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58-797: Curb Your Enthusiasm is an American television comedy of manners created by Larry David that aired on HBO from October 17, 1999, to April 7, 2024. David stars as a fictionalized version of himself and it follows his life as a semi-retired television writer and producer in Los Angeles and, for one season, New York City . Also starring are Cheryl Hines as his wife Cheryl, Jeff Garlin as his manager and best friend Jeff Greene, Susie Essman as Jeff's wife Susie, and J. B. Smoove as Larry's housemate Leon Black. It often features celebrity guest stars , many of them playing fictionalized versions of themselves, including Ted Danson , Richard Lewis , Wanda Sykes , Rosie O'Donnell , and Jon Hamm . The sitcom

116-403: A Ringo Starr album release party, while Lapinsky was working in music publishing. The pair became engaged in 2004 and married the following year. Lewis was open about his recovery from alcohol and drug abuse, having been a user of both cocaine and crystal meth . His addictions worsened into the 1990s, prompting Lewis to stop performing stand-up from 1991 to 1994. In a 1995 interview with

174-427: A Comedy Series for Robert B. Weide for "Krazee-Eyez Killa" in 2003, and Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series for Steven Rasch for "Palestinian Chicken" in 2012. The series received eleven nominations for Outstanding Comedy Series. Larry David received seven nominations for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. Cheryl Hines received two nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in

232-469: A Comedy Series. Shelley Berman and Michael J. Fox each received a nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series. The series also received ten nominations for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series. The ninth season received four nominations at the 70th Primetime Emmy Awards , for Outstanding Comedy Series, Larry David for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, and Bryan Cranston and Lin-Manuel Miranda each for Outstanding Guest Actor in

290-423: A Comedy Series. The tenth season was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series at the 72nd Primetime Emmy Awards , and the series received three further nominations in technical categories. The series also received five Golden Globe Award nominations (in 2003 and 2006) and won for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy in 2003. Larry David was nominated for three Golden Globes for Best Performance by an Actor in

348-530: A Television Series – Musical or Comedy in 2003, 2005, and 2006. It was nominated for four Screen Actors Guild Awards , two for Larry David and two for the ensemble cast. It was nominated six times for the Producers Guild of America Award , winning twice in 2003 and 2005. It was nominated for eleven Directors Guild of America Awards , winning twice for Bryan Gordon for "The Special Section" in 2003 and Robert B. Weide for "Palestinian Chicken" in 2012. It

406-818: A climax that resolves the story lines simultaneously, to Larry's advantage or detriment. Each episode has a distinct plot, but most seasons feature a story arc that extends across several episodes and culminates in a finale that often features the return of many of the characters who appeared throughout the season. Among the show's many recurring roles, Richard Lewis , Ted Danson , and Wanda Sykes play fictionalized versions of themselves as old friends of Larry with whom he frequently butts heads. Shelley Berman plays Larry's father, Nat David. Bob Einstein frequently appears as Marty Funkhouser, another of Larry's longtime friends. Kaitlin Olson recurs as Becky, Cheryl's sister. In seasons 6 and 7, Vivica A. Fox appears as Loretta Black,

464-451: A comedy of manners. Richard Lewis (comedian) Richard Philip Lewis (June 29, 1947 – February 27, 2024) was an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. Lewis came to prominence in the 1980s and became known for his dark , neurotic , and self-deprecating humor. As an actor, he was known for starring in the ABC sitcom Anything but Love from 1989 to 1992, and for playing

522-464: A direct challenge to the status quo and encourages viewers to question the myriad unwritten rules that we follow in our everyday lives. Whereas the schlemiel of Eastern Europe encountered problems that mostly affected Eastern European Jews (such as anti-Semitism and economic survival), Larry encounters problems that affect contemporary middle- to upper-class American Jews, namely, Jewish assimilation , secularism, intermarriage, and, as all of these suggest,

