Episode Rankings: Curb Your Enthusiasm

Curb Your Enthusiasm is a pretty-pretty-pretty good show with a unique improvisational type of dialogue, intricate storylines with fantastic payoffs, and some very fun jabs at social norms. While the show does have a lot of weak seasons and has been suffering in recent years, at its best, Curb Your Enthusiasm's strongest comedic beats are some of my favorites ever. Here's my ranking of its episodes:

1. The Ski Lift (S5.08)
2. The Table Read (S7.09)
3. The Doll (S2.07)
4. Seinfeld (S7.10)
5. Krazee-Eyez Killa (S3.08)
6. Elizabeth, Margaret, And Larry (S10.08)
7. The Bat Mitzvah (S6.10)
8. The Grand Opening (S3.10)
9. Shaq (S2.08)
10. You're Not Gonna Get Me The Say Anything Bad About Mickey (S10.04)
11. Palestinian Chicken (S8.03)
12. The Car Pool Lane (S4.06)
13. The Spite Store (S10.10)
14. The Black Swan (S7.07)
15. The Anonymous Donor (S6.02)
16. Trick Or Treat (S2.03)
17. Happy New Year (S10.01)
18. A Disturbance in The Kitchen (S9.03)
19. The Reunion (S7.03)
20. The Special Section (S3.06)
21. The Weatherman (S4.04)
22. Beloved Aunt (S1.08)
23. The Accidental Text On Purpose (S9.06)
24. The Tivo Guy (S6.07)
25. Opening Night (S4.10)
26. The Ida Funkhouser Roadside Memorial (S6.03)
27. IRASSHAIMASE (S11.05)
28. Mister Softee (S8.09)
29. The Bare Midriff (S7.06)
30. Thor (S2.02)
31. The 5 Wood (S4.05)
32. The Corpse-Sniffing Dog (S3.07)
33. The Ugly Section (S10.07)
34. The Therapists (S6.09)
35. Denise Handicapped (S7.05)
36. The Bowtie (S5.02)
37. The Survivor (S4.09)
38. The Baptism (S2.09)
39. Meet The Blacks (S6.01)
40. Insufficient Praise (S10.05)
41. Chet's Shirt (S3.01)
42. Vow Of Silence (S8.05)
43. Foisted! (S9.01)
44. Interior Decorator (S1.05)
45. The Car Salesman (S2.01)
46. The Watermelon (S11.04)
47. Fatwa! (S9.10)
48. Kamikaze Bingo (S5.04)
49. Ben's Birthday Party (S4.02)
50. The Freak Book (S6.05)
51. The Group (S1.10)
52. Mary, Joseph, And Larry (S3.09)
53. Funkhouser's Crazy Sister (S7.01)
54. The N Word (S6.08)
55. The Shrimp Incident (S2.04)
56. The Pants Tent (S1.01)
57. The Benadryl Brownie (S3.02)
58. The Seder (S5.07)
59. Officer Krupke (S7.08)
60. The Five-Foot Fence (S11.01)
61. The Surprise Party (S10.06)
62. The Massage (S2.10)
63. The Surrogate (S4.07)
64. Running With The Bulls (S9.04)
65. The Hero (S8.06)
66. Mel's Offer (S4.01)
67. The Christ Nail (S5.03)
68. The Bracelet (S1.04)
69. Side Sitting (S10.02)
70. The Pickle Gambit (S9.02)
71. The Smiley Face (S8.04)
72. The Mini Bar (S11.03)
73. The Hot Towel (S7.04)
74. The Divorce (S8.01)
75. The Wire (S1.06)
76. The Larry David Sandwich (S5.01)
77. Vehicular Fellatio (S7.02)
78. Beep Panic (S10.09)
79. Irma Kostroski (S11.07)
80. The Shucker (S9.09)
81. Larry Vs Michael J Fox (S8.10)
82. The Rat Dog (S6.06)
83. The Blind Date (S4.03)
84. Lewis Needs A Kidney (S5.05)
85. The Lefty Call (S6.04)
86. Namaste (S9.07)
87. Affirmative Action (S1.09)
88. The Mormon Advantage (S11.10)
89. Club Soda And Salt (S3.03)
90. Car Periscope (S8.08)
91. Artificial Fruit (S10.03)
92. Angel Muffin (S11.02)
93. Porno Gil (S1.03)
94. What Have I Done? (S11.08)
95. AAMCO (S1.07)
96. The Nanny From Hell (S3.04)
97. Man Fights Tiny Woman (S11.06)
98. The Safe House (S8.02)
99. Wandering Bear (S4.08)
100. Thank You For Your Service (S9.05)
101. Ted And Mary (S1.02)
102. Igor, Gregor, & Timor (S11.09)
103. The Thong (S2.05)
104. The Korean Bookie (S5.09)
105. The Bisexual (S8.07)
106. The Acupuncturist (S2.06)
107. The Smoking Jacket (S5.06)
108. The Terrorist Attack (S3.05)
109. Never Wait For Seconds (S9.08)
110. The End (S5.10)

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 11)

Season 11 is the only season of Curb I haven't watched yet, and it's... decent. I don't really have any glaring issues with it, but it's probably the most boring season of Curb. Not that I don't have much to say about it, I definitely do, but this was probably the first season of Curb to not make me feel all that much.

