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At last, Larry David learned a lesson. In the finale of David’s series, “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” he not only flashed his comedic genius once more, but he also re-wrote the mistake that has lingered in his shadow for the past 26 years.

David’s first television creation,“Seinfeld,”premiered in 1989 and rapidly grew into one of the most popular sitcoms of all time. The “show about nothing” captivated audiences with co-creator Jerry Seinfeld’s observational humor alongside the slow-witted George Costanza (Jason Alexander), the eccentric Cosmo Kramer (Michael Richards) and the quirky Elaine Benes (Julia Louis-Dreyfus).

More than 76 million viewers tuned into the series’ last episode on May 14, 1998. Yet the show’s unsatisfying conclusion after nine seasons silenced the laughter of loyal fans. “Seinfeld” ends after Jerry, George, Elaine and Kramer are convicted of neglecting the Good Samaritan Law, leaving them in jail for a year — an abrupt and shocking resolution.

Twenty-six years later, David had a shot at redemption with the farewell season of his succeeding project, “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” In February, David admitted on the Today Show that he was “a little bit” nervous about “Curb”’s send off due to backlash he received for “Seinfeld.”

His run on “Curb” proved that David is one of the most innovative minds in comedic television history. There was only one thing he hadn’t done: finish his show the right way.

Season 12 of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” ended on April 7 with an episode entitled, “No Lessons Learned.” David, who plays himself in the show, is on criminal trial in Georgia because he was arrested for giving a bottle of water to a person standing in line to vote — making fun of the state’s controversial election laws.

Through a classic sequence of misfortunes, David is eventually found guilty of interfering with Georgia’s election and sentenced to jail. The episode’s setting visually mirrors Seinfeld’s finale, placing the characters in a classic courtroom setting.

As he sat behind bars complaining to a fellow inmate about his “pants tent” with the camera slowly panning outward, it appeared as though David was repeating his “Seinfeld” ending. Instead, he learned his lesson.

The shot suddenly shifts to Jerry Seinfeld paying David a visit in jail. Seinfeld reveals that the day prior, he had a run-in with a man in a Mexican restaurant who he thought resembled actor Joe Pesci. And during the trial, Seinfeld realized the Pesci doppelgänger was a juror in David’s case.

Once Seinfeld notified the judge of the potential conflict of interest, the case was declared a mistrial. David then walks out of prison, side-by-side with Seinfeld as the two share a revelation.

“Oh my God, this is how we should have ended the (‘Seinfeld’) finale,” David turns and whines to Seinfeld while exiting the jail.

“You’re right! How did we not think of that,” Seinfeld responds.

Deliberately joking about the controversial conclusion to “Seinfeld” while delivering an ending that provides closure to his fans? David scripted the perfect finale.

The 76-year-old figured out a way to combine his two famed shows into one storyline, which serves as an ode to his life in comedy. First, David exploded onto the scene as the head writer and executive producer of “Seinfeld” for its first seven seasons. His writing was revolutionary. David’s ability to build characters through situational humor while never following a specific plot made the show a lighthearted watch any viewer could laugh at.

Yet, David left the show in 1996, citing his desire to avoid a production decline. The next two years of “Seinfeld” without David maintained popularity, but its quality went downhill. “Seinfeld” lacked the creativity that David brought as its lead writer. In seasons eight and nine, the sitcom failed to consistently produce signature episodes with the same memorability as “The Puffy Shirt,” “The Marine Biologist” or “The Soup Nazi,” which were all released under David’s command.

David then made a grand return to “Seinfeld” in 1998, helping write its two-part series finale. But deciding to leave tens of millions of viewers with the image of their favorite characters sitting in a jail cell was an extremely anticlimactic ending.

“Curb” is structured just like “Seinfeld,” where there’s no consistent plot — a show about nothing – though David added another unique signature element to “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” The majority of the dialogue was improvised, which allowed David to create a more authentic, unpredictable brand of comedy. Plus, David stuck on as the show’s lead writer for all 12 seasons, the type of longevity that was missing from “Seinfeld.”

By executing the exact opposite ending of “Seinfeld” in “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” David’s two marquee creations are forever conjoined. “Seinfeld” acts as the precursor for David’s career, where he was overshadowed by its stellar cast and wound up exiting prematurely.

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” bows out exactly as it should have. Following David’s exit from prison, he and much of the show’s main supporting cast are seen shouting at each other during a flight back to Los Angeles. The final scene captures the essence of the show’s core — David engaging in petty squabbles against everyone he interacts with.

While Curb is officially over, I hope this isn’t the end for David. The show stamped his name among the greatest comedy writers ever. Still, he must have more to offer. I’m pining to see him craft a spin-off about Leon Black, J.B. Smoove’s raunchy “Curb Your Enthusiasm” character. For now, though, David rides off into the sunset having fixed his lone blunder.

I’d say that’s pretty … pretty … pretty good.

Published on April 16, 2024 at 11:06 pm

Contact Cooper at: ccandrew@syr.edu | @cooper_andrews