After every season of the eccentric, awkward, and hilarious Curb Your Enthusiasm ended, the same question would arise: “Is there going to be another one?” to which creator and star Larry David would effectively shrug and say something along the lines of “probably not, but if I feel like it, maybe.” HBO comedy series began in October of 2000 (yes, we are all really that old), and its last season, Season 8, concluded in 2011. That makes it HBO’s longest-running series of all time — and it’s not done yet.
Though there have been a few breaks of a two years or so between seasons throughout its run (like before The Producers-inspired Season 4 and the Katrina-inspired Season 6), this last one has been immense, and seemed to suggest the end of the series. But, like the Seinfeld reunion that defined one of the show’s best seasons (Season 7), what is dead may never die, and HBO is announcing Curb’s return today, though the exact return date is unknown. (Maybe Larry will come back as Bernie Sanders).
HBO programming president Casey Bloys confirmed that, “We’re thrilled that Larry has decided to do a new season of Curb and can’t wait to see what he has planned.” Larry David said of the decision to return to the series, “In the immortal words of Julius Caesar, ‘I left, I did nothing, I returned.’”
Curb is not everyone’s cup of tea, and it’s not true that if you liked Seinfeld you’ll like this. The awkwardness can be frustrating, as are the obvious setups -- even if the cringe-worthiness is ultimately worth it. Essentially, Larry David plays an asshole in a world of even bigger assholes. I have always loved it, but acknowledge that some seasons are much better than others. After the high point of Season 7, the series ended (at the time) on a fairly down note in Season 8, which saw Larry’s divorce finalized and him back in the dating pool, picking fights with Michael J. Fox, and creating a moment of redemption for Bill Buckner (which was pretty amazing). It also changed its setting of L.A. to New York, though it kept its major cast members Jeff Green (Jeff Garlin), Susie (Susie Essman), Richard Lewis (as himself), and Leon (J.B. Smoove). And thought it had some great moments, it felt right for the show to take a break.
I wasn’t expecting the break to last this long, but I’m excited to see what David has up his sleeve for the new season (and I’m hoping it returns to L.A.) HBO has been struggling to find marquee dramas recently that are both critically acclaimed and enjoyed by a large audience, something they use to achieve with relative ease. However, leaning in to their comedy series — even a vintage series like Curb — is also playing up to the premium network’s current strengths, which includes an incredibly strong slate of half hour series.
We’ll bring you more specifics as we know them, but in the meantime Curb fans, what would you like to see happen in Season 9? And are there any old characters you’d like to see return? Also, can we all agree “The Doll” remains the show’s best episode?