The main premise of Season 11 is Larry pitching a show about his younger self to a bunch of streaming services, a solid idea until you realize it's just Season 2's plot all over again. There is one wrinkle, however. When a burglar falls into Larry's pool, his brother blackmails Larry by forcing him to cast his daughter (Maria Sofia) in the show, despite her being a horrible actor. I'm not a fan of this storyline at all, Mario Sofia's acting is cartoonishly bad, to the point where it feels like the show is trying too hard. But halfway through, this season completely changes course to be more about Larry dating a councilwoman named Irma to repeal a law and fire Maria Sofia. Unfortunately, Irma isn't much better. Once again, she's intended to be annoying/unappealing, but that doesn't make me like her any more. And while Maria Sofia at least didn't show up too much, once Irma comes onto the scene, the season becomes entirely focused around her.

I think what really killed this season on the story front was how busy it was. The decision to essentially cram two different storylines into a single season means neither of them get fully developed, so I didn't really end up caring about either of them, and it didn't help that the finale felt unusually unsatisfying for the series. Thankfully, Season 11 isn't entirely a wash on the storyline front, because for the first time in the whole series, Leon actually has a subplot! This was such a pleasant surprise, after three seasons of not really getting much to do, Leon finally had a much bigger role, and his storyline about trying to find another Mary Ferguson was genuinely hilarious. However, just like all of the other storylines this season, it doesn't feel like it gets enough screen-time. As for the comedy, there really isn't much to talk about. I still found the season funny, but not uproariously so, and I was rarely impressed by a storyline like in the last two seasons. On the bright side, Vince Vaughn became a main character this season, and I think he's a great fit for the show, even if his presence doesn't really elevate Season 11 too much.

While I found much of this season to be pretty average, there was one episode I really liked:

IRASSHAIMASE: This was hands down the funniest episode of the season, and not being connected to the season's arc, it felt like an episode from the first five seasons in the best way. Larry's screaming contest with the sushi chefs, eating food while someone's having a heart attack, the secrets, the jokes about praying, Freddy's eulogy, it was one of those Curb episodes where everything just clicked.

Overall, Season 11 of Curb Your Enthusiasm was the least interesting season of the whole show. Its main story arc tried to do too much, so none of the storylines made any impact, and the humor was pretty average, lacking the creativity of any previous seasons. With a twelfth season on the way, let's hope that one's an improvement.

2/5 Stars

My ranking of the Curb Your Enthusiasm seasons (so far) is:

7 > 10 > 6 > 4 > 2 > 3 > 9 > 8 > 1 > 11 > 5

My ranking of the Curb Your Enthusiasm finales (so far) is:

7 > 6 > 10 > 3 > 4 > 9 > 1 > 2 > 8 > 11 > 5

And my ranking of the Curb story arcs is:

1. Seinfeld reunion (Season 7)
2. The spite store (Season 10)
3. The restaraunt (Season 3)
4. The Producers (Season 4)
5. The Blacks + Cheryl breakup (Season 6)
6. The Seinfeld curse show (Season 2)
7. Fatwa! (Season 9)
8. Larry in New York (Season 8)
9. Young Larry + Maria Sofia + Irma (Season 11)
10. Adoption + Richard's kidney (Season 5)

Favorite Episode: The Ski Lift

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 10)

I know I've been criticizing Curb a lot as of late mostly because I know the series can do and has done so much better than the last two seasons. Thankfully, Season 10 is a strong return to form that, barring one particularly weak subplot, ranks as one of my favorite seasons.

Whereas Season 8's story arc was undercooked and Season 9's story arc was a mess, I actually really love Season 10's main storyline. After being disappointed with Mocha Joe's coffee shop (Mocha Joe is a minor character from Season 7), Larry decides to start his own coffee shop right next to his out of nothing but spite. I love everything about this storyline, from the hilarious rivalry between Larry and Mocha Joe, to the fact that the show is finally exploring the fact that Larry is rich and could totally waste exorbitant amounts of money out of spite, to the phenomenal finale that ties up the season in Rube Golbergian fashion. While one could argue Larry making a restaurant has been done already in Season 3, I'd say Season 10 one-ups that storyline by letting Larry be way more involved in how his "spite store" is being built. As a matter of fact, I'll be even more bold as to say this is the second best story arc in the whole series, right behind the Seinfeld reunion.

Season 10 has two other subplots in addition to the spite store, but they're a bit of a mixed bag. I actually liked him trying to win Cheryl back again, the show is much better with her in it. However, there's also the one about Larry repeatedly getting accused of sexually assaulting his assistant and... it's not very good. This was his attempt at commentating on #MeToo, but it's a mixed bag. On one hand, it feels like Larry finally facing the consequences of some of his uncomfortable behavior for the first time in a while, just as I wanted. On the other hand, I couldn't help but feel like Larry's assistant was painted out to be unreasonable and almost hysterical every step in the way, as if she's eager to cry sexual harassment and that the guys are who's really in danger here. And I'm sorry but this doesn't sit well with me at all, I'm usually open to Curb's willingness to offend but the Alice subplot comes off as incredibly tonedeaf, regardless of how much it fits Larry's character. It's a good thing the storyline is pretty much just contained in the first three episodes because this season gets so much better once it's out of the picture.

As for the episodic stuff, Season 10 shows that Curb Your Enthusiasm has still got it even after all this time. Without any fatwas, war reenactments, and paintball games, this season does feel a lot more like the grounded earlier seasons of Curb, while still managing to maintain Season 9's renewed sense of creativity. In particular, there's one episode this season that is so unlike Curb structurally that it's continued to stick with me since I first saw it, and that's not even mentioning the whole Jon Hamm episode, Larry wearing a MAGA hat to get people to keep away, the Susie portrait, and the sex doll. Larry David's characterization still hasn't really improved, but if the spite store arc is any indication, this season has proved it can wring some comedy out of an angry old rich guy picking fights with people. 

