, Disc 2
- Stop & Chat With the Cast (22 min)
Season 5, Disc 2
- The History: So Far (30 min)
- The History: Even Further (24 min)
Season 6, Disc 2
- Gag Reel (5 min)
- A Conversation (23 min)
Season 7, Disc 2
- A Seinfeld Reunion (8 min)
- Rebuilding the Seinfeld Sets (11 min)
Season 8, Disc 2
- The 92nd Street Y Conversation (89 min) – Brian Williams moderates a conversation with Larry David, Cheryl Hines, Susie Essman, and Jeff Garlin for a Season 8 preview.
- Leon’s Guide to NYC (10 min)
Season 9, Disc 2
- Memorable Moments with Susie (2 min)
- Memorable Moments with Larry (2 min)
- Memorable Moments with Jeff (2 min)
Season 10, Disc 2
- What Finally Broke Them (1 min)
Season 12, Disc 2
- Leon’s Bungalow Tour (2 min)
- On Set with Susie (1 min)
- Last Day on Set: Speeches (1 min)
- Last Day on Set: Gifts (1 min)
- Last Day on Set (4 min)
- First & Last Scenes (1 min)
- Larry’s Favorite Episodes (3 min)
- Larry-isms (2 min)
