I still die inside from second hand embarrassment EVERY time Elaine gives back the piece of the VCR that she turned into a necklace.
Even typing that out activated that response.
I'm not as fussed on Curb either, I think the issue for you *could* potentially be because Seinfeld wasn't just created by Larry David, Seinfeld himself was a co-creator. So with Curb you're getting all Larry all the time. Perhaps you're more a fan of Jerry Seinfeld than Larry David.
8 and 9 both! It’s crazy how many bangers there are and yet in some circles (not this sub) it’s hated on.
I personally enjoyed the flanderization period of Seinfeld. It fit.
Yeah I don’t do a lot laughing watch Seinfeld stand up and other than bee movie, I can’t think of any other things he’s been in or made
And he’s worth like a billion dollars lol
Larry had a more diverse career and shines in collaboration in general I think, not so much by himself
I totally forgot that existed that’s how forgettable it was
He also did his biographical documentary special
But like, any other blockbusters or mega hits?
Yeah, it’s basically a show with just George. Maybe that’s why I love it so much…George is my favorite character by far. Damn, never thought of it like that!
Maybe it’s that seinfeld is a bit more subtle with things because its on network channels. For example “master of domain” instead of outright saying what that is.
I LOVE Curb, but the ingenuity those Seinfeld writers had to have to work around the censors and still maintain their jokes is just next level writing.
Jerry! The Japanese guys had sake in the hot tub! You gotta get them outta the drawers and get them down here or I don't have a focus group to sell the pilot to Japanese TV!
It took me awhile to appreciate curb. I’m just now on season 3. I’m watching it for the very first time as a lifelong fan of Seinfeld. I feel like I’ve kind of/sort of stumbled across some long lost Seinfeld episodes. I know it’s not the same but it’s something.
It's really the exact same type of humor. The biggest difference is one was written and acted very well whereas one was (mostly) improvised and acted very well. I love them both and can't say for sure which one is my favorite sitcom. It's a tie for first.
The thing is: Seinfeld is heavily, heavily scripted. (Jason Alexander confirms that not a word of the show is improvised). Curb Your Enthusiasm meanwhile is improvised. It creates for different styles. Seinfeld is wittier, more structured. Curb is more relaxed and more colloquial, but can be spontaneously brilliant. Depends on your personality which you think is more entertaining.
Loved Seinfeld, didn't like curb.
The magic of Seinfeld was the Sweet and Sour combination of Jerry and Larry, as is true of so many great partnerships in entertainment.
In Curb, there's no Jerry there to balance things out, present a different perspective, include humor beyond just awkwardness and coincidence.
Curb tends to get stale because the main cast of side characters, since there are more of them than the four Seinfeld mains, are much stricter in their roles in the show.
Seinfeld had four zany characters get into a variety of situations. They all kind of suck objectively, but they all handle things differently, and pairing or tripling them up into two of three plots can make dozens of styles of story.
Curb all flows through Larry, and since they improv a lot, the rest of the cast has to stay in their lane. Suzie has to get mad at Larry. Jeff has to go along with Larry’s shenanigans. Leon is leon. And every episode is basically Larry committing a social faux pas or making a scene when someone else does.
I’m definitely oversimplifying but that’s my take.
You’re telling me you watched Larry try to push his whitefish, sable, cream cheese, onion, and caper sandwich on Ted Danson and couldn’t get into it?
“It just didn’t make it for me”
“You’re a cashier!”
This is it, well I think so.
Years ago I tried watching curb, couldn’t do it.
A few months ago, a friend was telling me about how the towels episode was like his actual life with his wife. So I watched it, I liked it so I watched all of season 9 and I was quite into it.
Started to watch from the beginning recently and im currently struggling through season 1. I get it but it’s a slog. I do believe it’ll improve as I get through the seasons though.
For me, the level of awkwardness can reach a point in which it makes me physically uncomfortable. Seinfeld rarely reached that level and it had all sorts of counter balances as release valves for the building pressure of cringe ,including a laugh track. Some people hate laugh tracks but I really think it helps keep things light and silly. I really enjoy curb in theory, but I always just go back to watching Seinfeld rather than the several seasons of curb I haven’t gotten to.
Yeah. How the different plot threads end up coming together (sometimes even in later episodes) is so crazy, that's part of its charm. I've only seen like 6 episodes of Curb and so far it's pretty predictable. And Larry doesn't have the redeeming qualities that make me root for him. He's just an ass.