At its best, Season 10 has a bunch of truly fantastic episodes:

Happy New Year: There's something very aggressive about this season premiere, in a great way. It's as if Larry's saying "I'm back and this time I'm not pulling any punches!". He's snapping selfies sticks, wearing MAGA hats, sleeping with Cheryl, picking a fight with Mocha Joe, it's practically a rampage across Los Angeles and it's a ton of fun to watch.

You're Not Gonna Get Me To Say Anything Bad About Mickey: This was the "unlike Curb" episode that I was talking about, and it's still great. It drops pretty much everything so that the characters can go on a trip to a wedding in Cabo San Lucas. Unlike the trip to New York, this shakeup feels genuinely fresh, and for the first time in a while, actually feels like Larry is going through a near endless streak of bad luck. If you've ever went on a trip and felt like everything that could go wrong did go wrong, this episode should feel very relatable. Oh, and Timothy Olyphant is a guest star so it can't not be a great episode.

Elizabeth, Margaret, And Larry: I tend to not get won over by guest stars but this is a big exception, a solid episode made iconic thanks to Jon Hamm's hysterical and charming performance. The way he slowly becomes more and more like Larry culminating in him getting into the exact same fight with Mocha Joe from the premiere made for such a classic.

The Spite Store: This is easily one of my favorite Curb finales to date, and I'm still in awe of how masterful the payoff is. Every single scene that had to do with the spite store ended up leading to its destruction, all of Larry's crazy hairbrained ideas for the store caused it to burst in flames. But even with such a Rube Golderg-esque ending and a solid cliffhanger to boot, my actual favorite part of the episode was the opening newscast, which explores the impact the spite store had on other actors and really dives into the moral shakiness of the rich Larry using his money to essentially tank a much smaller business while also being absolutely hysterical.

Overall, coming after the last two seasons, Season 10 is a pretty big return to form. It's consistently funny, boasts some of the show's best episodes, and one of the show's strongest story arcs. If it weren't for that uncomfortable Alice subplot, this would be an easy 5/5 Stars.

4/5 Stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 9)

After his back-to-basics Season 8, Larry David returned six years later with Season 9, one of his biggest and most ambitious season to date. As you may expect, it's a bit of a mixed bag, but I actually found it to be way more fun to watch than some of Curb's other weaker seasons.

Season 9's story arc is a bit complicated, but I'll try to keep the summary quick. Larry is making play about the Ayatollah called Fatwa! He accidentally insults the Ayatollah while promoting his play and gets a fatwa ordered against himself, so he then spends the rest of the season trying to remove the fatwa so he can continue with the play. This storyline is a mess, on so many levels. For starters, the sheer concept Larry being in danger of being assassinated suffers from the same seriousness issue as the kidney stuff in Season 5... Actually, it would if it wasn't forgotten for episodes at a time. You can't really balance such an urgent storyline with an episodic comedic format, so Curb doesn't, which is probably for the best. But where the arc really falls flat is in the last three episodes. Episode 8 has Larry remove the fatwa through a trial that brings back old characters for the show. Sounds familiar? It should, it's the Seinfeld finale, one of my least favorite episodes ever. Episodes 9 and 10 fare a bit better, as they focus on Larry holding the play. It's a bit of a poor man's Season 4 but still a good time, though it also has a glaring issue. See, this season came out in 2017, at a time when the biggest play was Hamilton. So, Lin Manuel Miranda becomes the lead of Fatwa!, and the last two episodes are entirely comprised of Hamilton references. Look, Hamilton's a good play, and the music is good too, but it's also not the massive phenomenon it used to be, and makes these last two episodes feel dated in a way Curb rarely is.

Thankfully, while the story arc was a bit of a whiff, I actually found this season to be really enjoyable to watch on an episodic level, especially compared to Season 8. The first thing I noticed was just how creative so many of the season's storylines were this season, stuff like foisting your assistant onto someone else, the restaraunt manager's inability to be candid, and of course, the now iconic "accidental text on purpose". The sheer entertainment value of some of these premises gave the season a ton of energy. It also helped that Marty Funkhouser, Cheryl, Richard Lewis, and Ted Danson got a lot more screentime now that Larry's back in New York. However, while I did find this season's comedy enjoyable, I can't quite say it improved much over Season 8 in some aspects. My gripes with Larry's characterization last season hasn't changed, and in some aspects has gotten even worse. Larry seems so happy for most of Season 9, looking like he enjoys getting in every conflict he's in, which just feels wrong. But I actually think my other major gripe with this season is that the episodes are a bit overstuffed. Every episode in Season 9 is around 40 minutes long than the 30 of prior seasons and it shows, as they're all packed with around 5-6 subplots of differing quality. The worst instance of this was Thank You For Your Service, which had some neat ideas but was dragged down by a cartoonish war reenactment subplot.

At its best, though, Season 9 was pretty great, especially when it focused off the Fatwa:

A Disturbance In The Kitchen: I forgot how hysterical this episode was, and that's almost entirely because of Rich Fulcher as the restaurant manager. His cadence gives me "Office Space boss" vibes in the best way possible, and his whole storyline takes the annoyance with not knowing what the "disturbance in the kitchen" is and taking it to perfectly cartoonish proportions. The rest of the episode is great too though, from Elizabeth Banks showing up, to Susie's "little sister", to Ted's Tesla, it all just clicks.

The Accidental Text On Purpose: While it took a bit of time to really get going, this episode of Curb really soars thanks to its genius premise. Larry's idea of purposefully sending your girlfriend a text on accident to relay information to them is genuinely clever (and typically disastrous), and makes for the closest thing Curb has to a full-on episode of Seinfeld (outside of the actual Seinfeld reunion episodes of course).