580-399: A fixture of his comedy. He also stated in interviews that he suffered from an eating disorder due to body dysmorphia . Lewis struggled with health problems resulting in multiple surgeries. In 2016, he shattered his right hand after falling from his roof; in 2019, he had back surgery related to acute back pain; and in early 2020, he shattered his shoulder, resulting in another surgery. In

638-530: A member of the Black family, a family of hurricane evacuees who take refuge in Larry's house upon Cheryl's invitation. Loretta becomes Larry's primary love interest for a time after he and Cheryl split up. Saverio Guerra plays Mocha Joe, who first appears in season 7 and returns as Larry's nemesis in season 10. Celebrities, including actors, comedians, authors, musicians and athletes, often make guest appearances on

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696-584: A prolonged hiatus before returning for a ninth season in 2017, a tenth in 2020, and an eleventh in 2021. It was renewed for a twelfth season in August 2022, which was confirmed to be the final season in December 2023. The final season premiered on February 4, 2024. The episodes are typically named after an event, object, or person that figures prominently in the plot, much as Seinfeld episodes were titled. Unrelated events woven throughout an episode are tied into

754-574: A semi-autobiographical version of himself. Lewis first met the show's star and creator, Larry David , at summer camp in Cornwall-on-Hudson, New York , when they were 12 years old; Lewis claimed that, at the time, they hated each other. The pair met again over a decade later while performing stand-up in New York and became friends. GQ magazine included Lewis on their list of "The 20th Century's Most Influential Humorists", and Lewis

812-410: A three-volume box set. Curb Your Enthusiasm seasons come in a two-disc DVD set with ten episodes. A Curb Your Enthusiasm book was released on October 19, 2006, published by Gotham Books . The book contains stories from Larry David's past, original interviews and commentary, episode outlines, episode guide, and over 100 full-color photographs. The contents of the book span the first five seasons of

870-515: A young Jewish comedian who leaves New York City to find fame in Los Angeles. The film's script was co-written by Lewis and Bennett Tramer, and was adapted from a story written by Gary Weis , who also served as the film's director. The film features Bill Macy as Billy's father, Michael Lerner as his agent, and Stacy Keach as a landlord. Performers George Jessel , Dom DeLuise , Nina van Pallandt , and Gary Mule Deer make appearances in

928-452: Is set and filmed in various affluent Westside communities of (and occasionally in downtown) Los Angeles, as well as in the adjacent cities of Beverly Hills , Culver City , and Santa Monica . David's hometown of New York City is featured in some of season 8. Curb Your Enthusiasm premiered with an hour-long special on October 17, 1999, upon which the series was based. The series' first eight seasons aired from 2000 to 2011. The series took

986-640: The Santa Maria Times , Lewis discussed how John Candy 's death the year prior had caused him to reflect upon his own life and career. The two starred together in Candy's last film, the Western-themed comedy film Wagons East . In later interviews, Lewis stated that he got sober in 1994 after winding up in a hospital emergency room due to a cocaine overdose. Lewis published his memoir in 2000, titled The Other Great Depression . The book

1044-613: The Fisher College of Business Alumni Achievement Award in November 2023. Lewis first tried stand-up at an open mic in Greenwich Village in 1971. He began writing and regularly performing stand-up comedy in 1972, while working as a copywriter for an advertising agency by day. He was discovered by comedian David Brenner while performing in Greenwich Village . Brenner helped Lewis's career by introducing him to

1102-531: The Day , Barbara Pym 's Excellent Women , Douglas Carter Beane 's As Bees in Honey Drown , The Country Club , and The Little Dog Laughed . In Boston Marriage (1999), David Mamet chronicles a sexual relationship between two women, one of whom has her eye on yet another young woman (who never appears, but who is the target of a seduction scheme). Periodically, the two women make their serving woman

1160-543: The Jews' precarious ethnic identity in an increasingly multicultural environment. In 2013, the Writers Guild of America ranked Curb Your Enthusiasm #30 on its list of the 101 Best Written TV Series. In 2016, Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone ranked Curb Your Enthusiasm the 19th-greatest television series ever made. The series received 55 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning twice: Outstanding Directing for