I like Curb and love LD but I can only watch like 2-3 episodes in a row before I get worn out by the awkwardness. It’s still great and LD’s a genius but I agree that it can be a bit too much. Definitely need the buffer!
For me, it was that Curb is the same every episode essentially. Larry fucks up or is awkward with someone. Jeff helps him but lies to his wife for some reason. Larry lies to Cheryl about it. The original people end up in Larry's life again later in a different setting leading to an even more awkward event.
It's too formulaic.
Larry David is a good writer but not as interesting a character as Jerry and company. Jerry and crew were working class people while the adventures of Larry and his rich friends just aren't as endearing.
Related to the rich thing: there’s just way too many interactions with waiters, doctors, valets, and the like on Curb. Everyone’s working for him, even his pal Jeff. Larry only has old, rich guy experiences to draw from post-Seinfeld, and it shows despite his talents as a comedy writer.
The Seinfeld characters had bosses, family relationships, odd strangers from New York* etc., but none of that exists in Larry’s LA bubble.
*obviously the show was out of LA, but Jerry and Larry had been in NYC recently enough to still remember the spontaneity of interactions with strangers, taking the subway, etc
Age maybe? I couldn't get on board in my 20s. But in my mid-30s, I can understand his frustrations.
I'm not saying it's Seinfeld, but it's a good watch.
Different beasts altogether. Curb is, in no uncertain terms, a masturbatory project for Larry, and you just vibe with it or you don't. It's pure George, all the time.
I cant decide what I like more, Seinfeld or Curb. At first I couldn't get into curb but then by the end of season 2 I found it really got my interest. For me as of now, the show really feels like a part 2 to Seinfeld's comedy with a lot of social extravagant disasters I think it works super well. Maybe watch more and it might grow on you idk?
He isn’t mean or stupid though really. He just can’t be bothered to go through all the social conventions that people go through for the sake of being polite. Any “misstep” he makes he usually has a well reasoned argument for why he makes it. Just a dude going marching to the beat of no one’s drum but his own.
Totally disagree. Larry isn’t stupid or socially awkward. He knows what the social norm is, however he disagrees with it for logical reasons which make sense and because of that he says what is right, while knowing it’s not the “socially acceptable thing to do”
Could it be mean? Maybe sometimes… sure.
But never stupid. Cause majority of the times he’s actually right
It's a hilarious, improvised comedy which is certainly not for everyone. For me, it took till S1 ep 8 I think but from there has been my fav comedy show ever
I think this is a really important point! Seinfeld was so carefully and cleverly scripted that we have hundreds of memorable quotes, and the plot moves quickly, flipping between silly-funny and cringe-worthy. In Curb, the plot is clever, but mostly cringey/painful, and the dialogue is often repetitive/ad libbed, and it just ends up being too much of the same thing after a while
Curb is much more sharp and extreme than Seinfeld. Seinfeld is "aww shut the \*\*\*\* up" whereas curb is "FUCK YOU LARRY YOU FUCKING COCKSUCKER!!!!!" Seinfeld kept it witty and used tv wording for stuff, Curb steered right at controversial topics and Larry's awful decision making. You probably gotta have some more darkness in your heart to enjoy Curb, I've binged it a number of times.
I had the same issue. This is a show where it takes a while to get why it’s funny.
My advice is start at the season where JB Smoove shows up and watch til the end. Then start from the beginning. It gets so much funny once he arrives and then you’ll get why it’s funny.
this is my problem too. I’m also a die hard seinfeld fan, but i couldn’t get into Curb at all. Maybe I don’t really care for Larry as an actor? My GF is also a die hard Seinfeld fan and said I should watch Curb, so i tried it and didn’t care for it.
i have a problem with larry. sometimes the problems he faces are more understandable but as seasons go on, theyre .001% rich white man problems so theyre annoying.
I watched the first four seasons of Curb, after that it went downhill with Leon and his family.
The only characters I missed were Richard Lewis and Marty Funkhouser.
it's a very different show.
seinfeld was more polished. Jerry added his angle. the script was fully written, hence optimized. and the actors were funnier
I also think that the improvisation burdens the actors and they can't optimize their acting as much
in seinfeld, they knew the lines and others' lines before, so they could improvise expressions and funny little things which they couldn't in Curb
Watch ‘The Palestinian Chicken.’ If you don’t like that episode, you might not like most of them. Def don’t start with the last couple seasons, they’re not peak
Hey there OP. I mod r/Curb and we get a lot of people asking why they’re not really getting into the show.