Overall, Season 9 of Curb Your Enthusiasm is a bit of a mess, but I did really enjoy it. The story arc is a dated mess that remakes the awful Seinfeld finale, but whenever it focuses on comedy, Season 9 is creative, energetic, and uses the whole cast to its fullest, if a bit overstuffed. Season 9 is the Be Here Now of Curb Your Enthusiasm. It's big, loud, and ambitious to a fault, but I can't help but admire its excess. 

2/5 Stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 8)

Look, Curb Your Enthusiasm's seventh season would've been a very tough act to follow for any season, but Season 8 feels especially lackluster, losing a lot of what made the first seven seasons work and following up the Seinfeld reunion with the least ambitious arc in the series.

Season 8 really focuses on two storylines: Larry David going to New York, and Larry David entering the dating scene upon his divorce from Cheryl. I found both of these storylines to be pretty lackluster, especially compared to the show's previous story arcs. Larry David going to New York isn't as game-changing as it sounds. He only leaves halfway into the season, and the setting change doesn't really make much of a difference. It's just Curb, but with different guest stars. Larry dating people fares a little bit better, but not by much. The majority of episodes this season has Larry date someone different, before inevitably ruining the relationship at the end of the episode. And while this does lead to some great comedy, it does start to get a bit predictable and lacking in tension. When Larry is in a longer relationship with someone like Cheryl or Loretta, his usual blunders can leave the viewer worried that he'll ruin things with them. But when a quick breakup is always an inevitability, I started to feel less concerned and uncomfortable whenever he'd mess things up. There are no consequences anymore, as it's not like any of those girlfriends are going to show up again in later episodes, half of them are in a different state entirely!

But those are just the storylines, how's the comedy? Thankfully, Curb Your Enthusiasm is still very funny, even in its eighth season. There are plenty of subplots I found hilarious, and as of right now, Leon staying around lends the show a lot of energy whenever he's on screen. And at its best, we got some all-time classics like Palestinian Chicken and Mister Softee. However, even with how funny the show still is, it really felt like something was off, and with the season behind me, I think it might actually be Larry. Before this season, the one word I can use to describe Larry is reluctant. He's reluctant to socially interact, he's reluctant to commit himself to be a great husband, and he's reluctant to beat around the bush. It's this fatal flaw that gets him into situations, whether it's because of his attempts to get out of things or because he gets dragged into a conflict against his will. Season 8 Larry, on the other hand, is inflammatory. He starts so many of the conflicts this season, with the most frustrating one being his decision to draw Hitler mustaches on magazines and show it to a kid. I think it's because Cheryl is gone, that Larry can just do whatever he wants now. He has no filter anymore, and Leon being around just amplifies it. There's no one to call him out anymore, which was made very apparent when in Episode 7, when he makes the "pick a side" argument about a bisexual person and no one bothers to tell him how offensive that is. Season 8 of Curb Your Enthusiasm feels a lot more crass and cold than prior seasons of the show, and while one may argue that this was a purposeful decision on Larry David's part, I can't quite say I enjoy it.

Still, there were a few episodes I did really enjoy from this season even with my criticisms:

Palestinian Chicken: Larry David tackling one of the most inflammatory conflicts in recent history was always going to be a bit of a risk, but his decision to poke fun at both sides and the conflict at the whole was a fantastic one. Larry doesn't care about either side, he just cares about the food, and I find that hilarious. Also, Marty having a sudden religious awakening is a great subplot.

Mister Softee: This was hands down the best New York episode and it's not even close. Larry's trauma about the ice cream truck, the orgasm-inducing car, Leon with the glasses, the whole Buckner storyline, the hysterical softball coach, Mister Softee simply manages to take a bunch of fantastic subplots and gags, and manages to bring them all together into a cohesive whole.

Overall, Season 8 felt like a huge step down from Season 7, and quite possibly the end of Curb Your Enthusiasm's peak. While the season is still funny and can churn out some great episodes, the lackluster story arc, lack of Cheryl, and shift in Larry's characterization makes easily for the weakest season since the fifth.

2/5 Stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 7)

Season 7 is the peak of Curb Your Enthusiasm. It's consistently hilarious, boasts the greatest story arc in the series, and writing one of Larry David's greatest wrongs.

Season 7 actually gets off to a bit of a shaky start, spending two episodes to hastily write off the Blacks family (with the exception of Leon, who stays behind). Ultimately I do think this was for the best, the season's main storyline wouldn't work with Loretta around, but was a bit of a shame coming off of the heartwarming Season 6 finale. Thankfully, Season 7 quickly makes up for this with hands down the greatest story arc in the whole series: The Seinfeld reunion. That's right, this entire season was about Larry writing and shooting a Seinfeld reunion, bringing the cast back together for one final show, and it's easily the best TV show reunion ever. For starters, it's a "producing a film" plotline, which I will always be fond of. You get to see the casting, screenwriting, table read, and shooting phases of making a Seinfeld episode and I just find that really fascinating. And on a comedy standpoint, this storyline allows Larry David to get a bit meta, from poking fan at how Larry based George on himself, to lampshading how reunion episodes usually don't work, to frequently bringing up the controversy over the finale. And speaking of which, adding even more to how awesome this storyline is is the fact that the fictional reunion episode is also a genuinely great episode of Seinfeld in its own right, and a way better ending than the one we actually got.

The story arc is more than just fanservice, though, as the reason why Larry made the reunion in the first place was so that he could cast Cheryl in it and win her back. The addition of these personal stakes makes the season way more compelling and fun, and by having Larry date around while still ultimately trying to get back with Cheryl allows for the perfect balance of poking fun at Larry's dating life while keeping Cheryl in the show as a straight man. Trust me, the show never gets this balance right again. As far as the general comedy goes, this season is absolutely fantastic. There's not a single weak episode in the pack, not a single joke that falls flat. The improv is on point, the Rube Goldbergian subplots are tight, and as a whole, this season caught me off guard with its jokes and one-liners more than any other season of Curb. 

