For more than 20 years, Curb Your Enthusiasm has been television’s most vexing annoyance, launching social cringe like grenades into the comfortable routines of everyday life. It’s blend of quick-wittedness and vicarious embarrassment, Larry David’s comedy madecringeworthyy a superior art form. And now that the show is ending after 12 seasons, it’s the perfect moment to reflect on five unforgettable moments that made Curb not only funny but culturally relevant.
5. Needling the rules we live by
From the first day, Curb has become a show defying society’s unspoken rules of behavior. Larry’s refusal to play by the rules we expect—whether it is skipping a “stop ‘n chat,” initiating a “spite store,” or being arrested for dispensing water in a polling line—is what makes us laugh and wince in identical measure.
The genius of the show lies in mirroring the quirks of society, how absurd our “normal” can become when dissected by the harsh light of brutal honesty.
4. A Cast That Does Relish Living in Chaos—Especially J.B. Smoove
Larry may have brought the chaos, but J.B. Smoove’s Leon lit the fires. Introduced in Season 6, Leon quickly became a crowd favorite through his wild improvisations, crackpot one-liners, and unstoppable chemistry with Larry.
Coining slang or doled out life advice with unstinting bravado, Leon brought new zing to the show’s already superior cast. The fabulous cast that comprised Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, Cheryl Hines, Ted Danson, and the late Richard Lewis built a world where any of the characters could make Larry’s day go worse in the most hilarious ways.
3. Iconic, Outrageous Episodes
Choosing the most iconic episodes of Curb is virtually impossible, but some of them have been made so. In “Car Pool Lane,” Larry pays for a sex worker, not sex, but to legally drive in the carpool lane. In “The Spite Store,” he opens a competing coffee shop simply out of spitefulness.
And in “The Colostomy Bag,” the series strikes close to the hearts of viewers who are undergoing actual medical procedures, which sparks more intense debates about representation. Whether re-hanging with the Seinfeld gang, battling the Ayatollah, or stumbling through a cringeworthy “pants tent” fiasco, Curb episodes don’t just amuse—they last.
2. A Finale That Stays True to Its Spirit
So, how do you end a show that has spent nine seasons resisting neat conclusions? You double down on resisting that. The final episode, “No Lessons Learned,” spoofs the notorious Seinfeld finale in its place, with Larry in the dock and a procession of his past adversaries taking the stand against him.
Even Jerry Seinfeld pops up, perfectly timed to bail him out. It’s a going-out that’s in Curb style: witty, knowing, and unbothered by tradition. Rather than hanging up the doors on a whim of nostalgia, it dishes out one final nudge-and-wink to viewers.
1. A Legacy Built on Reluctant Affection
Despite its “no hugging, no learning” motto, Curb managed to get in touch with viewers on an emotional level. Fans have seen Larry and his cohort snipe, stab each other in the back, and stumble through the ridiculousness of life—and yet, somehow, it’s endearing. The last season’s return of Richard Lewis added a tinge of sadness to the show’s sharp wit. The relationship between characters, though so flawed, always seemed abnormally real. And as for me, seeing Larry and Leon “shoot the shit” is a form of comfort in itself.
Curb Your Enthusiasm didn’t so much rewrite the comedy rules as it scoffed at them, stomped on them, and then ridiculed them. And that is a legacy worth lamping over.