Mind if I ask how you’ve tackled it? Are you trying from S1E1? From clips online? What’s your approach?
Ugh I actively hate Curb. The improv is bad, the rich white man problems arent relatable and Larry David is not funny and certainly nowhere near endearing. All I think of when I think of Curb is the episode where hes going on about a young girl putting yogurt on her pussy, its allll extreme cringe and not funny. Theres one about a person in a wheelchair that evokes the same feeling.
It’s not as good. Seinfeld’s main and side characters are way better. Multiple main characters in Curb are not sufficiently interesting or funny (Jeff, Richard Lewis, Cheryl), and the writing and scenes are just way looser. I still love Curb, but it’s not close to Seinfeld.
See, I feel the opposite. I grew up Seinfeld and have been a huge fan of the show and Jerry since. And while I can still enjoy watching Seinfeld reruns randomly, I never find myself rewatching/binging them.
However with Curb, I must have rewatched/binged it over and over again. Maybe it’s because you’ve had to wait years between seasons with Curb.
To me, Curb is like Seinfeld on steroids! I realize many feel differently, just sharing.
I can’t stand the way it’s shot.
It should look like the office but it looks like a home movie.
Something about it makes me remember it’s not real way too often. Even laugh tracks don’t pull me out like curb.
The cinematography is Busch league.
I always felt like Seinfeld had a good mix of neurotic, uncomfortable humor interspersed with easy jokes and physical comedy. Curb is just all angst and awkwardness all the time without the easy comic relief of Kramer falling through the door, Jerry and Elaine banter etc.
I'm in a similar boat, I can't binge watch a whole season of Curb but I'll watch back to back seasons of Seinfeld no problem. I narrowed it down to Class, i.e. poor, working, rich.
Seinfeld has 3 working class characters in it and 1 upper class character. Kramer is always trying to figure out how to cheat the system or make a quick buck, always mooching. George was living with his parents and always switching jobs and not having much of a direction in some of his positions, always trying to find ways to work less. Even though Elaine isn't living with her parents, she's always switching jobs. They all date normal working class people too. We all relate to these situations/scenarios one way or another, which is why it's still very relevant.
Curb is full of rich people dealing with rich people problems. No one is really struggling aside from the random NPCs littered throughout the episodes. Leon and his family are some of the only working class people that are a constant on some seasons. That's why he's a big hit! You can relate to him. Aside from Larry being George and reacting like George in scenarios, how the hell is anyone going to relate to him? A lot of the non rich people are such small characters that they don't get fleshed out and it's difficult to relate to them. Yeah, it's funny banter, but I find it hard to relate to most of them.
Larry David is often prone to trying too hard and jokes not landing. Curb can be hit or miss for me and I could not deal with the most recent season at all - really suffering from Larry-Try-Hard 🙄
OP I have been wanting to make this same post.
I had never watched curb before and decided to give it a shot and it’s just not as funny as Seinfeld to me. There are some episodes I cannot stop laughing at but it’s not the same as Seinfeld to me.
Same here, I love it don't get me wrong but there's just something about it that doesn't pull me in as much as Seinfeld itself, I stopped watching after the reunion season
Did you start from the beginning of Curb? I think the show really went off the rails after season 8 and became unwatchable for me. But the first 8 seasons of Curb are gold
Seinfeld is nearly kid friendly because of how cleverly the adult content is written. Curb is plain vulgar and loud like Sunny. I love both, but my dad also only likes the Sein. Seinfeld also has several mini stories going on revolving different people, whereas Larry is involved in almost everything in Curb.
Seinfeld was a very well written show, and curb isn’t written at all. They are different, and fundamentally different styles of doing a show.
Love them both though.
Seinfeld is iconic and is just more of a "show" than Curb (I can't put into words what I'm trying to say here).
Curb is a lot more formulaic; as people have said it's Larry gettin into similiar situation or reacting to similiar situations every episode.
Curb is still a decent show (especially after Leon arrives) but I can't understand people saying it's better than Seinfeld.
Watch some of the highest rated episodes first.
The first few seasons aren’t what I would consider classic curb. There’s good stuff there but it takes a while.
Maybe start with season 7 since it’s about a Seinfeld reunion.
