In one early episode, Larry gets caught in the Middle East conflict in miniature, when a Palestinian restaurant opens next door to a popular Jewish deli. Unfortunately, the move doesn’t happen until about halfway through the season, which means the show spends its first half unsure of what to do with itself. The move to the East Coast provides a whole new set of minor New York-centric problems for Larry to agonize over (in one episode, the sound of a Mister Softee truck renders Larry impotent thanks to the traumatic childhood memories it brings to the surface). setting and the cast of characters he’s been palling around with for seven seasons. While the season’s early episodes strike an overly familiar tone, the shift to New York suggests that maybe it’s not David’s routine that’s getting tired so much as the L.A. Curb Your Enthusiasm’s shift to the Big Apple has been the central marketing point of this new (possibly final) season, and for the most part, the change of scenery breathes some new life into the series. The solution? Let him complain and argue his way around New York City for a change.
But even though the series has managed to stay spry and funny after all of these years, Larry cranking his way around Los Angeles while infuriating the same set of showbiz friends has started to feel threadbare. Since its premiere in 2000, Larry David has gotten divorced from his fictional wife, ruined a universally beloved Broadway musical, and given viewers the closest thing to a Seinfeld reunion we’re likely to ever see.
Now in its eighth season, Curb Your Enthusiasm has managed to become HBO’s longest-running scripted (sort of) comedy series.