Curb Your Enthusiasm is back for its tenth season and it is currently firing on all cylinders. Many cited the show’s 2017 return as being a bit disappointing, but few can deny that the 2020 installment of Larry David’s hijinks and shenanigans have been anything but hilarious. It really does feel like classic Curb with the naming processes for social cues and the unlikely convergences of multiple storylines. And in the age of a glut of scripted television, improvised comedy can still be appreciated.
The idea of transplanting a Larry David who won’t change into a rapidly-evolving 2020 society was too good to resist. And for good reason. But even though the world is changing, Curb never does. It’s always funny and always insightful. That is thanks in large part to these classic running gags.
The “No Good?” Ism
Larry has a number of recurring quotes throughout Curb. While the most iconic one is coming a bit later in the list, this one has to be mentioned. Whenever Larry makes an attempt to connect with the people in his life or to showcase some “newfound” understanding of a social cue, it always goes awry.
Without fail, Larry cannot go a single day in his life without upsetting someone, both on macro and micro levels. When this occurs, it is usually accompanied by a classic-ism of simplicity. “What? No good?” Larry says before shrugging and resigning himself to another failed social effort.
The Wanda Sykes Appearance
Throughout the run of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Wanda Sykes has appeared at some of the most inopportune times. Larry’s foibles almost always come from some sort of misunderstanding. Unfortunately, the situations that end up painting Larry David as a racist always end up with Wanda Sykes looking on and shaking her head in disdain.
It’s a card that Curb has played frequently over its run, as Sykes has appeared on the show eight times. And even though the audience can often see where an episode is headed when Sykes shows up, it is always humorous.
Disdain from Susie and Marty
Based on the history of alienating the people in his life that Larry has on the show, it is remarkable that he somehow manages to maintain the same people in his orbit.
This is definitely true for the characters of Susie Greene (Susie Essman) and Marty Funkhouser (the late Bob Einstein). Whenever those characters have been featured prominently in an episode, the story always seems to end with Larry getting chewed out by them in a visceral, verbally violent fashion. A copious amount of swears couples Larry’s scolding. It doesn’t make sense for them to associate with Larry when they hate him, but the viewers are the ones who benefit.
Larry’s Neuroses
The neurotic behavior of Larry David should undeniably count as a running gag on the show. There is an incredible joke density on the show. Many ideas are introduced that tie back together in the episodes’ finales. But there are also throwaway jokes that give us a good idea of how neurotic and constantly-dissatisfied Larry is as a human being.
This is thoroughly summed up in the most recent episode of Curb, “Preview,” which sees Larry ask a receptionist, “That’s a beautiful view. How long until you took it for granted?” It would take him no more than thirty minutes.
Never Flexing His Wealth
Because of the fact that Seinfeld is one of the most financially successful television shows in history, Larry David is among the wealthiest people in Hollywood. While the real-life Larry is probably way more generous and far less frugal, the fictional version of Larry is a penny pincher.
He has more money than he could ever possibly spend, but he is always looking to save money at every corner. Sometimes, Larry takes this to such an extreme that he leaves his wallet behind when going out.
The Apparent Inability to Find Success after Seinfeld
Despite the immense success that comes from Seinfeld, Larry’s post-NBC career is seemingly filled with failures. Restaurant ventures, theatrical productions, and even a reunion of Seinfeld all have deep faults laden within them. Larry can’t catch a break, even after the break that allowed him to thrive off of one of the world’s most famous shows.
Fortunately, Larry in real life has struck gold again by creating Curb. As for season ten, the viewers have to wait to see how his coffee shop enterprise fares.
Quirky Stares
Occasionally, Larry is involved in social foibles when he acts passive-aggressively with another person. Almost always, they act passive-aggressively in return, but both characters know exactly what sort of scheme the other is trying to pull. This has been accompanied almost every time by a patented Curb gag: the stare.
Larry will peer over his glasses and stare at the other person, attempting to break their facade of politeness. This is accompanied by a quirky tune that has become synonymous with Curb. But like everything else, it never ends well for Larry.
The Hatred of Shorts
This gag is one that is not as prevalent throughout the history of Curb, but it is subtly introduced and threaded through the show. There is a strong undercurrent of shorts hatred from Larry. If someone he interacts with is wearing shorts, he takes them far less seriously.
As for himself, he is always wearing long pants (and long sleeve shirts, at that). For him, it just seems to feel right. It likely comes from Larry’s own personal neuroses in real life. After all, what kind of mind could it come from if not Larry’s?
Celebrities Playing Warped Versions of Themselves
The benefit of depicting a fictional version of a Hollywood mega-star is that it allows for many of that star’s friends to appear on the show, playing versions of themselves. Few things are as fun in film and television as fictionalized celebrities and Curb does it better than anyone else.
From a resentful Jason Alexander to a recurring Ted Danson to a chastising Michael J. Fox to a petty Lin-Manuel Miranda, Curb has had a ton of fun over the years with celebs poking fun at themselves.
“Pretty Good”
The biggest running gag in the history of Curb is also one of its best. Coming straight from Larry David’s own public persona, the most popular catchphrase in television is his response of, “Pretty good. Pretty, pretty, pretty good” whenever someone asks Larry how he is doing or how some sort of plan of his unfolded.
Every now and then, Larry accentuates it with a “Prett-ay” rather than a “Pretty.” Either way, it’s a hallmark of Curb’s humor and whenever it is employed, it always feels like Larry is playing the hits.