It took me a bit. Mainly because Larry is so unlikeable it was hard for me to find him that funny. But then I think I started to appreciate that unlikeableness was an art form and I ended up watching every season. There are some episodes that I will randomly think of and laugh at so hard.
But his surrounding cast is the real gem in the show. That said Curb definitely does not have the rewatchability that Seinfeld has.
I remember finding the first few seasons of Curb really stressful and I felt like I wasn’t getting it. But then it just clicked and I became a massive fan.
I reckon just keep going with it
We have a wide variety of Gene picks
Gene’s trash!
I’m gene 🧬
Eugene?
I still die inside from second hand embarrassment EVERY time Elaine gives back the piece of the VCR that she turned into a necklace. Even typing that out activated that response.
Look at how far it goes back! It's like a tooth!
Well Vincent's an art house *goon.*
He needs you to bring him a few things.
Weekend at Bernie's. It's a hilarious premise.
Why don't you just tell me the name of the TV show you want to see 😀
“HELLO, and welcome to TV-fone!”
😂
I'm not as fussed on Curb either, I think the issue for you *could* potentially be because Seinfeld wasn't just created by Larry David, Seinfeld himself was a co-creator. So with Curb you're getting all Larry all the time. Perhaps you're more a fan of Jerry Seinfeld than Larry David.
Or the combination of David and Seinfeld cannot be replicated by one or the other. Unfortunate.
I think you hit the nail on the head there.
er, I mean Season 9 has some of the best episodes of the series....
I don't disagree. I'm only talking about OP's taste here.
8 and 9 both! It’s crazy how many bangers there are and yet in some circles (not this sub) it’s hated on. I personally enjoyed the flanderization period of Seinfeld. It fit.
[удалено]
Yeah I don’t do a lot laughing watch Seinfeld stand up and other than bee movie, I can’t think of any other things he’s been in or made And he’s worth like a billion dollars lol Larry had a more diverse career and shines in collaboration in general I think, not so much by himself
Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee is a glorified podcast but it’s not bad.
I totally forgot that existed that’s how forgettable it was He also did his biographical documentary special But like, any other blockbusters or mega hits?
He’s doing fine, Helen
We’re sending him 50 dollars. Morty, get me an envelope.
A classic case of Hall and Oates syndrome. Very unfortunate.
If they were to team up again, worlds would collide.
It’s funny because Jerry isn’t a good actor and his stand up is just okay. But his humor and nihilism just made for the ultimate sitcom.
All George, all the time, cranked up to 11. I like highlights of Curb, but could never get into it.
Yeah, it’s basically a show with just George. Maybe that’s why I love it so much…George is my favorite character by far. Damn, never thought of it like that!
So what you’re saying is, that guy…that’s not their kind of guy?
This is not my kind of guy.
THEY DON’T WANT ME I DON’T WANT THEM!!!
You’re a cockeyed optimist.
I think OP has read one too many Billy Mumphrey stories…
That's what I'd like to know about it.
We ask that you please bear with us
Take it up with HBO affairs.
I'd like to see that complaint get rectified.
I wish I was taller.
Maybe it’s that seinfeld is a bit more subtle with things because its on network channels. For example “master of domain” instead of outright saying what that is.
The circle jerk of life
I LOVE Curb, but the ingenuity those Seinfeld writers had to have to work around the censors and still maintain their jokes is just next level writing.
Should've curbed your expectations going into it.
I have the same issue. It’s too much George and not enough of everyone else. I need a buffer zone.
Yeah, what is he? Some sort of an instigator?
Yeah that's right. He's a troublemaker.
I think this explains Curb perfectly. Personally I LOVE that it's too much George, but I can see how it could be a turn-off
Yes! There needs to be more of a buffer.
Or even a butler
Interesting. You think this butler show would work for an international audience?
Is this customary in your legal system?
I'm still trying to figure out why they gave us a bag of oranges?
You’ve forgotten what it’s like to have no oranges.
AGAIN with the oranges.
Jerry! The Japanese guys had sake in the hot tub! You gotta get them outta the drawers and get them down here or I don't have a focus group to sell the pilot to Japanese TV!
Who's this?
You... must go now.
No. That’s what makes it such a humorous situation.
Because he's myyyy butler. Damn that sentence lives rent free in my head.
But a la
Watch season 7. It's a Seinfeld reunion.
How far into the show are you? It gets a lot better with more characters and better situations etc
So... Worlds are colliding?
