Prettay… prettay… prettay… sad.
“Curb Your Enthusiasm will officially come to an end with Season 12, which premieres on 4 February at 10pm on HBO and Max. The 10-episode season will conclude with a series finale on 7 April.
You might be thinking: Isn’t every season of Curb potentially its last? While that is somewhat true – the show has long operated with an open invitation from HBO and no strict timeline – the cable network is, for the first time, definitively promoting the next batch of episodes as Larry David’s “final season”.
“As ‘Curb’ comes to an end, I now have the opportunity to finally shed this ‘Larry David’ persona and become the person God intended me to be – the thoughtful, kind, caring, considerate human being I was until I was derailed by portraying this malignant character,” David said in a statement. “And so, ‘Larry David,’ I bid you farewell. Your misanthropy will not be missed. And for those of you who would like to contact me, I can be reached at Doctors Without Borders.
“Traditionally, Curb has only appeared periodically. In the late 2000s, the show got into a bi-annual groove. And then it took a big break from 2011 to 2017, when it returned. It was back again in 2020 and 2021, making 12 seasons in 24 years.
David famously has the green light at HBO to do a new season whenever he’s ready. “Every season is the last season,” executive producer Jeff Schaffer once told Variety. “When the last episode happens, there will never be another episode of ‘Curb.’ It just needs time to go out into the world.”
But it seems that this time the end is for real. “It’s hard to say goodbye to a groundbreaking, brilliantly funny and iconic show like ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm,’ which has left its mark on television and the comedy genre,” said HBO CEO Casey Bloys. “Working with Larry David and Jeff Schaffer, as well as all of the comedic masterminds that make up our producers, cast and crew, has been a joy that I will always treasure.”
Details about the final season are still scarce, but Tracey Ullman is listed in the cast, which means we can expect the return of Irma Kostroski, her brash and sometimes grotesque councilwoman whom Larry seduces with the aim of getting a local ordinance repealed.
Also returning to Curb are Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, Cheryl Hines, J.B. Smoove, Richard Lewis, Ted Danson and Vince Vaughn. Of course, there are also likely to be a number of A-list guest stars – perhaps Jerry Seinfeld, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards will reunite.
Throughout its 24-year run, Curb Your Enthusiasm has captured the hilarious misadventures of its curmudgeonly protagonist as he challenges the absurdity of certain social conventions. The show has coined terms such as “pants tent”, “accidental text on purpose”, “stop ‘n’ chat” and, of course, “chat ‘n’ cut”. Over the course of 11 seasons, Larry has performed on Broadway, opened a spite shop, staged a Seinfeld reunion and hid from the Ayatolla. A standout episode in Season 4, in which Larry brings a prostitute to a Dodgers game to beat traffic by using the carpool lane, even saved an innocent man from going to jail.
“Curb Your Enthusiasm was created by David, who executive produces alongside Garlin and Jeff Schaffer. Laura Streicher and Jennifer Corey serve as co-executive producers.
