Curb Your Enthusiasm is one of those shows that might just be around forever. When Seinfeld ended, there was a finality to it that Larry David, a headlining figure of both shows, seems keen to avoid with Curb. Curb might go away for a decade at a time, but there is never a “finale.” Larry always leaves the door open for a return to Curb, which is the advice he gave to Rob McElhenney, the star of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, to do, as well.
Now, Curb Your Enthusiasm is back for its tenth season, twenty years after it aired its first. And it is always welcomed back from the legions of comedy fans who adore it. But how should the seasons be ranked? It can feel like ranking one’s own children, but it is an interesting thought argument all the same.
Season Four
Season four has always felt like the peak of Curb Your Enthusiasm, even if the other seasons add to that mountain range, rather than filling the show out with valleys. It really is when the show hit its stride, as all of the actors (sans J.B. Smoove) were involved and operating at the peak of their powers. The story of the season sees Larry attempting to put on a revival of The Producers on Broadway. Will he star in it with Ben Stiller? David Schwimmer? Will he star in it at all?
Not to mention, season four features the episode, “The 5 Wood,” which takes place at the funeral of Leo Funkhouser and is exceptionally hilarious.
Season Seven
Of all the season-long arcs that Curb has had over the years, the top-tier ones are clear. The Producers in season four is amazing, but so is the season seven storyline of Larry, attempting to win back the affections of Cheryl after their split, accepting the offer to do a reunion episode of Seinfeld.
All the classic actors show up for the season, including Seinfeld regulars like Jason Alexander (George Costanza) and recurring guest stars like Wayne Knight (Newman). For lovers of the brand of comedy from Seinfeld and Curb, season seven was aces.
Season Six
Part of the fun of Curb is seeing the characters interacting with one another like they are old friends. After all, the conceit of the show is that they are all old friends. Ted Danson, Richard Lewis, David himself. It can be so satisfying to watch characters the audience knows so well, interacting in funny and meta ways.
But the entire cast of the show really came together and really gelled when J.B. Smoove joined the cast as Leon Black. He fits the comedy of Curb perfectly and when he arrived in season six, he breathed new life into the show. Yes, the season is also well-known for its dating escapades for Larry, but it’s the arrival of the Black family that sets it apart.
Season Three
Speaking of character introductions, season three is well-known for its firm inclusion of Ted Danson in a recurring role. Danson had appeared during season one, but his real cementing in Curb lore came in season three, where he stuck around the show all the way through to season seven, before returning for the show’s recent revival.
That’s not all that season three features. It also includes the stellar arc of Larry attempting to enter into the restaurant industry with Danson and Michael York. In one of the best season culminations, “The Grand Opening,” Larry is in rare form as he ruins the spirit of three people working to make his goals a reality. It’s classic Curb.
Season Two
In a way, season two almost provides a template of foreshadowing for the meta qualities that Curb would later begin to embrace to the nth degree. Jason Alexander and Julia Louis-Dreyfus, veterans of Seinfeld, appear in the season through the premise of Larry’s attempt to return to television.
Obviously, Curb had already become such a return, but the commentary is excellent for the show, as a whole. Season two is also an excellent one for the dynamic between Jeff (Jeff Garlin) and Susie (Susie Essman), who are some of the only people who remain loyal to Larry by the end of the year.
Season One
Season one is the original! The classic! It aired twenty years ago, but remains a perfectly realized vision of comedy. Even though it came out in 2020, it is undeniably timeless. Curb is one of the rare shows that can be enjoyed during any time because of Larry’s antics coming across as so relentlessly deplorable. Season one introduces this subject matter perfectly.
There is no through-line, save for the idea that there are many things in the world that bother Larry and his neuroses. But from the episode with stolen shoes from the bowling alley to the episode when Larry has to write an obituary, the audience gets a clear picture of who the fictionalized version of Larry is.
Season Nine
This is where the ranking might start to become 932 controversial if it has not already. A few critics, like Alan Sepinwall, have been quick to remark about how the revival seasons of Curb have been lacking in quality when compared to the earlier campaigns of the show. But season nine is vastly underrated and many are glad that Larry, even with his immense wealth and comfort, decided to come back at all.
The story of Cheryl hooking up with Ted Danson makes for a great comedy well to mine. The story of the Fatwa! show was a perfect outlet for Larry in 2017. And the arc of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s involvement in the show might be the most hilarious guest spot in the show’s history. Season nine deserves more respect.
Season Five
Season five is right smack in the middle of the “classic Curb” era, but it lacked the classic punch by introducing Larry to a situation in which he acted unquestionably immoral. Granted, he always seems to do this, but most episodes and seasons allow for gray area.
With Lewis and his kidney needs, David does not act out of character, but it certainly becomes a bit harder to embrace him as the protagonist. Once the viewer gets over that hump, it is still hilarious and a comedy of errors that almost turn Larry into a masochistic character.
Season Eight
Claiming that one of the seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm is ranked last is like saying that there is a “worst” song from Hamilton. Yes, something has to rank last, but that does not mean it is bad by any means. The worst season of Curb is still better than so many other shows on television.
Besides, season eight still has a lot of great Curb lore additions, like the “Palestinian Chicken” episode, which sees the idea of a “social assassin” destroying Larry’s ability to exist in the public sphere in the way he would like.
Season Ten
Technically, season eight would probably clock in as the season in the last place on this list. But because only one episode has aired from season ten of Curb so far, then season ten has to come in this low. But there is so much room to grow.
The first episode of season ten, “Happy New Year,” aired on Sunday and it was hysterical. It felt like classic Curb! If the team behind it, headed by David, of course, keeps up that pace, then season ten might just have the potential to be among the show’s top echelon. The idea of Larry in a society he no longer recognizes is perfect.