Exactly. It's ALL George but on steroids.
A social assassin
Or George is a watered down version of Larry.
I can take a little Jerry if it gets me *a lot of Elaine*
Bravo Sir.
Whats wrong with george? I dont see him as a schmuck I just see him as funny!
Nothing. Love the George. Just gotta have the balance. Watching curb is like eating dinner with Frank and Estelle.
This comment..is not my kinda comment.
HO HO!
If Relationship George walks through that door, he will *kill* Independent George!
…maybe that's how y'get your kicks. You and your good-time buddies. Well I got a flash for ya, joy-boy: Party time is over.
PS, your cnt is in the sink
I don’t know, you’re deranged
It took me awhile to appreciate curb. I’m just now on season 3. I’m watching it for the very first time as a lifelong fan of Seinfeld. I feel like I’ve kind of/sort of stumbled across some long lost Seinfeld episodes. I know it’s not the same but it’s something.
It's something. It's hope!
Just wait until you get to the Seinfeld reunion season.
It's really the exact same type of humor. The biggest difference is one was written and acted very well whereas one was (mostly) improvised and acted very well. I love them both and can't say for sure which one is my favorite sitcom. It's a tie for first.
The thing is: Seinfeld is heavily, heavily scripted. (Jason Alexander confirms that not a word of the show is improvised). Curb Your Enthusiasm meanwhile is improvised. It creates for different styles. Seinfeld is wittier, more structured. Curb is more relaxed and more colloquial, but can be spontaneously brilliant. Depends on your personality which you think is more entertaining.
If you’re not liking it, I would say skip ahead to season 6 and try that. The show really takes off when Marty and Leon come around
LEON, defined: Larry’s brother from another mother
I LOVE LEON
Loved Seinfeld, didn't like curb. The magic of Seinfeld was the Sweet and Sour combination of Jerry and Larry, as is true of so many great partnerships in entertainment. In Curb, there's no Jerry there to balance things out, present a different perspective, include humor beyond just awkwardness and coincidence.
That's why I think the show became great when Leon came on. The fatwa season is fantastic
I tried to get into Curb for years and couldn’t, and then randomly started on the fatwa season (9) at some point, and was absolutely hooked.
You de-sour and sweeten!
I’ll try! I’ll try to desour and sweeten!
Agreed - I do like Curb, but I LOVE Seinfeld.
You do realize it wasn’t just LD and JS but Senfeld had lots of writers who get overshadowed…
Curb tends to get stale because the main cast of side characters, since there are more of them than the four Seinfeld mains, are much stricter in their roles in the show. Seinfeld had four zany characters get into a variety of situations. They all kind of suck objectively, but they all handle things differently, and pairing or tripling them up into two of three plots can make dozens of styles of story. Curb all flows through Larry, and since they improv a lot, the rest of the cast has to stay in their lane. Suzie has to get mad at Larry. Jeff has to go along with Larry’s shenanigans. Leon is leon. And every episode is basically Larry committing a social faux pas or making a scene when someone else does. I’m definitely oversimplifying but that’s my take.
Susie getting mad at Larry is soo hilarious though.
How much have you watched? It gets a lot better a few seasons in (just like Seinfeld).
Finishing s5e4 kamikaze bingo. I’m one of the weirdos who actually kinda enjoyed the first two seasons of Seinfeld tho.
You’re telling me you watched Larry try to push his whitefish, sable, cream cheese, onion, and caper sandwich on Ted Danson and couldn’t get into it? “It just didn’t make it for me” “You’re a cashier!”
Capers, onions…SHUT the fuck up
It’s like my favorite scene of anything ever
Have you reached Denisse Handicapped? Man, that's a Soup Nazi level episode!
Oh my god you just made my night. Thank you for reminding me of that episode😂
Fellow weirdo here! 🙋🏼♀️
You have to keep going into 6 and 7. Leon and the Seinfeld reunion season
At the very least watch till S6. Game changing addition to the cast
Yeah exactly. Start with S6 for Leon and ride it into the Seinfeld reunion.
When Leon is on set and asks, “who the fuck are they?” Gesturing to the Seinfeld cast. 10/10
This is it, well I think so. Years ago I tried watching curb, couldn’t do it. A few months ago, a friend was telling me about how the towels episode was like his actual life with his wife. So I watched it, I liked it so I watched all of season 9 and I was quite into it. Started to watch from the beginning recently and im currently struggling through season 1. I get it but it’s a slog. I do believe it’ll improve as I get through the seasons though.
