Larry David always joked that any season ofCurb Your Enthusiasmjust might be his last. And this time, he wasn’t kidding around. After 12 seasons across a 24-year period,Curb Your Enthusiasmfinally said its goodbyes on July 17, 2025. It’s a significant moment in television history. Despite the low opinion that he has of himself, or the low opinion that hepretendsto have of himself, Larry David has become a legend in the world of comedy. He helped to create two of television’s biggest sitcoms:Seinfeldand, of course,Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Both shows follow the mindless minutia of everyday life, providing humorous and relatable commentary on social situations and relationships. But after April 7, the two shows now have another thing in common: the story of their series finale.Seinfeld’sseries finale, which was written by Larry David himself, was infamously polarizing — a problem that Larry sought to correct 26 years later, in the series finale ofCurb Your Enthusiasm.
The Legacy of Seinfeld, and Its Series Finale
Larry David saw little success from his comedy stand-up or from his brief stint as a writer forSaturday Night Live.It wasn’t until he teamed up with fellow comic Jerry Seinfeld and createdSeinfeldin 1989 that David had his first real breakthrough.Seinfeldwas an instant hit, a hilarious “show about nothing” that follows the misadventures of four self-absorbed friends. In addition to its relatable, situational humor, the series was aided by its iconic cast.
Jerry Seinfeld played a fictionalized, narcissistic version of himself. Jason Alexander was cast as George Constanza, a neurotic character based on Larry David. Michael Richards, who actually worked with David on ABC’sFridays, was cast as Kramer, an eccentric character who was inspired by Larry’s real-life neighbor down the hall — a man named Kenny Kramer. And the character of Elaine was portrayed by Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who briefly worked with Larry onSNL. David himself only appeared in brief cameos and, more famously, as the voice of then-New York Yankees owner, George Steinbrenner.
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Curb Your Enthusiasm may be over, but we’re remembering when Larry David’s HBO show became the legal evidence that saved a man facing death row.
Seinfelddominated television ratings throughout the ’90s. It isn’t just known as one of TV’s greatest sitcoms; it’s regarded as one ofthe best shows of all time. But even the world’s greatest sitcom isn’t perfect, which brings us to that polarizing finale. After amicably departingSeinfeldafter seven seasons, David returned two years later to pen the two-part finale. Here, Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine are arrested for violating the Good Samaritan Law, failing to help a person in need. The four of them are put on a trial that bringsSeinfeld’smost iconic supporting characters to the stand,who recount their famous but unpleasant run-ins with the defendants.
In the end, all of their misdeeds and selfish acts catch up with them, and Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine are put in prison. While behind bars, the four of them engage in one last meaningless conversation about the placement of buttons on George’s shirt, a call back to the very first conversation in the very first episode of the series.Seinfeldhad one ofthe most-watched finales in TV history.A whopping 76.3 million people tuned in to see what would become of their four favorite narcissists — and many of them were left disappointed.
It was criticized for spending its entirety recounting old jokes and moments while failing to make any new ones, and for going against the lack of moral guidelines that madeSeinfeldso great to begin with. As famous asSeinfeldis,its finale is infamously remembered as one of the most disappointing series finales.StreamSeinfeldonNetflix.
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Larry Moves on with Curb Your Enthusiasm
Despite the outcry of disappointedSeinfeldfans, Larry moved on pretty quickly, introducing a new sitcom just two years later. This time, though, he would be the one in front of the camera, playing a fictionalized, obnoxious version of himself, experiencing all the inconveniences and absurdities of life in a post-Seinfeldworld.Curb Your Enthusiasmpretty muchfollows the same formula asSeinfeld,getting rid of the laughing track while adding profanity, courtesy of Larry’s new network, HBO.
It also focuses largely on Larry, though it does include a comical supporting cast that includes Jeff Garlin as Larry’s loyal manager, Cheryl Hines as Larry’s fictional wife, Susie Essman as Jeff’s short-tempered wife, and J. B. Smoove as Larry’s ridiculous housemate, Leon. The result is pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good. And after 12 years,Larry was finally ready to deliver another series finale.
Related:15 TV Shows Like Curb Your Enthusiasm to Watch Next
Seinfeld Gets a Redo in Curb’s Series Finale
Curbmakes numerous references toSeinfeldthroughout its 12 seasons, especially when it comes toits much hated series finale. Multiple characters, including members of theSeinfeldcast like Jerry and Jason Alexander, have told Larry to his face that the finale wasn’t very good. The camera humorously focuses on Larry’s face as he blankly listens to these backhanded comments. He then dives into a short rant defending the finale every time, always claiming, “No, no, that was a good finale!” – an opinion that he apparently holds in real life.
Seinfeld’sabysmal series finale was like a dark cloud that always seemed to hang over Larry’s head, and also overCurb.When it was announced thatCurbwould be delivering its final season, there was a lot of speculation as to how the series would end. Would Larry botch another series finale?WouldSeinfeldsomehow be incorporated into the ending? Would Larry use this moment to redo theSeinfeldfinale?We finally got our answer.
Season 12’s premise revolves around Larry getting arrested in Atlanta for violating the state’s election integrity law – for giving Leon’s aunt a bottle of water while she waits in line to vote during a hot day. The media praises Larry as a hero. The rest of the season builds up to Larry’s trial, which, of course, takes place during the last episode, titled “No Lessons Learned”.
Larry seemed to take the formula fromSeinfeld’sseries finale and flip it on its head, having his character arrested for actually being a good Samaritan. The actual trial, however, very much follows the same pattern as the trial for Jerry, George, Kramer, and Elaine. The prosecution, played by Greg Kinnear, summons some ofCurb’smost iconic supporting characters to testify and prove that Larry is an indecent human being. And it works. Like Jerry and the gang,Larry’s past deeds finally catch up to him, and he’s sentenced to a year in prison.
Seinfeld and Philosophy: Nihilism, Absurdism, Existentialism, and Judaism
Seinfeld made us laugh for nine seasons, but this supposed “show about nothing” also deftly dove into several philosophical concepts.
At this point, it’s starting to feel like we’ve seen this all before.Curb’sfinale feels familiar, even a little unoriginal. We even see Larry behind bars, talking to his neighbor about the lump in his pants. “The pants tent,” he calls it, hearkening back to Larry’s very first scene inCurb’svery first episode. “Wow, is he really about to endCurbthe same way asSeinfeld?“we think, baffled. “Is Larry doubling down on this story?Has this man really learnednothing?” But then comes the twist. Who should show up at that moment but Jerry Seinfeld himself, announcing that Larry is now a free man due to a mistrial. Jerry says, alluding to the finale of his own show:
You don’t want to end up like this. Nobody wants to see it.
As the two friends walk out together, Larry has a eureka moment when he turns to Jerry and says,“This is how we should’ve ended the finale.” Of course, he’s 26 years too late. But by ending the show in this way, Larry corrects his past mistake; he pays homage toSeinfeldwhile also separating it fromCurb. The series ends with Larry as a free man, unchanged, bickering with the people who madeCurb Your Enthusiasmso special. But despite the episode’s title, it does seem like Larry has learned a lesson: never end a show likeSeinfeld.
