Television review: Curb Your Enthusiasm, Season 1

So at our house this has been the summer of “catch up on good TV before the baby gets here” and so far, we’ve knocked out Burn Notice, One Tree Hill and one season of Dexter. We’re in the middle of Mad Men as well, and now we’ve added a fifth one to the foray.

Curb Your Enthusiasm is a show I’ve been dying to see forever. But when we found out it was over five seasons old, it scared us away. Kind of like with the Sopranos. I really want to watch that entire series someday, but the number of episodes is daunting.

But little did we know (until about a week ago) that Curb only has 10 episodes a year, and for a 30-minute comedy, that’s something you can bang out in a few hours.

Curb Your Enthusiasm is an HBO series starring the amazing Larry David, whom you may remember from his days creating and writing Seinfeld, along with Cheryl Hines, Jeff Garlin and Richard Lewis from time to time.

The show has a strange “reality” to feel to it at times, but it’s not that at all. It just seems that way because Larry is playing himself, the creator of Seinfeld. Julie Louse Dreyfuss stops by on one episode to meet one of Larry’s neighbors who has been in love with her forever. People refer to his days on Seinfeld in random conversations.

It’s also filmed with a camera that has that “home movie” quality to it, which gives it that “reality” feel.

But if this show is anything, it’s like Seinfeld on steroids with a touch of Peanuts involved.

Larry David is almost like that born loser Charlie Brown character. Yeah, he’s successful and has a good life, but nothing ever, ever, ever goes his way. Any and all situations end up going bad in the most imaginative and insane catastrophes possible.

They examine stuff that happens on a daily basis much like George and Jerry did over the course of that series.

I’ve never laughed so hard in my life when Larry fights some girl in a hallway as they try to be the first person to sign in at the doctor’s office. It’s just hysterical.

And the music on the show basically boils down to a variation of its theme, which reminds you of a circus. And that’s what the show is. A three-ring, crazy-ridden, laugh-infested circus.

A tiny example of his misfortunes: His family asks him to put an obituary in the paper for their deceased Aunt, and the papers screws it up and puts the C-word version of Aunt. Needless to say, he has to spend the night in the car.

So if you can’t tell, I’m recommending the first season in a major way. We’ve already grabbed the first disc of season two and will undoubtedly be caught up soon.