Unlike Seasons 4 and 6, however, this season's high points can be absolutely soaring at times:

The Reunion: While not the funniest episode of the show, The Reunion was just incredibly cool to watch. Seeing all of the cast members of Seinfeld reunite after all these years to shoot a reunion is just great, and all of those jokes poking fun at the awful Seinfeld ending slayed me.

The Black Swan: Maybe it's just me but I really feel like the golf club gets some of the show's best episodes, probably because of their often surreal premises and the way they utilize the supporting cast. Case in point, The Black Swan is absolutely hysterical, especially once Larry accidentally kills the titular swan. The episode suddenly transforms from an average Curb episode to a straight-up murder mystery, and it's glorious.

The Table Read: Easily one of my favorite episodes of the show, The Table Read is jam-packed with subplots, clever ideas, and jokes making for probably the highest joke-per-minute ratio of the whole series. For starters, watching the reunion table read was so cool, and I love how the reunion episode took beats from some of the best episodes of Curb. But outside of the fanservice element, The Table Read is just damn funny, from the rash, to Funkhouser's awful joke, to the pen. But then there's Leon posing as a Jewish doctor named Duberstein, which might just be one of the funniest subplots in the series. By the time he said you have to have a Bar Mitzvah every 13 years to "recharge your mitzvah", I was on the floor dying of laughter.

Seinfeld: Hands down the best finale in the whole series. Seinfeld finally shows off large portions of the reunion, and as mentioned above, it's a genuinely fantastic episode of the series. But it also wraps up a bunch of subplots like Michael's supposed disease, introduces an important new character in Mocha Joe, and has the funniest cliffhanger in the whole series. I still quote "do you respect wood" to this day, and Larry almost getting back with Cheryl only to ruin it at the last minute is peak Curb.

Overall, Season 7 is the best Curb Your Enthusiasm by a long shot. Every single episode is funny, the main story arc manages to be a meta spectacle that still maintains personal stakes, and the last two episodes are easily some of the best in the series.

5/5 Stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 6)

Seasons 6 & 7 make for the best "era" of Curb Your Enthusiasm. They have the best story arcs, the best comedic moments, certain characters make their first appearances, other characters haven't left yet, and one big twist that I loved when I first saw Curb... but now leaves me a bit mixed. 

Season 6 has a fairly unique story arc, not really building up to some grand climax like, say, the restaurant or play arcs. In this season, Larry and Cheryl have a the Black family whose home was destroyed in a hurricane move in, and that's pretty much it. I actually really like this storyline, partially because the Blacks make for a very likable and colorful addition to the cast, but also because it allows Season 6 to focus squarely on the comedy, which is always a good thing. Season 6 of Curb isn't just funny, it's consistently funny, lacking any downright weak episodes whatsoever. Even Season 4 had Wandering Bear, but I enjoyed every single episode in Season 6. As much as I like this show's story arcs, after how much of hit-or-miss mess last season was, this back to basics approach was for the best. However, there is one slightly dramatic subplot this season, as Larry and Cheryl's relationship is slowly starting to get a bit strained throughout much of its first half of the season. It's not something I really noticed during my first watch, but I couldn't help but notice it this time around. If this was any other season of Curb, it would probably be neatly resolved by the finale... but this is not any other season of Curb.

In the seventh episode of the season, Larry and Cheryl get into a fight and separate. This was a big twist and a shocking change to status quo because that sort of stuff didn't normally happen in Curb, and at first, this seems like a fantastic idea. It shakes up the series, leads to a great final few episodes where Larry deals with the separation, and lets Larry finally enter the dating scene opening the doors to a whole new level of comedy. However, it's hard not to think of how this twist transforms the show in the future, where Cheryl practically becomes a minor character, and without that straight-man figure, Larry becomes more and more of a curmudgeon-y jerk who never really faces lasting consequences anymore. And that all just leaves me mixed about that twist. While it was a good idea at first that made Seasons 6 & 7 into two of the best of the show, the fact is that Larry needs Cheryl, and as the two slowly part ways, Curb starts to lose its luster. Still, that's not something I can really judge this season for, it's a problem I'll continue to discuss in future seasons.

As consistent as this season was, I did find a few episodes worth noting:

The Anonymous Donor: Leon's first episode! I forgot just how funny The Anonymous Donor was, it's stuffed to the brim with fantastic storylines. From Ted getting all the attention despite being the titular anonymous donor, to Leon bursting onto the scene, to the blanket debacle, to Larry and Jeff being kicked out of each others' houses, to that hilarious final misunderstanding. Everything just clicks into place in this one.

The TiVo Guy: As mentioned above, this was the episode with the big twist where Larry and Cheryl end up breaking up. It's just as surprising as it was the first time I saw it, but I also forgot how funny the first ten minutes of this episode are. Larry loses Cheryl because he prioritizes the Tivo Guy over her, and their argument where Cheryl calls out pretty much everything Larry has ever done is just priceless.

The Bat Mitzvah: If you thought The Grand Opening was heartwarming, this is the happiest ending any season of Curb can and will ever have. The final ten minutes of this episode are fantastic, from Larry trying to dispel the rumors about him at the bar mitzvah, to Loretta and Larry sharing a dance, to that funny and adorable final montage of Larry integrating with the Blacks. Many tend to refer to this as the best Curb finale and I totally see why, it's definitely the one that makes me the happiest.

