Curb Your Enthusiasm
Curb Your Enthusiasm is a sitcom based on the one-hour special of the same name which aired on HBO in 1999 (see 1999 in TV).The series stars Larry David, playing himself, with Cheryl Hines as his wife and Jeff Garlin, Richard Lewis and Ted Danson as his friends. The show weaves clever, ironic stories around the minutiae of David's sensitivities, propensities to outrage, joy in minor, slightly misanthropic flouting of life's daily conventions, and unintended self-destructive behavior. Because of this, it is often referred to as an extension of the Seinfeld series, exploring many of the themes raised in that show, but with a darker comic palette thanks to the greater latitude afforded by cable television.
Hines is an utterly believeable straight woman/foil for David. Garlin is an understated comic sidekick in his role as David's manager, who, like Hines, has an exasperated fondness for David's eccentricities. Susie Essman has created a truly classic role in her portrayal of Garlin's wife, a foul-mouthed raging harridan before whom David and Garlin regularly tremble.
Guest stars have included Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Martin Scorsese.
Curb Your Enthusiasm is produced in a unique way: the actors are given an outline of the plot but no script. Their performances, characters and dialogue are pieced together from a number of different improvisations.
