Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (November 11, 2025)
Arguably the most successful sitcom of all-time, Seinfeld defines the term “hard act to follow”. Of the series’ main castmembers, Julia Louis-Dreyfus enjoyed the strongest second act, mainly via her much praised HBO political satire Veep.
HBO turned into the source of the other popular post-Seinfeld effort as well: Curb Your Enthusiasm. This one focused on an exaggerated version of Seinfeld co-creator and writer Larry David’s life.
Curb launched in 2000 and covered 12 seasons through 2024. All 120 episodes appear in a massive “Complete Series” Blu-ray set.
Given that this means Curb spanned roughly 60 hours, it became unrealistic for me to watch all 120 shows for a single review. Normally I would “sample” a couple episodes per season but I didn’t want to take that scattershot approach to the series.
As such, I decided to review Curb one year at a time despite the fact these can’t be purchased solo. Eventually I’ll work through all 12 seasons.
Season One aired in late 2000 and encompassed 10 programs. The plot synopses come from IMDB.
The Pants Tent: “An innocent bunch-up in Larry's (David) trousers causes a misunderstanding with his wife Cheryl's (Cheryl Hines) friend Nancy (Robin Ruzan) at the movies. He also manages to offend his friend Richard Lewis' (Richard Lewis) new girlfriend (Sofia Milos).”
As mentioned earlier, Curb acts as a fictionalized version of David’s life. The lead role exists much as we know him, which means David plays himself.
Of course, the veteran comedian exaggerates for effect. How much effect remains up for grabs, but it seems clear that the David of Curb brings a cartoonier take on the actual man.
We find plenty of others who essentially play themselves, with the biggest leap here related to Hines.
David married Laurie Lennard in 1993 and they stayed together through 2007. An environmental activist behind 2006’s Oscar-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth, she becomes an influence on Curb’s Cheryl.
“Pants” launches the series on a positive note, though no one should expect Curb to follow a path that differs from Seinfeld. Like that series, Curb appears to want to focus on small oddities and misunderstandings as part of daily existence without life-changing drama.
Self-derivative as that might seem, Curb feels different enough to create its own identity. Honestly, even if the show does little to separate itself from Seinfeld, as long as it provides laughs, I won’t mind. “Pants” opens the series well.
Ted and Mary: “Larry and Cheryl enjoy their bowling double-date with Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, but it ends badly when Larry accuses the bowling alley of misplacing his sneakers. Matters further complicate when Larry offends Mary’s mother (Anne Haney).”
Given that Seinfeld’s George existed essentially as a riff on David, it comes as no surprise that Curb can feel like a spinoff that focuses on Costanza. Of course, the fact Curb shows a character who enjoyed great success in life and wasn’t a frequent failure changes the situation involved.
Curb provides a lead who hobnobs with celebs, unlike the perpetually schlubby George. That acts as enough to make sure Curb doesn’t just seem like a redo of Seinfeld without Jerry, Elaine and Kramer.
So far so good, at least, as “Mary” becomes another solid episode. It uses its circumstances for a nice collection of laughs.
Porno Gil: “A bizarre chain of events starts when Larry accidentally gets invited to dinner with a former porno star (Bob Odenkirk). Meanwhile, Larry’s manager and pal Jeff Greene (Jeff Garlin) undergoes emergency surgery and asks Larry to go to his house and retrieve his porno collection so his wife Susie (Susie Essman) doesn't see it.”
“Gil” leans more “high concept” than I would expect, mainly due to the involvement of the ex-porn actor. However, the presence of Odenkirk helps, even if the episode doesn’t give him a lot to do. “Gil” becomes the weakest S1 episode to date, but it still provides laughs.
The Bracelet: “Larry gets into a fight with Cheryl and Larry's secretary (Antoinette Spolar) suggests that he buy her a present to make up for it. After lunch with Richard Lewis, Larry spots the perfect present for Cheryl: a bracelet. Unfortunately, Richard also covets it.”
My early theory about Curb: the more we see of Cheryl, the less well the series works. This means “Bracelet” starts off on a lackluster note.