1218-562: The actors' improvisational comedy. The show enjoyed largely positive critical reception since its debut and outgrew its early "cult" status. On Metacritic , the first season of the show scored 80 out of 100 (based on 20 reviews), 93 for season 3 (based on 12 reviews), 88 for season 4 (18 reviews), 91 for season 5 (5 reviews), 89 for season 6 (9 reviews), 81 for season 7 (18 reviews), 86 for season 8 (6 reviews), 74 for season 9 (10 reviews), 78 for season 10 (5 reviews), 89 for season 11 (7 reviews), and 82 for season 12 (17 reviews). Slate named

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1276-712: The butt of haughty jokes, serving to point up the satire on class. Though displaying the verbal dexterity one associates with both the playwright and the genre, the patina of wit occasionally erupts into shocking crudity. Comedies of manners have been a staple of British film and television. The Carry On films are a direct descendant of the comedy of manners style, and elements of the style can be found in The Beatles ' films A Hard Day's Night and Help! . Television series by David Croft in collaboration with Jimmy Perry ( Dad's Army ) and with Jeremy Lloyd ( Are You Being Served? ) might also be considered examples of

1334-487: The characters Cheryl David and Susie Greene two of the best on television and reasons to look forward to the show's return in 2007. Curb Your Enthusiasm has also received praise from Galus Australis magazine for being even more unabashedly Jewish than Seinfeld . Of the show's depiction of Jewish characters, academic Vincent Brook wrote, " Curb ' s commitment to Jewish identification greatly enhances its storytelling capacity, as it lends greater realism and dimension to

1392-444: The characters and opens the show up to episodes with meaningful Jewish themes." The character of Larry is in many ways reminiscent of the schlemiel character in traditional Yiddish folklore. The schlemiel is usually a comic character whose actions lead to his inevitable downfall, but also stands as a form of resistance to social and cultural values and norms. David Gillota wrote: As a true schlemiel , Larry's failure serves as

1450-648: The comedy clubs in Los Angeles and getting Lewis his first appearance on The Tonight Show . By the mid-1970s, Lewis had appeared on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and publications, such as the New York Daily News and New York magazine, were naming him one of the "new breed" or "class" of comedians; this list containing names such as Robert Klein , Lily Tomlin , Richard Pryor , George Carlin , Andy Kaufman , Richard Belzer , and Elayne Boosler . His influences were Richard Pryor, Buster Keaton , Woody Allen , and Lenny Bruce . Lewis

1508-593: The comedy of manners reappeared in the plays of the British dramatists Noël Coward ( Hay Fever , 1925) and Somerset Maugham . Other early twentieth-century examples of comedies of manners include George Bernard Shaw 's 1913 play Pygmalion (later adapted into the musical My Fair Lady ), E. M. Forster 's A Room with a View , and the Jeeves and Wooster stories of P. G. Wodehouse . The term comedy of menace , which British drama critic Irving Wardle based on

1566-496: The credits) is " Frolic " by Italian composer Luciano Michelini  [ de ] . Larry David heard the music used in a bank commercial years before the show was created and thought it had a lighthearted, joyful quality. An unofficial soundtrack was released by Mellowdrama Records in 2006. The 2017 Netflix documentary film Long Shot contains raw footage from the filming of an episode of season 4 at Dodger Stadium which helped to inadvertently exonerate Juan Catalan, who

1624-536: The entertainment industry. The series stars David as a fictionalized version of himself. Like the real-life David, the character is well known as a co-creator and main co-writer of the sitcom Seinfeld . Although Larry maintains an office, he is rarely shown working. Episodes frequently center on his ignorance of or disregard for well-established social conventions and expectations, and his insistence that others adhere to rules of which only he seems to be aware. This social ineptitude, combined with an inability to let even