Overall, Season 6 really is the most solid season of Curb. The Black family are fantastic introductions to the show, the comedy is consistently strong, and while it may not bode well for the future of the show, Larry and Cheryl's breakup is a fantastic twist that gives the series a nice shake-up.

4/5 Stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 5)

Oh, boy, I was dreading this season. I recall this being my least favorite season of Curb Your Enthusiasm

Season 5 of Curb Your Enthusiasm has two major storylines, both of which kinda suck. First, there's Larry mishearing his father and getting the impression that he might be adopted. Even more, his "actual parents" might even be Christian. Look, a religion-centric plot isn't a bad idea. I've been loving whenever Curb pokes fun at religion, not to mention my favorite episode of the show (which happens to be in this very season) being entirely about Judaism. But this storyline is just uncharacteristically serious (not to mention implausible) for Curb. Like this is a soap opera plot, it's way too melodramatic to be in such a self-aware show. And that's not even it, there's also Richard Lewis needing a kidney exchange and Larry accidentally volunteering. This plotline is a bit better, since it's at least funny to see Larry frantically try to find another donor, but it still suffers from being way too serious for a show like this. Whenever this season buckles down and focuses on the comedy, it's as good as Curb has ever been, but so much of it is spent on these dull and overly serious plotlines... and that's not even getting into the finale...

And thus begins The "The End" Tangent...

Curb's Season 5 finale (seemingly originally intended to be the series finale) is one of the worst episodes of television I've seen in my life. It was bad when I first watched it, and it's even worse now, and I just have to tear it apart. So Larry learns that he is adopted, and that has real parents are Christian. Upon meeting his parents, Larry suddenly decides to become Christian, which makes absolutely no sense. Larry may be more secular than most, but he's integrated in the Jewish community, and if his interactions with Cheryl's family are any indication, he knows literally nothing about Christianity. So of course, Larry decides to go ahead with the kidney surgery... until one of the most baffling scenes in the episode. So his PI runs into the hospital while he's being carted off to do surgery and tells him he's not adopted, at which point Larry tries to back out of the surgery, only for the doctors to ignore him? How did they allow the PI in there? And whatever happened to surgical consent?!

But of course, things get so much worse. Larry dies during the surgery. Yeah, he dies. And then he goes to heaven! What ensues is about 5-10 minutes of Larry annoying some guest stars playing angels in an incredibly unfunny manner until they decide to just bring him back to life. This moment came so close to Curb jumping the shark. An otherwise grounded sitcom revealing heaven exists, not to mention the fact that much of this show's cast is in a religion that doesn't even believe in heaven to begin with?! And it still gets worse, because the episode also cuts to Larry's friends while he's dead, and they're... uncharacteristically happy? Cheryl immediately starts asking about money, and no one else seems to care that Larry David died. Like I get they were trying to do a The Invitations thing, but that episode worked because Susan had no attachments to the cast. She's not a part of the main four, we know only George cared about her. Larry on the other hand does have attachments to the rest of the main cast. He's Cheryl's husband, Jeff's best friend, Susie's... acquaintance. Even with all their arguments, we know they care about each other to some degree. Hell, they all reacted with horror to Larry's near death experience at the start of this very season! Everyone in this episode is out of character, plain and simple.

So that's The End. An episode that lacks any common sense, is filled to the brim with contrivances, confirms the existence of heaven, messes up all the characters, and worst of all, straight-up isn't funny. And keep in mind, this was supposed to be the series finale. Between this and the Seinfeld finale, I just don't trust Larry David to end a series well.

And Back To Season 5...

As I have been alluding to, though, this season does have a big high point, typically when it isn't focusing on the story arc:

The Ski Lift: For being in such a weak season, The Ski Lift is my favorite episode of the show. It has everything I would want from a Curb Your Enthusiasm episode. Want religious humor? You get Larry pretending to be Orthodox and his hilarious attempts at faking Yiddish. Want sex jokes? You get the big vagina argument. Want to see Larry suck at life? You get to watch him try to ski. And most importantly of all, you want screentime for Susie? You get to see her pretend to be married to Larry, and it's glorious.  

Overall, Season 5 is the worst season of Curb. It has two dull and overly serious plotlines, generally weaker writing, and one of the worst endings to a show I think I've ever seen. Thank goodness Curb didn't end here, if it weren't for The Ski Lift, this season would be almost irredeemable. But don't worry, the worst is over. We've just arrived at the best era of the show. 

1/5 Stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 4)

As Curb Your Enthusiasm continues on, it continues to improve at a very steady pace, leading to Season 4, easily the strongest and most consistent one out of the original five.

Coming off the heels of the fantastic restaurant storyline, Season 4's main premise is also one of the show's better ones. It involves Mel Brooks casting Larry David in the lead role of his Producers play, along with Ben Stiller (who quickly gets replaced by David Schwimmer). I've always loved storylines where the cast puts on a show or shoots a film, so this season is right up my alley. However, I don't think this storyline sticks the landing quite as well as Season 3 did, even if it does end on a pretty genius twist. While the play is happening, there's also a subplot about Cheryl challenging Larry to have sex with another woman for their anniversary, but it was pretty forgettable. However, as far as plot goes, the actual highlight of the season was a three-episode arc in the middle, which finally introduces the Funkhouser family, an integral part of later Curb seasons. It's a manic mini-arc where Larry gets kicked out of his golf club, wars with the weatherman, and frames a friend for carrying marijuana. It's Curb at its most unhinged. 

