Warning: DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED THE SERIES FINALE OF CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM.
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After 12 seasons, HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm had its series finale. Larry David, the creator and star of the show, ended the show with an aptly-titled episode “No Lessons Learned” on April 7.
“I’m 76 years old,” he said during the finale. “And I have never learned a lesson in my entire life.”
David was also the creator and executive producer for Seinfeld for its first seven seasons. He returned to write the finale of the show, which was fairly universally panned when it aired in 1998. David, to this day, has adamantly defended the Seinfeld finale.
Almost exactly 26 years later, David had an opportunity to do the funniest possible thing with the finale of Curb and he took it.
As predicted, he nearly recreated the widely hated Seinfeld finale — complete with a silly trial and a courtroom and (eventually) a prison cell. It even had a surprise cameo from Jerry Seinfeld!
There were plenty of references to Seinfeld in the Curb finale. For example: Leon, portrayed by JB Smoove, finally watched David’s sitcom and adored Kramer. But he said he skipped the finale because he heard “terrible” things about it.
Yet of course, just like they did for the lead characters in the finale of Seinfeld, the ghosts of David’s past transgressions come back to haunt him. Eventually, he is sentenced to serve the maximum sentence of jail time for violating Georgia’s (absurd) voting law.
Did everyone get the full significance of the pants tent joke in the #CurbYourEnthusiasm finale jail scene? Not only is it a callback to the pilot, it also mirrors the #Seinfeld finale because in jail they talk about how the shirt button is too low, referencing that show’s pilot. pic.twitter.com/TNN6Tk5Qmw
— Marcus James Dixon (@marcusdixon) April 8, 2024
While in his cell, David has a conversation with another inmate about how his pants look when they “tent up” at the top. That is exactly the conversation that he has in the first scene of the pilot of the show.
Seinfeld also ends with the titular character and George Costanza in a prison cell engaged in the exact same conversation they had in the first scene of the pilot.
But the twist in Curb is that David is able to immediately find his way out of trouble because of a mistrial. Instead of ending the show locked up, which no one wanted to see, David walked free.
So maybe David has learned more than one lesson in his life after all?
“Oh my gosh,” realized David. “This is how we should’ve ended the finale.”
Fans thought this was absolutely brilliant
I love how Curb Your Enthusiasm basically repeated the Seinfeld finale to a T, essentially a do-over. It's the end of an era. Thank you, Larry David. pic.twitter.com/KONPZLBmoG
— Samuel Dunsiger (He/Him) (@samdunsiger) April 8, 2024
The only lesson Larry David ever learned in his entire life was that the SEINFELD finale could’ve been a little better.
What a perfect end for CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM. pic.twitter.com/qeQezHJTyo
— Jordan (@StavelyJordan) April 8, 2024
Pure Genius. Jerry & Larry, a whacky, great finale.#CurbYourEnthusiasm #Seinfeld #LarryDavid pic.twitter.com/lVQdQhRq3V
— macchi (@havn_espresso) April 8, 2024
INCREDIBLE series finale for Curb Your Enthusiasm. Serving as both a great ending for this show and redeeming the finale for Seinfeld nearly 25 years later 👏 pic.twitter.com/Mmjz3JbLoW
— Ashnflash (@Ashnflash) April 8, 2024
That was the best finale ever.
Larry recreates the Seinfeld finale, only to surprise us with a last-minute twist from Jerry.
Still the funniest show on TV after 25 years. Pretty, pretty good.#CurbYourEnthusiasm pic.twitter.com/Ef0OyKbbmw
— Chuck Thomas (@chuckthomasuk) April 8, 2024
Wow! The #CurbYourEnthusiasm finale was absolutely perfect. As a huge Seinfeld fan too it ticked every box. Such a brilliant and fitting end to one of my absolute favourite shows. pic.twitter.com/e5x7Iln7IJ
— Erron Gordon (@errongordon) April 8, 2024
Couldn’t ask for a more fitting ending to Curb Your Enthusiasm. Nods to the Seinfeld finale. Loved it. Well done. 🤌 pic.twitter.com/PGakaI9RH8
— Kevin L. Johnson (@Kevin_L_Johnson) April 8, 2024
