For all the Larry David fans out there, the moment you’ve been waiting for has arrived. Curb Your Enthusiasm just wrapped up its 12-season journey.
First airing in 2000, the show follows the life of Larry David (a well-known television writer and producer). Throughout the series, he finds himself in all sorts of mishaps and funny situations with his friends and famous colleagues in Los Angeles. Now, the finale aired recently, treating us to one final round of cringe-inducing encounters and social blunders.
So, while the ride may be over, the laughs from Curb Your Enthusiasm will stick with us for a long time to come. What sets this finale apart is its surprising twist, which might have pleased fans of Seinfeld — the show David also had a hand in creating.
Curb Your Enthusiasm‘s Finale Rescued Seinfeld‘s Legacy
The central plot of Curb Your Enthusiasm‘s 12th season found Larry David in legal trouble in Atlanta. It all started when he gave water to Auntie Rae (Ellia English) waiting in line to vote, violating a local law.
As Larry prepares for his trial, the episode cleverly gives a nod to the Seinfeld finale by mirroring the courtroom showdown that fans are still upset about.
The Seinfeld finale that fans are still down about is the last episode of the original series, which aired in 1998. In that finale, the four core Seinfeld characters — Jerry, Elaine, George, and Kramer — are put on trial for failing to fail to intervene in a carjacking, violating the Good Samaritan law.
They end up being sent to prison as a result. Many fans didn’t like this ending because it was darker and different from the usual funny episodes.
In a similar fashion, in Curb Your Enthusiasm finale, Larry finds himself on the witness stand facing off against characters from his own sitcom world, including Mocha Joe (Saverio Guerra), Mr. Takahashi (Dana Lee), Rachel Heineman (Iris Bahr), Bruce Springsteen (playing himself), and more.
A still from Seinfeld finale (1998)
Just when it seems like Larry is doomed to go to jail, Jerry Seinfeld (as himself) comes to the rescue. He finds out that a juror violated their sequestration, which causes a mistrial. This revelation leads to Larry’s release from his sentence.
In a meta-moment that winks at fans, Jerry tells Larry, “This is how we should have ended the finale!” It points to a better way to conclude the Seinfeld series. So, it can be said that the final episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm made up for Seinfeld’s fault by performing a good action in the end.
Is Season 12 Really the End of Curb Your Enthusiasm? Maybe Not.
After nearly 24 years, 12 seasons, and 120 episodes, it looks like Curb Your Enthusiasm has finally wrapped up. The show, known for its fearless exploration of awkward social scenarios, concluded with the 10th episode of Season 12, titled No Lessons Learned.
Despite all signs pointing to Season 12 being the final season, J.B. Smoove (who portrays Leon Black on the show from Season 6 – 8) expressed skepticism about its end in an interview with Men’s Health.
“I’m not going to call him a liar—I just don’t believe Larry,” he said. “Some of us have this impulse where we feel, Ooh, I gotta address that.” Throughout its long run, there have been moments in Curb where it felt like the end could be near.
In Season 5’s episode titled The End, there’s a part where Larry appears to die and goes to heaven. But then he ends up back in his body after a bit of a fight with two angels played by Dustin Hoffman and Sacha Baron Cohen. For many shows, that title and ending would mark a fitting conclusion, but Curb continued.
After Season 8 aired in 2011, there was a big gap until Season 9 came out in 2017. During this break, it seemed like maybe the show might not come back at all. But then, surprisingly, it did! So, even though the season 12 Curb Your Enthusiasm concluded at its best, there’s still a chance for it to make a comeback!
Watch Curb Your Enthusiasm on HBO, and Seinfeld on Netflix.
