After almost 25 years playing Larry David, Larry David has announced that his award-winning comedy Curb Your Enthusiasm is ending with the next season.
The Seinfeld co-creator has played a curmudgeonly version of himself in Curb Your Enthusiasm since 2000, making it HBO’s longest-running comedy. Much like Seinfeld, the show draws on the humour in everyday life but the dialogue is mostly improvised around an outline written by David, who plays a semi-retired television writer.
Curb Your Enthusiasm originally aired for eight seasons between 2000 and 2011, then took a six-year hiatus before starting again in 2017. The 12th and final season is due to air in February.
“As Curb comes to an end, I will now have the opportunity to finally shed this ‘Larry David’ persona and become the person God intended me to be – the thoughtful, kind, caring, considerate human being I was until I got derailed by portraying this malignant character,” David said on Thursday, confirming the final season.
“And so ‘Larry David,’ I bid you farewell. Your misanthropy will not be missed. And for those of you who would like to get in touch with me, you can reach me at Doctors Without Borders.”
Casey Bloys, chairman and chief executive of HBO & Max Content, sai: “It’s hard to say farewell to such a ground-breaking, brilliantly funny and iconic series like Curb Your Enthusiasm, which has left its mark across television and the comedy genre.”
In October David’s friend and collaborator Jerry Seinfeld made headlines after teasing David and his involvement in a potential return to Seinfeld, the sitcom that made them household names. David left the show after seven seasons but returned to write the final episode, which is famously divisive.
“Something is going to happen that has to do with that ending. Hasn’t happened yet,” Seinfeld said at an event in Boston in October, to loud gasps and applause. “And just what you are thinking about, Larry and I have also been thinking about it. So you’ll see, we’ll see.”
Curb Your Enthusiasm has been nominated for 51 Emmys, including 10 nominations for best comedy over 11 seasons so far.
The final season will consist of 10 episodes, starting on 4 February.
