They’re calling Larry David’s new HBO original limited sketch comedy series “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness,” which seems like a missed opportunity.
I mean, “Curb Your History” was right there for the taking.
The premise for the clever, insightful, and politically savvy series is simple, and virtually foolproof: we travel back in time for re-creations of pivotal moments in American history, only Larry David is in the middle of it all and continually mucking things up. President Lincoln and Mary Todd on an excursion to see “My American Cousin” at the Ford Theatre—with Larry David in tow. Larry David’s spin on Alexander Graham Bell making the first telephone call. Rosa Parks refuses to move to the back of the bus, and…
Well. I’ll leave it for you to discover. What I will tell you is that it’s pretty, pretty, pretty funny. It’s not “Drunk History,” it’s “Cringe History.”
Sometimes David is playing a real-life historical figure; on other occasions, he’s a work of poetic license, e.g., a Wright brother who joins Orville and Wilbur on the first flight in 1903. (There WERE five adult Wright siblings, but none of them was squeezed into the middle seat between Orville and Wilbur, complaining about the situation.) Either way and regardless of the time period, he’s pure Larry David. Whether he’s wondering aloud why the salad fork should be smaller than the dinner fork, lighting the fuse to social time bombs, or making proclamations about how everyone else should conduct themselves, he’s essentially the same heightened version of himself we saw on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” (We also get a steady sprinkling of callbacks to jokes and disagreements that will be familiar and most welcome to fans of “Curb.”)
Let’s put it this way: There are some details about the Boston Tea Party that never made it into the history books, until now.
“Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness” comes from Higher Ground Productions, with Barack and Michelle Obama among the executive producers. That’s cool, but the real gold comes from the series being written and executive produced by David and Jeff Schaffer, a “Seinfeld” and “Curb” veteran who also serves as director. (Among Schaffer’s many invaluable contributions to popular culture: creating the Festivus aluminum pole, directing the fictional “Seinfeld” reunion episode for the Season 7 finale of “Curb,” and co-creating “The League.”)
This is a well-staged series, with VFX, production design, costuming, and hair/makeup delivering authentic-looking slices of American life, whether we’re with Lewis & Clark as they’re on the brink of a big fishing trip that might include some exploring, or front and center at the Army-McCarthy hearings. (I get the feeling David relished donning various wigs, sporting period-piece facial hair, and dressing up like a soldier or a statesman or a 1950s goofball.)
The first episode starts with David playing Robert Livingston, who wants to edit the first draft of the Declaration of Independence to include a host of personal and petty grievances. I had initial concern that the premise would be stretched thin—but they wisely pack a handful of sketches into each episode. In one case, we zip from a pitch-perfect parody of a certain scene in “All the President’s Men” to a takedown of Henry Ford’s anti-Semitism to a soiree hosted by President James Buchanan to a look at Jonas Salk’s life shortly after he created the polio vaccine. The narrator sets up the premise; the jokes come fast and furious; there’s often some poignant and timely social commentary; and we move on. Just when we start getting a bit fidgety, we’re catapulted to another time period. Race and class and gender politics often come into play, but the humor is relatively safe compared to the comedy on “Curb,” which often and cheerfully shattered any illusions of taste and propriety.
Note that I said “the narrator” and refrained from revealing their identity, because HBO has kindly requested critics refrain from spoiling things. There IS an approved list of publicly announced guest stars we’re free to mention, a list that includes Jerry Seinfeld, Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, J.B. Smoove, Vince Vaughn, Bill Hader, Jon Hamm, Isla Fisher, Jane Krakowski, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, all of whom have either collaborated with David or were regulars or guest stars on “Curb.” As you’d expect from that All-Star roster, they’re all fantastic comic gamers who can run with a premise, go off script, and kill it.
“Curb Your Enthusiasm” aired for 12 seasons across parts of 24 years. The hit HBO comedy was preceded by an hour-long 1999 special and officially ran from October 2000 until its series finale in April 2024. A legendary run—but hardcore fans such as myself would have happily welcomed another season. That’s highly unlikely, but with “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness,” we’re getting the next best thing.
