The famed Seinfeld comedy writer, Larry David, continues his legacy with the success of his original HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm. The show began running in the year 2000 and follows Larry David in his post-Seinfeld life, navigating professional issues, personal problems, and more generally, just living around other people in the city of Los Angeles. The series has 11 seasons and has been nominated for 10 Primetime Emmys, while winning two. Curb Your Enthusiasm is created by Larry David and stars himself, Cheryl Hines, and Jeff Garlin.
What separates this comedy show from others is its improvisational nature. The show is not scripted, but rather a general outline is written, and each scene is improvised by the actors as the show progresses. This creates an unusual rhythm to the dialogue but works incredibly well for the dry and sarcastic humor that is so prevalent throughout the show. The series also has a great selection of guest appearances, which keeps the show refreshing. Here is every season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, ranked.
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11 Season One
Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, HBO Enterprises
It’s not all that incredibly often that a show gets better as it progresses throughout the seasons — especially for a comedy. But Curb Your Enthusiasm seems to be an exception. The first season is not bad by any means; it’s just a slightly slow start. One of the best things about the series is the incredible cast and guest appearances. In season one, we are introduced to Ted Danson, Richard Lewis, and Susie Essman, who all become major staples of the show as it continues. We also have guest appearances from Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who plays herself, and Bob Odenkirk, who plays a fictional character named Gil.
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10 Season Two
Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, HBO Enterprises
Whereas season one is almost entirely episodic, season two changes the pace a bit as it introduces a season-long narrative around the premise of Larry writing a new show starring Jason Alexander and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Season two introduces Wanda Sykes’s character and features wonderful guest performances from Rob Reiner and Shaquille O’Neal.
9 Season Five
Season five follows has two main storylines. The first is that Larry is in search of his biological parents, and the second is that Richard Lewis requires a kidney transplant and Larry finds out he is a matching donor. This season stacks some great guest appearances in the latter half, including Hugh Hefner, George Lopez, and Rosie O’Donnell. We also get performances from Rob Corddry, Dustin Hoffman, and Sacha Baron Cohen, who all play fictional characters.
8 Season Four
Season four of Curb Your Enthusiasm follows Larry as he prepares for his role in The Producers, a musical directed by Mel Brooks. In this season, Larry acts alongside Ben Stiller, who is cast alongside him in the musical. The two antagonize each other throughout the season and their interactions are entertaining to see. Also featured this season is David Schwimmer, who ends up replacing Ben Stiller in the musical. We also get to see the great Anton Yelchin act as Cheryl’s cousin, Melissa McCarthy as a salesperson, and small appearances by Stephen Colbert and Jerry Seinfeld. Finally, we get the introduction of the character Marty Funkhouser, who becomes one of Larry’s best friends.
7 Season Three
Season three is a very memorable storyline that involves Larry, along with a few other show business acquaintances, who choose to invest in opening up a new restaurant. This season features performances by Paul Reiser, Martin Short, Martin Scorsese, and David Koechner. We also see the introduction of Richard Kind’s character, Cousin Andy, who plays a loud, obtuse, and rambling cousin of Larry’s.
6 Season Eleven
This is the most recent season that has been released on HBO and follows Larry on his quest to change a city council ordinance that mandates a five-foot fence around backyard swimming pools. In Larry’s attempt to get this ordinance changed, he courts a city council member in an effort to influence her decision-making. People featured in this season are Albert Brooks, Woody Harrelson, Lucy Liu, Seth Rogen, and whistleblower Alexander Vindman, who all play themselves. Bill Hader, Marc Menchaca, and Patton Oswalt also appear to play fictional characters.
5 Season Nine
The stakes in season nine are raised to a level not seen before on the show, as Larry is issued a fatwa; a legal ruling by the leader of Iran, after promoting his musical fatwa! on Jimmy Kimmel Live! This season has a great selection of special guests, including Elizabeth Banks, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jim Rash, Damon Wayans Jr., Bryan Cranston, Ed Begley Jr., Lauren Graham, Flula Borg, and Nick Offerman. The season has many memorable bits, including an incident where Larry oversteps his bounds with his therapist, and an incident with Jeff’s future son-in-law.
4 Season Eight
Season eight focuses on Larry navigating being single after his marriage ended with Cheryl. Halfway through the season, the major characters move to New York and the new setting is a nice change of pace for the show. Michael J. Fox appears in this season as he develops an adversarial relationship with Larry as his neighbor. Rosie O’Donnell also plays a larger role in this season, as she enters a competition with Larry to pursue the same romantic partner. Additional guest performances featured in this season include Ricky Gervais, Michael Bloomberg, Gary Cole, and Chris Parnell.
3 Season Six
This season revolves around Larry and Cheryl inviting an unknown family who was made homeless after a hurricane into their home. One member of the family is the character Leon, played by J. B. Smoove, who becomes a permanent fixture of the show in the later seasons. We also see the return of Ben Stiller this season, and additional performances from professional tennis player John McEnroe and U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer. Small roles featuring Ken Jeong, Tim Meadows, Steve Coogan, and Michael McKean are also worth noting. The season ends with a big disagreement between Cheryl and Larry that threatens their marriage.
2 Season Seven
The plot of season seven follows Larry and his creation of a Seinfeld reunion show, featuring the original cast and even showing a new Seinfeld segment during the last episode of the season. We also see Larry struggle with his marriage and attempt to get Cheryl back by casting her in his new show. In addition to the original Seinfeld cast, we also get special appearances from David Spade, Christian Slater, Dr. Phil McGraw, Catherine O’Hara, and Philip Baker Hall. In many ways, Curb Your Enthusiasm feels like a continuation of the humor seen on Seinfeld, but this season takes it to the extreme in the best possible way. This season is a great revitalization of Seinfeld’s cast and style of humor.
1 Season Ten
The main plot line in this season follows Larry as he opens a coffee shop out of spite in order to challenge “Mocha Joe’s,” a business with which he has a few problems. Larry takes issue with the local coffee shop’s tables, layout, and most vehemently, the scones, which Larry says are not actually scones, but similar to muffins in their consistency. We see guest performances from Laverne Cox, Jon Hamm, Jonah Hill, Mila Kunis, Clive Owen, and Sean Penn, all of whom play themselves as characters. Additionally, we have Fred Armisen, Isla Fisher, Abbi Jacobson, Jane Krakowski, Nick Kroll, Kaitlin Olson, Alan Tudyk, and Vince Vaughn, who all play fictional roles. This season lands itself at the top of the list for its immeasurably talented cast and hilarious storyline, which perfectly epitomizes the ethos of Larry David.
