Seinfeld vs. Curb Your Enthusiasm: Which Larry David Classic Reigns Supreme?
Seinfeld vs. Curb Your Enthusiasm
VO NOTE: this is a dual VO project, so the different “parts” are highlighted! Yellow is VO 1, blue is VO 2!
Welcome to WatchMojo, and in this installment of Versus, it’s the battle of the Larry David sitcoms.
Who will be master of their domain, and who’s just pretty… pretty… good? Let’s find out!
Round 1: Arguments & Misunderstandings
A good old fashioned misunderstanding is the backbone of any sitcom worth its salt. We’d argue a major reason that “Seinfeld” has become a cultural mainstay was its ability to heighten everyday– even benign– situations into unexpected hilarity through its core fours’ errors and folly. And with some of the wittiest dialogue to ever grace our screens, it’s hard to imagine funnier conflicts than the ones “Seinfeld” had delivered us.
…Having said that, where “Seinfeld”’s strengths in this category lie in carefully crafted scripts and performances, “Curb Your Enthusiasm” takes a much more emotional approach. Larry David manages to create the most absurd disagreements and uncomfortable conversations that– while they often have us crawling out of our own skin– are truly second to none in television history. Between his screaming matches with Susie, whatever Richard Lewis was upset about, and his larger gripes with the daily social functioning of mankind… we’re giving this one to “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
“Seinfeld”: 0 / “Curb Your Enthusiasm”: 1
Round 2: Cast Chemistry
Larry David anchors “Curb Your Enthusiasm” as the leading man no one asked for, but perhaps we deserve. As a series that relies heavily on improvisation as its comedic engine, the show’s cast is spot on. Cheryl Hines is the perfect counterpart to Larry’s outrageous antics, and the later addition of JB Smoove as Leon Black led to one of the funniest TV duos of all time. Plus, “Curb” has had some legendary cameos and guest appearances as well. Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, Mel Brooks, Vince Vaughn, Tracey Ullman– to name a few– have all brought their sharp comedy chops to the series. They’ve all found inventive new ways to piss off Larry, and make us crack up in the process.
Ehhhhh, but we have to give credit where credit is due… “Seinfeld”’s principal cast is unrivaled– by “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and really just about any other sitcom. Don’t argue with us! Though some may question Jerry Seinfeld’s acting chops, and be within their rights to do so, the key cast as a whole functions so phenomenally that it almost doesn’t matter. Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and Michael Richards delivered an ensemble performance that not only elevated “Seinfeld”’s already brilliant scripts, but created iconic characters that will be cemented in pop culture forever. For that, we’ve gotta give cast chemistry to “Seinfeld”!
“Seinfeld”: 1 / “Curb Your Enthusiasm”: 1
Round 3: The Cringe Meter - What’s The Easier Watch?
Now, this one is a little bizarro to score– but stay with us! As we’ve mentioned, both series succeed at making us laugh through the foibles of their lead characters, but to varying extents. So, which show is fun-comfortable, and which one will have you needing a breather between episodes?
If you’re a fan of both– which, if you’re watching this video, we’d hope that you are– you might see where this round is going. Watching a full season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” in one sitting can almost produce horror movie levels of stress. “Curb”’s situations push the envelope far further than “Seinfeld” ever did, making for a brand new viewing experience for fans of his work. Larry’s brash personality and steadfast social contract gets him into situations that, while hysterical, are also a little bit painful. We’re still cringing thinking about the whole Denise and Wendy situation. If you know, you know.
That’s not to say that “Seinfeld” doesn’t have its fair share of cringeworthy moments as well– Susan’s whole plotline is a total disaster from start to finish… not that there’s anything wrong with that. But overall, we can sit down and binge episodes and episodes of “Seinfeld” for hours, without feeling like we’re going to need a cold shower afterwards. That’s another point, “Seinfeld”!