Speaking of the comedy, this is easily the most consistently funny season of the bunch, lacking the slow start that Season 3 had. Everything I said about the previous seasons improving on the improv and one-liners apply to this one even more, and outside of a single episode (Wandering Bear), there really isn't a single one I'd call subpar. As mentioned above, the peak of this season was easily the Funkhouser episodes, which basically take the bonkers Krazee-Eyez Killa episode from last season and expands it to three. Add in the survivor episode and you get some of the best black comedy in the show yet. However, my biggest criticism towards Season 4 is that it doesn't really reach the same heights as most of the other seasons. The Car Pool Lane is probably Season 4's best episode, but it's still nowhere near high points like The Doll or Krazee-Eyez Killa, and that's not even getting into episodes from the later seasons. Season 4 is consistent, with hardly any low points whatsoever, but it doesn't really have many high points either.

Still, there were some episodes I liked more than others:

The Weatherman: Similarly to The Special Section, I found this to just be a really funny episode, from the introduction to the Funkhouser family, to Larry's weatherman conspiracies, to Larry falling into the toilet bowl, to all the dentist shenanigans. The Weatherman simply works really well as the start of that fantastic three-episode stretch I kept raving about.

The Car Pool Lane: There's a lot to this episode, it's a lot. Larry pays a prostitute to just sit in his car so he can use the car pool lane, fakes being racist to get out of jury duty, gets Marty framed, and smokes marijuana and hallucinates. The sheer insanity of this episode and constant escalation of absurdity makes for a very fun time, but what really impressed me was the fact that this episode also somehow managed to exonerate a murder suspect by confirming his alibi. You know, in case things couldn't get any weirder. 

Opening Night: This finale was a bit more of a mixed bag than the last one. It went on a bit long and spent a lot of its runtime just showing scenes from the play. But as an ending to the main storyline, Opening Night still worked wonderfully, from the genius twist reveal that Mel Brooks wanted to tank his hole to Larry losing his last chance at adultry because he doesn't want to have sex with a republican.

Overall, Season 4 is easily the best Curb Your Enthusiasm season to date. It doesn't reach the heights of other seasons, but its solid premise, fantastic Funkhouser arc, and general consistency makes for an overall great entry in the series.

4/5 Stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 3)

When I first watched Curb Your Enthusiasm, I thought Season 3 was one of the defining high points of the series, but upon rewatch, I don't think that's entirely correct. This season does have its great moments, don't get me wrong, but I did end up feeling a bit underwhelmed coming off of Season 2... at least at first.

Season 3's main storyline was always one of my personal favorites of the series, focusing around Larry and a bunch of other actors investing in a restaurant. It's not even that it has that much more of a focus than Season 2's plot, I think it just has a more enjoyable premise that lets a lot of the same characters repeatedly interact over the course of the season, and it definitely sticks the landing a lot better than the previous season. Unlike Season 2, I remember being genuinely surprised by the finale having a happy ending for Larry and his friends, it was a rare and triumphant moment of success for the hapless protagonist. And it's a good thing that the restaurant storyline is so good because Season 3 does not get off to a very good start. In terms of the standalone episodes, the first half of Season 3 is honestly really weak, with no truly amazing episodes. It all culminated in The Terrorist Attack, easily my least favorite episode of the show so far. From the uncomfortable premise to Cheryl's odd characterization, I just don't think this episode was able to accomplish what it set out to do.

Thankfully, starting with the sixth episode, the general quality shot up dramatically. Where the first five episodes of Season 3 was one of the show's weakest stretches of episodes so far, the last five episodes of Season 3 was one of the show's best. From the sheer hilarity of watching Larry playing a gangster in a Scorsese movie, to the brief moments of pathos like Jeff's daughter choosing her dog over him and the aforementioned happy ending, to the incredible moments of crossing the line in The Special Section and Krazee-Eyez Killa, the last five episodes of Season 3 had a renewed sense of energy that gave the season an incredibly strong ending. I also think that as a whole, this season had a lot more strong one-liners than the last two, as if the whole cast (Larry included) really started to improve on their improv skills. Curb has never been a fast-paced show with its jokes, but Season 3 shows the jokes-per-minute ratio slowly improving compared to the previous two seasons.

When this season got good, we ended up getting some all-timer episodes:

The Special Section: This episode probably seemed better than it was coming off of The Terrorist Attack, but even on its own merits, The Special Section was just laugh after laugh after laugh. From Larry acting in a gangster film, to his father not telling him about his mother's death, to the titular "special section", to Jai Ya.

Krazee-Eyez Killa: Another iconic Curb classic, this was definitely the high point in the season... and was also a lot grosser than I remembered. Gross in a funny crossing-the-line kind of way, but gross nonetheless. The highlight was definitely Larry's interactions with the titular rapper, since they have a really offbeat kind of chemistry that I found super fun. But we also get another scene of gangster Larry, which is always a good time.

The Grand Opening: Curb's season finales tend to be a bit hit or miss, but The Grand Opening is the first one I'd call genuinely fantastic, and easily one of the show's best. Most of the episode (and season as a whole) built up to the restaurant opening, culminating in a phenomenal final scene that brings the cast together, ties up loose ends, an underrated lottery ticket gag, and has Larry manage to save the restaurant by screaming out expletives, finally getting some sort of happy ending.

Overall, Season 3 took a while to really get going, with a shaky first half and the show's worst episode to date. However, the great central storyline, fantastic second half, and perfect ending still made this a solid season even if it wasn't as thoroughly enjoyable as its predecessor

3/5 Stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 2)

Curb Your Enthusiasm had its growing pains, but Season 2 is generally considered to be the point where the show really finds its voice, and I absolutely agree.