However, once Richard Lewis enters the picture, “Bracelet” immediately improves, as he and David riff off each other in a delightful manner. That chemistry allows this to turn into a solid episode despite the blah opening.
Interior Decorator: “Larry holds an elevator for someone and ends up delayed at the doctor's office. This causes him to miss an appointment with Diane Keaton. Cheryl's interior decorator (Rose Abdoo) - who happens to also be Diane Keaton's - won't give him Diane's phone number.”
My “Cheryl Is Comedy Death” theory continues to prove accurate here. The episode starts well until we encounter Cheryl and the titular decorator, at which time it briefly nosedives.
At least this doesn’t last long and perks back up after that. Heck, we even get a pre-My Big Fat Greek Wedding Nia Vardalos in this largely appealing show.
The Wire: “Cheryl gives Larry an ultimatum: bury the wire in the backyard or else. But the permit the city gives Larry requires six signatures from his neighbors and that means having to be nice to them at all costs.”
Uh-oh – that synopsis hints at a Cheryl-heavy episode. That makes me anxious that “Wire” will become a relative dud.
To some degree, this proves accurate, at least partly because the Cheryl character comes across as a diva. Her obsession with the minor nuisance of the above-ground power line seems too silly to work.
Even with its showbiz LA setting, Curb fares best when it makes Larry and his annoyances seem relatable. “Annoyed by a power line and forced to call on favors from his famous friends” doesn’t really connect to most people.
Sure, it’s fun to see Julia Louis-Dreyfus pop up. However, the basic concept of “Wire” and its reliance of Cheryl makes it less effective than I’d like, even if we do still get some laughs.
AAMCO: “Jeff buys a '57 Chevy and insists that Larry take it for a drive. At a stop sign, Larry mistakes the honking horn from an AAMCO commercial for the car behind him and yells at the other driver, who then hits the Chevy and speeds away. Luckily, Larry meets an antique auto mechanic at a dinner party who says he can fix Jeff's Chevy.”
While not as unlikable as Cheryl, I admit I don’t much care for Jeff. Perhaps one or both of them will work better for me as Curb progresses, but so far… not so much.
Like all episodes of Curb, “AAMCO” brings humor. However, it comes with a lame plot based on the incident related to the accident and seems spotty the rest of the way.
Beloved Aunt: “When Cheryl's aunt dies, the family asks Larry to write the obituary. But when it gets printed in the newspaper, an unfortunate typo lands Larry in the hot seat.”
While not a clone, “Aunt” seems reminiscent of the episode where George goes with his burgeoning girlfriend to a funeral. That one spawned the legendary “double dip” concept.
Nothing about “Aunt” lives up to that, though it can feel like a kissing cousin, especially via chitchat at the funeral. Still, even with more Cheryl than I’d like, Larry’s inevitable buffoonery makes this a generally positive show.
Affirmative Action: “Cheryl's quest to get a prescription filled is repeatedly complicated by Larry, including a bad joke that he tells in front of Richard Lewis' doctor (Gregg Daniel).”
I understand that Curb wouldn’t want Richard as a constant supporting character. Two neurotic comedians would likely grow tiresome if seen every episode.
However, when Lewis occasionally appears, he adds spark to Curb. Richard’s appearance becomes just one of many highlights of this strong episode, as Larry’s clumsiness around Black people turns into comedy gold.
The Group: “Thanks to Jeff, Cheryl is up for a part in The Vagina Monologues. Meanwhile, Larry runs into an ex who asks him to accompany her to her incest survivors group to lend moral support while she deals with her past.”
After probably the best episode of Season One, “Group” brings us probably the worst. Some of that comes from too much Cheryl and Jeff, but part of the problem relates to the questionable nature of parts of the plot.
I expect some edgy elements but the use of incest survivor groups as comedic fodder just seems wrong. A slew of additional bad choices result and this becomes a weak stab at comedy.
Despite this iffy end to S1, I find a lot to like. The opening batch of Curb episodes comes with inconsistencies and I hope that future seasons offer fewer down moments, but this still turns into a mostly funny collection of shows.