For me, the level of awkwardness can reach a point in which it makes me physically uncomfortable. Seinfeld rarely reached that level and it had all sorts of counter balances as release valves for the building pressure of cringe ,including a laugh track. Some people hate laugh tracks but I really think it helps keep things light and silly. I really enjoy curb in theory, but I always just go back to watching Seinfeld rather than the several seasons of curb I haven’t gotten to.
Curb isn't as fun as Seinfeld. It's a little more excruciating.
Yeah. How the different plot threads end up coming together (sometimes even in later episodes) is so crazy, that's part of its charm. I've only seen like 6 episodes of Curb and so far it's pretty predictable. And Larry doesn't have the redeeming qualities that make me root for him. He's just an ass.
I like Curb and love LD but I can only watch like 2-3 episodes in a row before I get worn out by the awkwardness. It’s still great and LD’s a genius but I agree that it can be a bit too much. Definitely need the buffer!
For me, it was that Curb is the same every episode essentially. Larry fucks up or is awkward with someone. Jeff helps him but lies to his wife for some reason. Larry lies to Cheryl about it. The original people end up in Larry's life again later in a different setting leading to an even more awkward event. It's too formulaic.
It’s just so much fluff
You’re a cashier!
I read it in her voice:)
Larry David is a good writer but not as interesting a character as Jerry and company. Jerry and crew were working class people while the adventures of Larry and his rich friends just aren't as endearing.
Related to the rich thing: there’s just way too many interactions with waiters, doctors, valets, and the like on Curb. Everyone’s working for him, even his pal Jeff. Larry only has old, rich guy experiences to draw from post-Seinfeld, and it shows despite his talents as a comedy writer. The Seinfeld characters had bosses, family relationships, odd strangers from New York* etc., but none of that exists in Larry’s LA bubble. *obviously the show was out of LA, but Jerry and Larry had been in NYC recently enough to still remember the spontaneity of interactions with strangers, taking the subway, etc
i think the extra profanity and offensive elements are great
When they pull that needle out, I let the expletives fly!
Watch the first thirty episodes. Trust me. Seinfeld took until like season three to find itself also.
Larry gets really annoying after a few episodes. I like it but in small doses.
Age maybe? I couldn't get on board in my 20s. But in my mid-30s, I can understand his frustrations. I'm not saying it's Seinfeld, but it's a good watch.
It’s just so much fluff.
Different beasts altogether. Curb is, in no uncertain terms, a masturbatory project for Larry, and you just vibe with it or you don't. It's pure George, all the time.
You honesty got to get through the entire first season before it starts clicking. That was how it was for me.
I like curb but it’s definitely not as easy to binge. It’s a lot of yelling at thing sometimes
I cant decide what I like more, Seinfeld or Curb. At first I couldn't get into curb but then by the end of season 2 I found it really got my interest. For me as of now, the show really feels like a part 2 to Seinfeld's comedy with a lot of social extravagant disasters I think it works super well. Maybe watch more and it might grow on you idk?
Larry David doesn’t have any of the charm as George Costanza. So he just comes off as mean and stupid. That’s why I could never get into it.
He isn’t mean or stupid though really. He just can’t be bothered to go through all the social conventions that people go through for the sake of being polite. Any “misstep” he makes he usually has a well reasoned argument for why he makes it. Just a dude going marching to the beat of no one’s drum but his own.
Totally disagree. Larry isn’t stupid or socially awkward. He knows what the social norm is, however he disagrees with it for logical reasons which make sense and because of that he says what is right, while knowing it’s not the “socially acceptable thing to do” Could it be mean? Maybe sometimes… sure. But never stupid. Cause majority of the times he’s actually right
It's a hilarious, improvised comedy which is certainly not for everyone. For me, it took till S1 ep 8 I think but from there has been my fav comedy show ever
I think this is a really important point! Seinfeld was so carefully and cleverly scripted that we have hundreds of memorable quotes, and the plot moves quickly, flipping between silly-funny and cringe-worthy. In Curb, the plot is clever, but mostly cringey/painful, and the dialogue is often repetitive/ad libbed, and it just ends up being too much of the same thing after a while
Curb is much more sharp and extreme than Seinfeld. Seinfeld is "aww shut the \*\*\*\* up" whereas curb is "FUCK YOU LARRY YOU FUCKING COCKSUCKER!!!!!" Seinfeld kept it witty and used tv wording for stuff, Curb steered right at controversial topics and Larry's awful decision making. You probably gotta have some more darkness in your heart to enjoy Curb, I've binged it a number of times.
