Larry David is, without a doubt, one of the greatest and funniest men alive.
There are few comedians capable of holding their own TV programme, and Larry David is one of them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of Jeff (Jeff Garlin) and Susie Greene (Susie Essman), but we all know that Larry David is what Curb Your Enthusiasm is all about.
Every season, it becomes more and more difficult to imagine how the next season could possibly be better, and yet every season, it outdoes itself.
Larry returns once more with his own unique blend of comedy genius, bringing with him his probing questions, his raised eyebrows, and his fantastic ability to get himself into the most awkward of situations.
The first episode kicks off right where the last season ended, with Larry and Cheryl on the brink of reconciliation/divorce. Safe to say, he can’t let go of that stain on the table, and the night doesn’t end quite as he’d hoped.
What’s especially great about this season is that for much of it it moves to New York. Larry, Jeff, Susie, and Leon (J.B. Smoove) all pick up sticks and head to the East Coast. Outside of Friends, it’s not that often we get to see New York City on the small screen – and even Friends was shot in California – and it’s a lot of fun to see Larry David walking the streets of the Big Apple.
Like Entourage, another programme in the HBO roster (which recently came to an end with its own eighth and final season), Curb Your Enthusiasm has had some terrific guest stars over the years, and this season is no different.
Ricky Gervais makes an appearance for an episode as a himself (as usual, to a certain extent), with Jeff wanting to sign him as a client, and Larry naturally getting into a dispute with him. Rosie O’Donnell is back, and she and Larry end up competing for the affections of the same woman.
And most importantly, enter Michael J. Fox.
Michael J. Fox’s performance on the show is quite possibly my favourite guest appearance to date. The episode is fantastic, brilliantly titled ‘Larry David vs. Michael J. Fox’, and is the perfect end to the perfect season.
At ten episodes long, you’ll wish that there were more of Larry to watch. And if that’s the only bad thing you can say about a programme – that you wish there were more of it – then you know they’re doing something right.
Though there’s still no official word that a ninth season is forthcoming, I think we all remain optimistic that Larry David will be back for another ten episodes – and hopefully many more after that. For now, if you haven’t yet seen season eight, I cannot recommend enough how you much you should go out and buy it.
You can’t put a price on how much another ten episodes of Larry David is worth.
He’s a true comic genius, unlike anything else on TV before him or since.
[Rating:5/5]
Special Features:
There are two parts making up the special features: Leon’s Guide to NYC, and a Roundtable discussion with Larry and the cast recorded live at New York’s 92nd Street Y.
The former is quite a funny little tour of NYC with Leon as your guide. I love Leon in the show, and whilst this little piece isn’t quite as good as he is on the show itself, it’s still fun to watch.
[Unfortunately, the roundtable discussion wasn’t working on my disc, so I don’t have a review of that for you. But I’d imagine there’s no way a roundtable with Larry and the cast in New York would be anything but brilliant.]
[Rating:3.5/5]
Curb Your Enthusiasm is available to buy on DVD now. Also available is the complete Seasons 1 – 8 box set on DVD. You can rent it on LOVEFiLM right here.
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