1682-672: The film as themselves. Lewis gained much wider exposure in the 1980s and 1990s with numerous appearances on talk shows such as The Tonight Show , both Late Night and the Late Show with David Letterman , and The Howard Stern Show . He also produced the comedy special I'm in Pain , which aired on Showtime in 1985, followed by the specials I'm Exhausted , I'm Doomed , and Richard Lewis: The Magical Misery Tour , all of which aired on HBO in 1988, 1990, and 1997 respectively. From 1989 to 1992, he co-starred with Jamie Lee Curtis on

1740-516: The first comedy of manners In England , but the genre really flourished during the Restoration period. Restoration comedy , which was influenced by Ben Jonson 's comedy of humours , made fun of affected wit and acquired follies of the time. The masterpieces of the genre were the plays of William Wycherley ( The Country Wife , 1675) and William Congreve ( The Way of the World , 1700). In

1798-510: The floor in front of him to remind him of joke premises and topics he wished to cover during his performance. Lewis made his screen acting debut in Diary of a Young Comic , a 90-minute film that aired on NBC in 1979 in the timeslot normally reserved for episodes of Saturday Night Live . A satirical look at the Hollywood scene, Lewis stars in the film as Billy Gondola (born Gondolstein),

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1856-531: The genre. Television series such as George and Mildred , Absolutely Fabulous , The Young Ones , and The League of Gentlemen also contain many elements of the genre. Though less common as a genre in American television, series such as Frasier , King of the Hill , Ugly Betty , Soap , and The Nanny are also comedies of manners. Larry David 's Curb Your Enthusiasm has also been described as

1914-446: The humor of Curb Your Enthusiasm often revolves around the minutiae of everyday social life. Each episode's plot and subplot is established in an outline written by David, and the actors largely improvise the dialogue, a technique known as retroscripting . In Season 7, the series began producing and airing episodes in high definition . Curb Your Enthusiasm received high critical acclaim and has grown in popularity since its debut. It

1972-466: The hypocrisies and pretensions of the ancien régime that ruled France from the late 15th century to the 18th century. The comedy of manners has been employed by Roman satirists since as early as the first century BC. Horace 's Satire 1.9 is a prominent example, in which the persona is unable to express his wish for his companion to leave, but instead subtly implies so through wit. William Shakespeare 's Much Ado about Nothing might be considered

2030-531: The late 18th century Oliver Goldsmith ( She Stoops to Conquer , 1773) and Richard Brinsley Sheridan ( The Rivals , 1775; The School for Scandal , 1777) revived the form. The tradition of elaborate, artificial plotting, and epigrammatic dialogue was carried on by the Irish playwright Oscar Wilde in Lady Windermere's Fan (1892) and The Importance of Being Earnest (1895). In the 20th century,

2088-492: The latter year, it was revealed that Lewis had battled multiple health problems and was in great pain during the shooting of Curb Your Enthusiasm . He announced that he would be appearing in one episode only of Season 11. Lewis returned in Season 12, the series' final season . In April 2023, Lewis announced he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease two years earlier. He said he would no longer perform stand-up comedy and

2146-699: The main cast of Seinfeld – Jerry Seinfeld , Julia Louis-Dreyfus , Jason Alexander , and Michael Richards . Notable people who fill in fictional roles include Bryan Cranston , Bob Odenkirk , Michael McKean , Wayne Federman , Gina Gershon , Elisabeth Shue , Vince Vaughn , Bobby Lee , Frank Whaley , Kaley Cuoco , Mayim Bialik , Stephen Colbert , Bill Hader , Catherine O'Hara , Nick Offerman , Flula Borg , Chaz Bono , Rebecca Romijn , Melissa McCarthy , Tracey Ullman , Steve Buscemi , Greg Kinnear , Dean Norris , Zachary Levi , Mindy Kaling , and Allison Janney . Curb Your Enthusiasm has received critical acclaim, praised particularly for its writing and

