Entertainment Extra

2 ENTERTAINMENT EXTRA By Sarah Passingham TV Media M isanthropy rules the day in "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Legendary comedian, writer and actor Larry David returned for an 11th season of his critically acclaimed, award-winning sitcom "Curb Your Enthusiasm" in October, and its season finale airs Sunday, Dec. 26, on HBO. The cinéma vérité-style sitcom follows David as he goes about his life in Los Angeles, playing a fictionalized version of himself — someone who is continually incapable of reading the room. Consistently getting himself into all kinds of awkward situations in his career, with his friends and in his romantic relationships, it seems as though David just can't help but always say the wrong thing. Famous for creating "Seinfeld," forever known as "the show about nothing," with comedian Jerry Seinfeld ("Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee"), David has been making TV audiences laugh at everyday observations for decades. Set in L.A. and loosely based on David's own life as a comedy writer and performer, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" has featured innu- merable A-list guest stars and cameos during its 11-season run to date. This season, sitcom vet- eran Kaley Cuoco ("The Big Bang Theory") and big-screen funny guy Vince Vaughn ("Wedding Crashers" 2005) made a memo- rable appearance. The pair starred together in an episode in which David struggles to understand why he expects others to be more understanding than himself, a notorious judgmental cynic. David engages in one of his sig- nature screaming matches with Cuoco's character, Heidi the optometrist, over something inconsequential that happened in her office. This later bleeds into her date with Vaughn's character, Freddie Funkhouser. Another notable cameo this season was that of "Mad Men" actor Jon Hamm. Hamm has spent more than a decade showing off his comedy chops, from hosting "Saturday Night Live" for the first time way back in 2008 to stealing scenes in movies like "Bridesmaids" (2011) and on TV shows like "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt." Hamm first appeared on "Curb" in Season 10 as himself, shadowing David before diving into a role based on the perpetually miserable comedian. Returning for the Season 11 premiere, Hamm confronted a "COVID hoarder" at his own faux funeral after David discov- ered a closet packed to the ceil- ing with toilet paper and hand sanitizer while trying to find the bathroom. There couldn't have been a better way for "Curb" to return to HBO following pan- demic shutdowns than David loudly and awkwardly ruining someone's funeral (fake or not). One of the most reliable celebrity appearances in "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is from "Cheers" actor Ted Danson, who has played himself in more than 30 episodes of the show since its premiere season in 2000. Speaking to GQ journalist Brett Martin in 2020, Danson said of the casual early days of filming "Curb" that, "you kind of sat in your car until they were ready for you." Adding, "it was sort of guerrilla TV making." While the budget for the series has certainly increased since its earlier seasons, the style and focus of the show has remained a convincing faux-documentary of bumbling Larry David making a mess of things all over the City of Angels. Most fans of the show would argue that the best part of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is the main cast of characters that put up with David throughout all of his on-screen disasters and misad- ventures. Jeff Garlin ("The Goldbergs") is David's manager and near-con- stant companion, Jeff Greene, while J.B. Smoove ("Saturday Night Live") stars as Leon Black, David's friend and sometimes housemate. David and Black have an uncanny ability to amp each other up over whatever ridicu- lous point either is trying to make, but the true star of man- aging David's neuroticism is Cheryl (Cheryl Hines, "Suburgatory"), David's long-suf - fering wife who became his ex- wife in Season 6 after David ignores her desperate call from a turbulent flight to complain about the TV. What makes this sitcom a standout in the world of grumpy- old-man comedies is the calibre of improv talent on the part of the cast. Each episode is famous- ly outlined by David, who then relies on the supporting cast to improvise the dialogue. In speaking with Jeff Weiss of The Ringer, Smoove detailed how he prepares to improvise with the cast on filming days, saying, "for the two or three days before a shoot, I'd just be reciting what I'm going to say." He made sure to note: "I want to have a natu- ral reaction to whatever Larry's doing." Schwering Realty 2 x 2" Pear Tree Gallery 3 x 2" On the Cover Vince Vaughn and Kaley Cuoco guest star in "Curb Your Enthusiasm" HBO sitcom wraps season up with 'Enthusiasm' Chase Center 3 x 2" American Legion Post 60 2 x 3" Thrifty Muffler 2 x 2.5"

• Cover