Season 2 is the first Curb Your Enthusiasm season to have a central story arc, albeit not one of the better ones. The main premise is that Larry and Jason Alexander (who plays George in Seinfeld) decide to pitch a show about an actor who is only known for a single character no matter what they do, essentially poking fun at the infamous Seinfeld Curse (which has since been broken thanks to Veep). Much of the season has Larry trying out a bunch of channels, and even replacing main leads at one point, but I couldn't help but feel like this storyline was a bit undercooked and ultimately predictable. There were stretches of episodes where Larry's show wasn't even mentioned, and given how Larry only really got a win in a single episode so far (Trick Or Treat), it was pretty obvious that he wouldn't actually be able to successfully pitch his show. Later in Curb, some of these storylines do actually end on a relatively happy note, but that hasn't really started to happen yet. Regardless, the sheer presence of a connective storyline already does a lot to make this season an improvement over its predecessor, it's just that it's not as ambitious and well-thought as in later seasons.

As for the general quality of its episodes, Season 2 of Curb Your Enthusiasm is generally a pretty huge improvement on the first. Where in that season there was only really one episode I'd call great (Beloved Aunt), Season 2 had a bunch of really strong episodes, particularly the season's first three episodes and the one-two punch of The Doll and Shaq. However, this season was also a lot more uneven than the first, as while it had higher high points, it also had lower low points. Right before that aforementioned one-two punch, we got The Thong and The Acupuncturist, easily the two weakest episodes to date. I think this season put a bit more of an emphasis on the cringe comedy, which means that when it works, it can be absolutely hysterical, but when it doesn't, it can lead to episodes that just feel uncomfortable rather than funny. Thankfully, Season 2's standalone episodes were successful more often than they weren't.

This still isn't Curb at its peak, but there were way more top-notch episodes that are worth talking about than in Season 1:

Trick Or Treat: Curb Your Enthusiasm episodes tend to hinge on their pay-offs, and Trick Or Treat has one of the best payoffs ever. While the whole Wagner subplot is funny on its own, Larry using an orchestra to play the song in front of the guy who criticized him for humming in it the first place is so goddamn petty you can't help but love it. Also, the "Bald Asshole is a hate crime" exchange is one of my favorites in the season.

The Doll: The Doll was definitely one of my most fondly remembered episodes of the show, and it holds up incredibly well. While the highlight is definitely best character Susie's hysterical outburst, the whole episode just crosses the line and keeps going, from Larry cutting the doll's hair, to decapitating another doll, to putting the doll head in his pants, to that dark but hysterical final scene.

Shaq: Coming directly after the very dark and uncomfortable The Doll, this was probably one of the most feel-good episodes of the whole show! Larry accidentally tripping Shaquille O'Neil is such a hilarious and surreal premise, and I love how the action causes everyone to want to keep their distance from Larry, which for a fairly antisocial curmudgeon like him, is a dream come true. I also have to say that his reconciliation with Shaq was actually really cute, even if it earns Larry his bad luck back.

Overall, Season 2 of Curb Your Enthusiasm is generally an improvement on the first, with a solid central story arc and way more great episodes. However, this season is also pretty uneven and its main storyline can feel a bit thin and predictable.

4/5 Stars

Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 1)

Curb Your Enthusiasm was one of the first TV shows I ever binged, I even watched it before Seinfeld... and I don't remember anything about it. So I decided to rewatch the entire show, and I definitely missed a lot.

Curb Your Enthusiasm is about Larry David, a fictional version of the actual actor, essentially living out his life and getting himself into uncomfortable misunderstandings and committing social faux-pas. It's essentially a mockumentary version of Seinfeld and contains much of the appeal from that show, such as poking fun at social issues, hilariously dramatic line deliveries, and Rube Goldberg-esque plotlines where Larry's actions always have consequences. The show does do a few unique things compared to its predecessor. For starters, a lot of it isn't actually scripted, with much of the dialogue being purely improvisational. On one hand, this doesn't give Curb the same laughs-per-minute ratio as most of my favorite sitcoms, but it does lend the series a distinct conversational style that leads to a lot of very memorable one-liners. In addition, unlike the titular character in Seinfeld, Larry David has a wife, Cheryl, and she is a pivotal part of the show. With how colorful Larry and his friends are, this show needs a "straight man" character to really get the most out of its cringe comedy, and Cheryl's reactions are always gold.

However, Season 1 of Curb Your Enthusiasm is probably the weakest one in the show, at least from my memory. It's not necessarily bad, it's actually really consistent in its quality, but you can definitely tell that Larry David and the crew are still figuring out the show. Certain characters like Susie Greene took a while to be fully-formed, some of the show's biggest running-gags like the stare-down and "prettay-prettay-good" haven't shown up, and probably biggest of all, this is the only season to not have a story arc in it. Season 1 of Curb Your Enthusiasm is pretty much entirely episodic, which is a shame since the story arcs can be some of the best things about later seasons. There are a few subplots about Jeff's parents, Cheryl getting a necklace, and Richard Lewis's girlfriend, but they don't really get paid off in the finale either, which is mostly just a standard (albeit entertaining) episode of the show. I also don't think this season is quite as laugh-out-loud funny as later seasons end up being, outside of a few notable moments of hilarity.

While most of this season was pretty middle-of-the-road, there was one noticeable standout:

Beloved Aunt: This was an episode I remembered very well from the first time I watched Curb Your Enthusiasm, so I spend much of this episode struggling to hold in a goofy smile, knowing what was coming. That infamous "aunt" typo is hands down the funniest joke of this season, and the subsequent reveal is the point where this episode goes from solid to amazing.

Overall, Season 1 of Curb Your Enthusiasm does a good job of establishing the series as distinct from its predecessor, but the show isn't quite as funny or fully-formed as in later seasons. It's still nowhere near the rough start that Seinfeld had, but the show is definitely still going through its growing pains.

2/5 Stars