“Seinfeld”: 2 / “Curb Your Enthusiasm”: 1
Round 4: Plot Closure
“Seinfeld” developed a great structure for its episodes, using Jerry’s standup as bookends for each episode's major themes and plot points. While the content of the set never mirrored the storylines precisely, it didn’t have to. Instead, Jerry’s standup gave each episode a funny and unique framing device that helped establish the observational tone of the series. Outside of that element of the show, the plots themselves were always extremely well crafted and complete– again, a testament to Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld’s exceptional storytelling abilities.
But we have ten words for you… or, well, ten sounds– (end credits song - dun dun dun daaaa da daaaa da da da da..). “Curb Your Enthusiasm” raised the bar in terms of tying up its episode in unforgettable ways. The end credit song has become synonymous with coincidental, uncomfortable, ironic situations coming to a head– we hear it playing in our heads more often than we’d like to admit. As “Curb” as a series is structurally more concerned with overarching ideas and stories, each episode always sticks the landing without fail. And calling back to our earlier point, that’s another reason why it’s more than satisfying to watch just one episode of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” at a time. For that, we’ve got another point on the books for “Curb”!
“Seinfeld”: 2 / “Curb Your Enthusiasm”: 2
Round 5: Greatest Phrases Coined
If we’ve said it once, we’ve said it a million times– it’s prettay, prettay, prettay, good! Aside from this classic catchphrase, Larry David did more than spawn a collection of quotable scenes. His antics as a self-proclaimed “social assassin” led to a slew of capstone moments that are conversation starting to this day. That conflicted look at the end of the “Palestinian Chicken” episode speaks volumes without even saying a word. As a mega wealthy television writer and producer, is LD always totally relatable? Definitely not. Yet, he managed to create a social and cultural commentary that’s as confronting as it is timeless.
But alas, the category is “greatest phrases coined”... and “Seinfeld”’s one-liners are not only hilarious, but have helped us define the human experience in ways we didn’t even know we needed to. We can explain, but it’s probably more effective to let these quotes speak for themselves! [“Yadda yadda yadda,” “re-gifter,” “serenity now!,” “double dip,” “spare a square.” ] So, for that– with a spiritual bonus point for also creating a new holiday– this round goes to “Seinfeld”!
“Seinfeld”: 3 / “Curb Your Enthusiasm”: 2
Round 6: Best Finale
Here’s the question that Larry David fans have debated for decades: was “Seinfeld”’s finale as terrible as its vocal dissenters claim it to be? Tangentially, did “Curb Your Enthusiasm” really solve the “Seinfeld” finale’s issues? And we must ask, is one better than the other? Let’s discuss!
One of the key arguments against the “Seinfeld” finale is that it simply does not feel like an episode of “Seinfeld.” It breaks formula for the purposes of reuniting its most memorable characters, rehashing previous plots to find some sort of full-circle conclusion for a show that– until this point– had been about nothing. And that’s the major problem folks have noted: the finale breaks “Seinfeld”’s cardinal rule– they aren’t supposed to learn any lessons! By putting the quartet behind bars, they’re forced to reckon with their years of bad behavior. With personal growth as the antithesis of the show’s biology, we can understand the more logistic concerns with this ending.
That brings us to the more recent finale of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” entitled “No Lessons Learned.” In this episode, Larry is also facing time, and ends up thrown in jail. But at the eleventh hour, it’s revealed that one of the jurors on the trial broke the sequester, and the whole case is thrown away. As Larry walks free with Jerry at his side, he realizes that this ending would’ve been much better suited to “Seinfeld.” And we have to agree: the absurdity of the twist that the trial has been discarded would’ve underlined the series’ messaging while still highlighting its standout moments.
But this still begs the question: which finale was better? While we love to take a side here, this category has got to be a tie. Both episodes have their merits, and given how intertwined they are, it feels unfair to give one props over the other!
“Seinfeld”: 4 / “Curb Your Enthusiasm”: 3
So, that makes our winner… drumroll, please… “Seinfeld”! Do you agree with our pick, or have we deemed ourselves un-spongeworthy? Let us know in the comments!