2204-532: The moral implications depicted in each episode. The show was produced by Scott Carter and hosted by Curb co-star Susie Essman . The show debuted in syndication on local stations and WGN America in September 2010, but was removed the following year due to low ratings. It debuted on TV Land in February 2013 but was later removed in 2015. The first season of Curb Your Enthusiasm was released on VHS in

2262-452: The most minor grievance or annoyance go unexpressed, often leads him into awkward social situations and draws the ire of his friends, family, and total strangers. He is also routinely the victim of labyrinthine misunderstandings wherein people think he has done something immoral or distasteful. For the first half of the series, David is living a married, child-free life in Los Angeles with his wife, Cheryl ( Cheryl Hines ). His main confidant on

2320-484: The playwright Menander , whose style of writing, elaborate plots, and stock characters were imitated by Roman playwrights , such as Plautus and Terence , whose comedies were known to and staged during the Renaissance . In the 17th century, the comedy of manners is best realised in the plays of Molière , such as The School for Wives (1662), The Imposter (1664), and The Misanthrope (1666), which satirise

2378-699: The role of Prince John in the 1993 film Robin Hood: Men in Tights . Lewis also had a recurring role as a semi-fictionalized version of himself in the HBO comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm from 2000 to 2024. Lewis was born on June 29, 1947, in Brooklyn , New York City . He was raised in Englewood, New Jersey . He was born into a Jewish family, but was not especially religious. His father, Bill (d. 1971),

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2436-518: The series finale aired on April 7, 2024. Larry David has explained the show's name in TV interviews as reflecting his perception that many people seem to live their lives projecting false enthusiasm, which he believes is used to imply that "they are better than you". This conflicts with his dry style. The title also urges the audience not to expect too much from the show; at the time of the premiere, David wanted to lower expectations after his earlier success in

2494-458: The show is his manager and friend Jeff Greene ( Jeff Garlin ). Susie Essman plays Susie Greene, Jeff's short-tempered wife, who is frequently at odds with Larry. Many of the show's frequent guest stars are celebrities and public figures, who usually play fictionalized versions of themselves. Among the more frequently recurring guest stars are Larry's longtime friend Richard Lewis as well as Ted Danson and his wife Mary Steenburgen . The show

2552-489: The show, many of them playing themselves or fictional versions thereof. Some who appear as fictionalized versions of themselves include Mary Steenburgen , Mel Brooks , Michael York , Martin Scorsese , Lucy Liu , Ben Stiller , Christian Slater , David Schwimmer , Rob Reiner , Rosie O'Donnell , Seth Rogen , Shaquille O'Neal , George Lopez , Michael J. Fox , Mila Kunis , Lin-Manuel Miranda , F. Murray Abraham , and

2610-414: The show. The show is punctuated between scenes with music orchestrated by Wendell Yuponce and from a music library company called Killer Tracks . Frequently heard are instrumental arrangements of the whimsical " Three Little Maids From School Are We " from The Mikado , and the rhythmic Gypsy dance "Les tringles des sistres tintaient" from Carmen . The opening and closing theme song (not mentioned in

2668-545: The sitcom Anything but Love . He also starred on the short-lived sitcoms Daddy Dearest with Don Rickles in 1993, and Hiller and Diller with Kevin Nealon in 1998. He played Prince John in the 1993 film Robin Hood: Men in Tights , and starred as a struggling alcoholic and drug addict in the 1995 drama film Drunks . The latter film featured performances from Faye Dunaway , George Martin , Parker Posey , Howard Rollins , Spalding Gray , and Dianne Wiest , and

2726-407: The subtitle of The Lunatic View: A Comedy of Menace (1958), by David Campton , is a jocular play-on-words derived from the "comedy of manners" ( menace being manners pronounced with a somewhat Judeo-English accent). Harold Pinter's play The Homecoming has been described as a mid-twentieth-century "comedy of manners". Other more recent examples include Kazuo Ishiguro 's The Remains of