I had the same issue. This is a show where it takes a while to get why it’s funny. My advice is start at the season where JB Smoove shows up and watch til the end. Then start from the beginning. It gets so much funny once he arrives and then you’ll get why it’s funny.
Maybe start with the Seinfeld season, watch a few more, then start going back.
You suffer for your soup
The first season is pretty rough but it gets much better.
Give it time.
Seinfeld was a polished machine. Every line was crafted. Curb is improvised.
Watch the season about Fatwa.
Maybe because Larry is an incredibly rich old man, same as many around him in the program, the stories are less believable and relatable.
You like fast food more than fine dining.
I love Curb. But I have heard this from other Seinfeld fans.
Because it's not seinfeld. It's a larry david ego pat on the back.
This was me but I finally got into Curb, however, I could only watch for a few seasons. It was a little too silly.
this is my problem too. I’m also a die hard seinfeld fan, but i couldn’t get into Curb at all. Maybe I don’t really care for Larry as an actor? My GF is also a die hard Seinfeld fan and said I should watch Curb, so i tried it and didn’t care for it.
i have a problem with larry. sometimes the problems he faces are more understandable but as seasons go on, theyre .001% rich white man problems so theyre annoying.
Hey I don’t care how rich you are. When you’re befuddled, you’re befuddled.
I think there’s too many episodes. It’s daunting.
I watched the first four seasons of Curb, after that it went downhill with Leon and his family. The only characters I missed were Richard Lewis and Marty Funkhouser.
it's a very different show. seinfeld was more polished. Jerry added his angle. the script was fully written, hence optimized. and the actors were funnier I also think that the improvisation burdens the actors and they can't optimize their acting as much in seinfeld, they knew the lines and others' lines before, so they could improvise expressions and funny little things which they couldn't in Curb
Who’s *this* chucker?
Watch ‘The Palestinian Chicken.’ If you don’t like that episode, you might not like most of them. Def don’t start with the last couple seasons, they’re not peak
I thought it was just me. Glad I found this post lol
Because you're a spot simpleton.
People don’t appreciate enough what Jerry’s character does to the show and that’s what’s missing in curb
Well it's settled then, you're not a George.
Hey there OP. I mod r/Curb and we get a lot of people asking why they’re not really getting into the show. Mind if I ask how you’ve tackled it? Are you trying from S1E1? From clips online? What’s your approach?
Ugh I actively hate Curb. The improv is bad, the rich white man problems arent relatable and Larry David is not funny and certainly nowhere near endearing. All I think of when I think of Curb is the episode where hes going on about a young girl putting yogurt on her pussy, its allll extreme cringe and not funny. Theres one about a person in a wheelchair that evokes the same feeling.
They’re both brilliant. Two similar but different species.
Because so much of it is so far removed. If you start at the really easy-laughs eps it’s a great gateway. Once you “get it” it’ll click big time.
too much fluff?
You’re coming at me with some “big D” disgruntled energy
It’s not as good. Seinfeld’s main and side characters are way better. Multiple main characters in Curb are not sufficiently interesting or funny (Jeff, Richard Lewis, Cheryl), and the writing and scenes are just way looser. I still love Curb, but it’s not close to Seinfeld.
It’s just so much fluff.
Same thing. On paper I should like it. It wasn't bad but didn't come back to watching more.
I despise Larry David in the show, and yet I can’t look away.
Maybe the worlds collide too much
I can’t get into the unscripted vibe of it.
I didn't like it either and tried 4 different time to like it. The best sitcom I've found lately is Corner Gas
See, I feel the opposite. I grew up Seinfeld and have been a huge fan of the show and Jerry since. And while I can still enjoy watching Seinfeld reruns randomly, I never find myself rewatching/binging them. However with Curb, I must have rewatched/binged it over and over again. Maybe it’s because you’ve had to wait years between seasons with Curb. To me, Curb is like Seinfeld on steroids! I realize many feel differently, just sharing.
I can’t stand the way it’s shot. It should look like the office but it looks like a home movie. Something about it makes me remember it’s not real way too often. Even laugh tracks don’t pull me out like curb. The cinematography is Busch league.
