“Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Larry David’s 24-year-long project that followed his work on “Seinfeld,” has finally come to an end after the 12th season finished last week. The observational comedy has been a staple in the world of humor for many fans, and the final season offered a string of callbacks to old characters and storylines.
David got a second chance at creating an ending to a timeless classic, after his “Seinfeld” finale wound up being one of the biggest flops in television history. In “Seinfeld’s” series ender, we saw the four main cast members, Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer, in court while older characters from the show testified against them.
As for Curb, well, it’s the same thing. We see David on trial in Atlanta as characters from the first 11 seasons make cameos testifying against David. Although it seems like a lazy ending to the show, the bit here is that David is reliving his “Seinfeld” misstep, which is mentioned multiple times throughout the final episodes of the series.
Some of the characters we see make appearances are Rachel from the ski lift, Mocha Joe from “The Spite Store” and the girl from the famous doll episode. The final episode also ends with a callback to the first episode of the series, where David was concerned about the tent his pants were forming.
The season itself was filled with classic Curb humor, with David and his longtime friend and business partner Jeff Green, played by Jeff Garlin, living out their Hollywood lives. The jokes this season, similar to each season since the revival in 2017, are more centered around politics.
The season starts with David being arrested for helping a voter, Leon Black’s mother, have water while waiting in line to vote. David then becomes a liberal cult hero while fighting for voter rights, despite not caring about the cause at all — a typical Curb storyline.
While the season does a good job of reminding die-hard fans of what made them fall in love with the series, the jokes lean corny and many of the storylines felt forced and predictable. For example, the first episode ends with David doing an impersonation of President Donald Trump’s mugshot, something many viewers found obnoxious.
Also appearing in the final season was close friend of David and series regular, Richard Lewis. One of the bits David and Lewis explore is debating who will die first, as the two battle for the rights in each other’s wills. Unfortunately, Lewis died halfway through the season in February.
It’s unfortunate that one of the most popular shows ever ended in a way that didn’t live up to the standards that were set over the past two decades, but I guess that’s what David has become accustomed to.
3/5 stars
wjackso2@ramapo.edu
Featured photo courtesy of @curbyourenthusiasm, Instagram
