A Bittersweet Farewell to Larry David’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm”

Getting his start in stand up comedy and writing for Saturday Night Live in the 1980s, Larry David became most famously known for writing and co-creating the vastly popular American sitcom Seinfeld (1989-1998). Although not typically regarded as his magnum opus, Curb Your Enthusiasm has maintained widespread and lasting popularity for the last 24 years since its debut in 2000. On Sunday, February 4th, the show’s final and twelfth season began airing. Larry David, a highly respected comedy writer of American television, will finally be ending and laying to rest this incredible sitcom. 

Curb Your Enthusiasm centers around a fictionalized and highly dramatized post-Seinfeld version of Larry David. The television show follows his daily life, highlighting his odd encounters with the people around him. These interactions tend to revolve around the paradoxical ideology and eccentric perception of the world that (fictional) Larry David maintains. More specifically, the humorous curmudgeon often outspokenly disregards certain social conventions he deems idiotic while reprimanding others for not following his “sensical” unwritten rules. Although Curb’s main character is a stubborn, hypochondriacal, selfish, and amusingly righteous man with, at times, absurd convictions, he says what many regular people often think but refrain from verbalizing in certain social situations. For that, I have to give him some respect. He is a speaker for the people…sometimes. 

These are just a few examples of various unwritten rules that Larry David has strong feelings about and often critiques others for:

• Taking the middle seat in a waiting room is wrong.
•  You’re abusing your sample privileges if you have more than 2. 
•  Do not say “Happy New Year” after January 7th. 
•  Respecting wood is crucial. One must always put a coaster under a drink that could potentially sweat. 
•  The “sorry window” for sympathizing with someone’s loss closes 2 years after the person passes away. 
•  Chat and cuts are a big no-no. 

The best way to bid this show farewell from the entire nation’s populace (me) is to highlight the well-known yet unique music of Curb Your Enthusiasm, that brings the comedic premise all together. Ah, the music! The incredibly zany and waggish jingle full of strings and brass instruments—such as the tuba and trombone—makes up the circus-like soundtrack of the program. This is the centerpiece of Curb. 

Almost everyone knows the iconic “Frolic” theme song by Luciano Michelini that plays at the beginning and end of each episode. The track introduces and sets the audience up for a ridiculous story about an equally ridiculous version of Larry David. When a song like “Big Top Polka” begins to play as the bald oddball walks down the street, I can’t help but ponder what is about to unfold. These songs create a musically-fitting cue that the viewers should expect an amusing spectacle, either at the expense of Larry David, his acquaintances, or both parties. The two aforementioned tunes are part of a soundtrack that features a combination of deep, brassy tubas with the glittering treble of a mandolin or glockenspiel. The juxtaposition of these musical elements creates an ironic atmosphere that simultaneously mirrors and enhances the humorous levity that Larry David embodies in Curb Your Enthusiasm. Although the twelfth season will be its last, I am delighted to say that the fun of Curb Your Enthusiasm will always continue for me. Not just when rewatching but by continuing to listen to the eccentric soundtrack while performing random activities, like walking. Doing this has made my life and surroundings just a bit more jocular. This is by no means an advice or lifestyle article, but I strongly advise others to do the same. More personally, I appreciate the iconic sitcom for its simple comedic artistry and will never forget the joy it brought me every Sunday evening.

Farewell Larry David – I’m sure you won’t miss any of us.

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