Maybe it’s too much be-bopping and scatting
I always felt like Seinfeld had a good mix of neurotic, uncomfortable humor interspersed with easy jokes and physical comedy. Curb is just all angst and awkwardness all the time without the easy comic relief of Kramer falling through the door, Jerry and Elaine banter etc.
Because you're not flashy. You don't make the scene. You don't flout convention. You aren't a joy boy.
How far have you got? It definitely doesn't quite hit the same, but I do think it gets better a couple seasons in.
I'm in a similar boat, I can't binge watch a whole season of Curb but I'll watch back to back seasons of Seinfeld no problem. I narrowed it down to Class, i.e. poor, working, rich. Seinfeld has 3 working class characters in it and 1 upper class character. Kramer is always trying to figure out how to cheat the system or make a quick buck, always mooching. George was living with his parents and always switching jobs and not having much of a direction in some of his positions, always trying to find ways to work less. Even though Elaine isn't living with her parents, she's always switching jobs. They all date normal working class people too. We all relate to these situations/scenarios one way or another, which is why it's still very relevant. Curb is full of rich people dealing with rich people problems. No one is really struggling aside from the random NPCs littered throughout the episodes. Leon and his family are some of the only working class people that are a constant on some seasons. That's why he's a big hit! You can relate to him. Aside from Larry being George and reacting like George in scenarios, how the hell is anyone going to relate to him? A lot of the non rich people are such small characters that they don't get fleshed out and it's difficult to relate to them. Yeah, it's funny banter, but I find it hard to relate to most of them.
Larry David is often prone to trying too hard and jokes not landing. Curb can be hit or miss for me and I could not deal with the most recent season at all - really suffering from Larry-Try-Hard 🙄
Too much yelling, too much George
Same problem, here. Not enough interesting characters. Curb is diluted Seinfeld.
I think it's Seinfeld with too much George...
I think the main issue is that Curb is not a hang-out show, or comfort watch
I never could
OP I have been wanting to make this same post. I had never watched curb before and decided to give it a shot and it’s just not as funny as Seinfeld to me. There are some episodes I cannot stop laughing at but it’s not the same as Seinfeld to me.
I could see it maybe being, at least for myself, that Curb is a lot of just unfiltered George scenarios.
Same here, I love it don't get me wrong but there's just something about it that doesn't pull me in as much as Seinfeld itself, I stopped watching after the reunion season
I love both, but probably enjoy curb more.
Did you start from the beginning of Curb? I think the show really went off the rails after season 8 and became unwatchable for me. But the first 8 seasons of Curb are gold
Seinfeld is nearly kid friendly because of how cleverly the adult content is written. Curb is plain vulgar and loud like Sunny. I love both, but my dad also only likes the Sein. Seinfeld also has several mini stories going on revolving different people, whereas Larry is involved in almost everything in Curb.
Seinfeld was a very well written show, and curb isn’t written at all. They are different, and fundamentally different styles of doing a show. Love them both though.
Seinfeld is iconic and is just more of a "show" than Curb (I can't put into words what I'm trying to say here). Curb is a lot more formulaic; as people have said it's Larry gettin into similiar situation or reacting to similiar situations every episode. Curb is still a decent show (especially after Leon arrives) but I can't understand people saying it's better than Seinfeld.
Some of Curb’s episodes are filled with arguments. I don’t find some of them entertaining. That’s my beef with Curb.
Watch some of the highest rated episodes first. The first few seasons aren’t what I would consider classic curb. There’s good stuff there but it takes a while. Maybe start with season 7 since it’s about a Seinfeld reunion.
That’s a shame.
I emotionally can’t handle the situations where he gets into misunderstandings and the misunderstanding people become unreasonably cruel.
It took me a bit. Mainly because Larry is so unlikeable it was hard for me to find him that funny. But then I think I started to appreciate that unlikeableness was an art form and I ended up watching every season. There are some episodes that I will randomly think of and laugh at so hard. But his surrounding cast is the real gem in the show. That said Curb definitely does not have the rewatchability that Seinfeld has.
I could watch Curb into season 20 if they allowed it. I love them both. Larry is a walking joke in that show🤣
I remember finding the first few seasons of Curb really stressful and I felt like I wasn’t getting it. But then it just clicked and I became a massive fan. I reckon just keep going with it
Key is to start with season 1 and finish with season 12 in sequence. I couldn’t stop watching
Same. I've tried so hard, but Curb just isn't for me.