Concept of Curb Your Enthusiasm

The series stars Larry David as an extreme version of himself, accompanied by fictional re-creations of his 'real friends', usually played by themselves. Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Wanda Sykes, and Richard Lewis all have recurring roles as characters based upon themselves.

The show is set and filmed in various affluent Westside communities of (and occasionally the downtown area of) the City of Los Angeles, California, as well as the adjacent incorporated cities of Beverly Hills, Culver City and Santa Monica, California. Larry David's actual place of residence was, and may still be (since his divorce from his wife Laurie), in the Pacific Palisades area of the Westside. During the run of the series, filming has been staged in various rented single-family residences around the Westside.

Although Larry maintains an office, he is rarely shown working, other than in season four which centered on his being cast as Max Bialystock in the Mel Brooks play The Producers, and in Season 7 writing the Seinfeld reunion. Most of the show revolves around Larry's interactions with his friends and neighbors, with Larry often at odds with the other characters (usually to Larry's detriment). Despite this, the characters do not seem to harbor ill-feelings towards each other for any extended period and the cast has stayed stable throughout the show.

Larry David has explained the meaning of the show's title in TV interviews. It reflects his perception that many people seem to live their lives projecting false enthusiasm, which he believes is used to imply that "they are better than you." This conflicts with his style, which is very droll and dry. In an ideal world, he would like to be able to urge such people to curb their enthusiasm. The title also urges to the audience not to expect too much from the show; at the time of the premiere, Larry David wanted to lower expectations after the phenomenal success of Seinfeld.


Plot

Episodes are typically named after an event, object, or person which figures prominently in the plot, similarly to how Seinfeld episodes were named. While each episode has an individual plot, each season as a whole contains an arc that stretches across all ten episodes. Season one is the only one without a story arc, instead the style and characters of the show are introduced in mostly isolated episodes.

Many episodes concern breaches of intricate aspects of social conventions, such as introductions, the allowed amount of caviar one may put on a cracker at a house party, whether a house guest needs the permission of the homeowner before taking a soft drink from the refrigerator, whether male airline passengers should wear short pants, and the coordination of restaurant tips. Others involve more significant issues, such as if and when a white person may drop the "n-bomb." And some involve the etiquette of extremely complex and unique circumstances, such as the occasion when Larry discovered at a wake that deceased was to be buried with his favorite golf club—borrowed from Larry. Another involved Larry picking up a street whore for the sole purpose of using the High Occupancy Vehicle lane on the freeway.

In many episodes, Curb—like its predecessor Seinfeld—ingeniously tied together apparently unrelated events woven throughout a given episode into an unforced climax that resolves the story lines simultaneously, either to Larry's advantage or detriment.

In season two, Cheryl is tired of Larry not working, so he begins to develop a new television show, first with guest stars Jason Alexander and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as themselves. However, Larry's constant social mishaps ruin all of their chances with every major television network. In season three Larry invests in a restaurant enterprise which finally opens despite many mishaps, most of which are Larry's fault. Mel Brooks casts Larry as the lead in his hit musical The Producers in season four. Larry's friend Richard Lewis gets very ill in season five and requires a kidney transplant. Larry is a match, but he spends the season looking for other sources of a kidney for Lewis. Also in season five, Larry suspects he may be adopted and embarks on a search to find his "real" parents. Season six is built around Cheryl persuading Larry to take in an African American family that is left homeless after a major Gulf Coast hurricane. Later in the season, Cheryl leaves Larry, mimicking Laurie David's real-life divorce from Larry. He spends the rest of the season either fighting for her to come back or looking for a replacement. Season seven is loosely centered on creating a Seinfeld reunion show and Larry trying to get back with Cheryl.