Larry David returns to TV ‘with a heavy heart’ for Barack Obama-backed HBO sketch comedy
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File this as prett-ay, prett-ay, prett-ay good news: Larry David is returning to TV with a new six-episode sketch comedy about American history, produced by the Obamas’ Higher Ground.
He will be writing the HBO series alongside Jeff Schaffer, who was the showrunner, executive producer and frequent director on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” David will star in the series, which will feature some actors from “Curb” as well as noteworthy guest stars.
Schaffer and David will both executive produce, with Schaffer taking the lead on directing. Barack and Michelle Obama will be executive producing the limited series for their banner Higher Ground Productions alongside Vinnie Malhotra and Ethan Lewis.
HBO’s official logline reads, “President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America’s 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion.
...But then Larry David called.”
After 24 years, Larry David’s famously cringe-inducing chronicle of social transgression is coming to an end. David and the cast took The Times behind the scenes of its most indelible moments.
“Once ‘Curb’ ended, I celebrated with a three-day foam party,” David said in a statement. “After a violent allergic reaction to the suds, I yearned to return to my simple life as a beekeeper, harvesting organic honey from the wildflowers in my meadow. Alas, one day my bees mysteriously vanished. And so, it is with a heavy heart that I return to television, hoping to ease the loss of my beloved hive.”
Obama added, “I’ve sat across the table from some of the world’s most difficult leaders and wrestled with some of our most intractable problems. Nothing has prepared me for working with Larry David.”
Obama may have gotten a taste in 2021 after he uninvited David from his 60th birthday. “When he told me I was eighty-sixed from the party, I was so relieved,” David told the New York Times at the time. “I screamed, ‘Thank you! Thank you!’ He must have thought I was insane.”
The beloved and critically acclaimed “Curb Your Enthusiasm” aired for a total of 12 seasons from 2000 to 2024.
As we say goodbye to the HBO series, here are some highlights of Larry David’s serially inappropriate version of himself — a guy you love on TV but wouldn’t want to know in real life.
“The characters Larry is playing didn’t change history. In fact, they were largely ignored by history. And that’s a good thing,” Schaffer said about the sketch comedy series.
David and Schaffer also worked together on “Seinfeld” and the TV movie “Clear History,” which starred David. Schaffer is also known for co-creating “The League” and “Dave” at FX. And David is no stranger to TV sketch comedy — he was a writer and performer on ABC’s early ‘80s late-night series “Fridays.”
Higher Ground, founded in 2018 — a year after Obama’s presidency ended — produced the Oscar-winning documentary “American Factory,” feature films “Worth” and “Rustin” and a fair amount of children’s programming. After ending its exclusive podcast deal with Spotify (the first project was “The Michelle Obama Podcast”) in 2022, Higher Ground signed a first-look deal with Audible.
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