2784-460: Was accused of murder and faced the death penalty, by giving him an alibi during the time the murder was committed. The show's main theme has been used as a meme , paired with clips of people in awkward situations. Comedy of manners The comedy-of-manners genre originated in the New Comedy period (325–260 BC) of Classical Greece (510–323 BC), and is known from fragments of works by

2842-539: Was also worked into the plot of Curb Your Enthusiasm during the episode "The Nanny from Hell". His lawyer sent some video tapes to Bartlett's general editor Justin Kaplan showing Lewis using the phrase. Bartlett's declined, stating that the expression had predated Lewis's first taped broadcast. In response, Lewis told Entertainment Weekly that he traces popular usage of the line back to his early days on David Letterman's show. Lewis met Joyce Lapinsky in 1998 at

2900-405: Was based on Gary Lennon 's play Blackout . Lewis also appeared in the 1995 drama film Leaving Las Vegas , a nd the 1997 romantic comedy Hugo Pool . Into the 2000s, Lewis had recurring roles as a B movie producer on the sitcom Rude Awakening , and as Rabbi Richard Glass on the family drama series 7th Heaven . He also had a recurring role on the sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm as

2958-399: Was co-owner of Ambassador Caterers in nearby Teaneck, New Jersey , and his mother, Blanche, was an actress in community theatre . Lewis was the youngest of three siblings – his sister was older by 9 years, and his brother by 6. His father's catering business kept him very busy, and his siblings had both left home by the 1960s, leaving Lewis at home alone with his mother, with whom there

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3016-402: Was developed from a 1999 one-hour special, Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm , which David and HBO originally envisioned as a one-time project. It was shot as a mockumentary , in which the characters were aware of the presence of cameras and a crew. The series, while not in documentary form, was shot in a somewhat similar cinéma vérité -like style. As with Seinfeld , which David co-created,

3074-545: Was friction. Lewis told The Washington Post in 2014 that he suspected that his birth had been a mistake. Lewis was known for being the class clown and causing trouble in school. He graduated from Dwight Morrow High School in 1965 and attended Ohio State University where he attained a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Marketing four years later in 1969. He was the recipient of

3132-417: Was known for dark comedy , self-deprecation , and for frank discussions regarding his many neuroses , as well as his struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction. He was noted for wearing all-black attire and for pacing and gesticulating wildly during his stand-up act. In his early days, he was also known for bringing taped-together sheets from a legal pad to his performances; he would lay them across

3190-622: Was nominated five times for the Writers Guild of America Award , winning once in 2006. When aired in syndication, the series is edited from its original HBO broadcast (for running time and without the TV-MA scenes). On June 2, 2010, the series premiered on the TV Guide Network , making its basic cable debut. The network also recorded a series of related discussions with high-profile guest stars, media pundits, and prominent social figures called Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Discussion , debating

3248-452: Was nominated for 55 Primetime Emmy Awards , including Outstanding Comedy Series for eleven of its twelve seasons. It won the 2002 Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy . It aired for eight mostly consecutive seasons until 2011, and resumed with a ninth season in 2017. The tenth season aired in 2020 and the eleventh in 2021. The series was renewed for a twelfth and final season that premiered on February 4, 2024, and

3306-405: Was ranked No.  45 on Comedy Central 's list of "100 Greatest Standups of All Time" released in 2004. In 2006, The Yale Book of Quotations included an entry for the expression "the ______ from hell" (as in "the night from hell", "the date from hell". etc.,) that was attributed to Lewis. Lewis also petitioned the editors of Bartlett's Familiar Quotations to include the idiom, which

3364-484: Was reissued in 2008 with an added afterword where Lewis reflected further on his continued struggles with addiction. In 2015, he released the book Reflections from Hell: Richard Lewis' Guide on How Not to Live ; it contains his commentary and observations in the form of one-liners and other comedic premises, interspersed with images created by artist Carl Nicholas Titolo. Discussions of Lewis's battles with anxiety and depression, and his multiple therapy sessions, were

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