Curb Your Enthusiasm

I think too many people are looking to this show as a Seinfeld spin-off. The truth is, it's not, and you have to take the show for what it truly is. Larry David, in his great comedic brilliance, is not trying to glorify himself with this show, you can tell that just from watching one episode. Instead, he is really utilizing a caricature of a rich, whipped, neurotic yuppie to skewer the image of life at the top. His character (even though he is essentially playing himself), bumbles, complains, talks himself into painful situations, and is ultimately served devilishly funny comeuppance from episode to episode. This self-deprecating humor wouldn't work for anybody else, but for a guy like Larry David, this material works perfectly, because he seems so easy to laugh at (and I have a feeling this is hardly accidental, which is why his comedy is truly brilliant.) I really have to marvel at the idea of anyone NOT being able to laugh at this show. It's the greatest comedic take on life and the human condition that has ever been captured on film. All other television comedies of this era pale in comparison. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is possibly the salvation of true comedy TV, in an age when good television comedies are few and far between.

What can you say about Curb Your Enthusiasm that hasn't already been said? This doesn't have a laugh track and doesn't rely on corny one liners to make it funny. There will never be another Seinfeld but this comes awfully close. Every interaction, every conversation will make you laugh out loud. It's easily one of my all-time favorite comedies! It hooked me during season 1 and never let go. It has stayed ridiculously funny throughout its entire run and has been almost as good as Seinfeld (which is saying something because Seinfeld is also an all-time great). If you don't find this show funny then that's on you because it's freaking hilarious! Larry David is just a flat out genius, he's responsible for two of the funniest shows ever created in Curb Your Enthusiasm and Seinfeld!

So what does Larry David do for an encore after the incredibly successful sitcom that detailed his experiences as a stand up in NY, he creates a new sitcom about his experiences as a very succesful creator of said show, post cancellation, living the good life with a ton of dough out in Malibu. Sounds pretty boring, and even snotty right? Its not at all. Like the rest of us, I loved Seinfeld, and still love the reruns. But I gotta say, this show is better. It's the same basic premise, which I guess is to turn a standup monologue into a situation comedy. In other words, instead of having a guy on stage telling jokes about the amusing and annoying happenstances of every day life, you create a format comedy, and use these anecdotes to weave together a plot. What made Seinfeld memorable was the clever way in which everything all in the end tied up in a nice little package. If you notice, that's a common laugh getter for stand-ups, to inject a joke they made earlier in their set and put it into practical anecdotal demonstration. You are right if you are thinking this is complete hogwash and hyper-analyzation of something not meant to be studied as such, but there it is. Having said all of that, I think CYE is the logical next step for fans of the Seinfeld show. It's the advanced course if you will of the more remedial network show. The freedom of HBO allows for obviously more adult material and language, but also for pure artistic expression. A lot of what goes on is definitely not palatable to the mainstream, and I could honestly see people hating it. Not me. I think its a rare chance to see genius, unfettered and uncensored. Yes Larry David was George Costanza or vice versa, but through this series, you also see he was Kramer, Elaine and Jerry. For some reason I totally relate to his inability to relate to everyone else, including his wife. Its often way too contrived, but I love it. If you were a fan of Seinfeld for the reasons I've mentioned, and not just for the run of the mill laugh track jokes, you will be missing something special if you don't give these a shot.

Each episode will have you begging for more of Larry David

After missing Larry David's much heralded HBO Special which was the pilot for this masterpiece, on premiere night I was treated with a show that seems to be a bit of Seinfield and Larry Sanders, or maybe even more.

While many won't get the premise, being much in-tune with inside Hollywood humor and personalities, Curb Your Enthusiasm takes us inside, past the backstage to the actual lifestyles of an "A-list" celebrity and shows exactly how they tick-Fear, paranoia, and maybe, just maybe the inner-workings of a creative genius like Larry David.

It's clearly evident who the mastermind of Seinfeld was after watching it. Everyone of those Seinfeld characters are parts of Larry David's personality and just like Seinfeld and The Larry Sanders Show, I can hardly wait to see each episode over and over and over.

This show shouldn't be labled a "10" it's much to brilliant for that. Try "A+" with a 210 I.Q.