The Very Best of Curb Your Enthusiasm

By Mark Pukalo

Trouble doesn't find Larry David. He seems to seek it out, and that has led to 10 fun-filled seasons on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm."

David created the greatest conventional sitcom in history with "Seinfeld," and he has gone farther with Curb. There are wacky situations, odd characters and cringe-worthy hilarious scenes while Larry is not afraid to tackle issues such as divorce, racial relations, sex, religion and politics in a comedic way.

It is basically Seinfeld without any rules on what can be said. It may not be for everyone, but it should be. You know why? We need to be able to laugh at ourselves, at the extremes of important issues and at things that annoy us. The heck with the language. Deal with it. I know I have always hated people that can't park their cars between the lines. Now, after watching Curb, I can call them Pig Parkers and chuckle over it.

Plus, you get great advice from Larry's free-loading house guest Leon, who often brings the ruckus: "You can't pause toast, Larry. It loses it's Essence."

The pandemic gave me a chance to watch all 100 episodes in the series so far and put together a rating of the top 20, plus honorable mentions. It's not easy to place them, especially after the top few, because they are all "Prett-Ay, Prett-Ay, Prett-Ay Good."


Top 20

1. Season 8, Episode 9: Mister Softee - The music of the Softie truck brings back bad memories for Larry and causes brutal error to end a softball game, while Bill Buckner saves the day.

2. Season 8, Episode 3: Palestinian Chicken - Larry is torn between some really good chicken, a beautiful new Palestinian girlfriend and his Jewish Heritage.

3. Season 1, Episode 3: Porno Gil - Bob Odenkirk plays Gil, a former porn star who invites Larry and Cheryl to their off-the-beaten-track house for a party that turns into a disaster.

4. Season 2, Episode 9: The Baptism - Larry loses plane tickets to Monterrey, which sends him and Cheryl on a roundabout route to an adult baptism. Larry, of course, causes problems upon arrival.

5. Season 4, Episode 6: The Car Pool Lane - Larry rents a prostitute so he can use the Car Pool Lane to beat the traffic on the way to the Dodgers game, buys pot and gets Funkhouser arrested.

6. Season 8, Episode 7: The Bi-Sexual - Larry uses performance-enhancing drugs to help win a battle with Rosie O'Donnell over a pretty girl. "Where's my ticket?" Larry says on the steps of the Hall of Fame after the blue pill is revealed. Jane retorts: "You're not getting in."

7. Season 5, Episode 2: The Bowtie - Larry loses the support of the lesbian community and regains it while dealing with his racist dog.

8. Season 5, Episode 10: The End - Kidney transplant complications lead to death for Larry, who has an interesting brief stay in Heaven before being returned to life.

9. Season 6, Episode 7: The Tivo Guy - The Tivo repairman distracts Larry from Cheryl's frantic call on a shaky airplane and leads to a separation.

10. Season 10, Episode 1: Happy New Year - A MAGA hat proves a perfect people repellent for Larry, who is accused of sexual assault for wanting some pigs in a blanket, and Jeff is mistaken for Harvey Weinstein.


11. Season 1, Episode 9: Affirmative Action - An untended bad racial joke causes all kinds of problems for Larry. It's cringey at times, but funny.

12. Season 10, Episode 10: The Spite Store - The finale brings all the stories of the season together as his former secretary finds her memory, spite stores crop up everywhere and Mocha Joe wins.

13. Season 7, Episode 10: Seinfeld - The Seinfeld reunion is finally done and a lack of respect for wood foils Larry's chance to get back with Cheryl.

14. Season 3, Episode 8: Krazee-Eyez Killa - Larry befriends and then betrays Wanda Sykes' cheating rap-music star boyfriend.

15. Season 8, Episode 1: The Divorce - Lawyers and girl scout cookies cause problems for Larry as his divorce to Cheryl goes through and he loses out on Dodgers club tickets.

16. Season 2, Episode 7: The Doll - Larry makes the daughter of a TV executive cry after cutting her doll's hair and a broken bathroom latch causes major issues.

17. Season 5, Episode 8: The Ski Lift - Larry hopes to convince the leader of the kidney consortium to move Richard Lewis up on the list for a new organ, but it ends in disaster.

18. Season 8, Episode 5: Vow of Silence - Larry loses his head over some pig parkers, the "chat & cut" is introduced and Oscar does not get his last meal. R.I.P.

19. Season 2, Episode 3: Trick or Treat - Larry's nasty exchange with two teenagers trick or treating without costumes is the centerpiece.

20. Season 10, Episode 8: Elizabeth, Margaret and Phillip - Jon Hamm is hilarious while he mirrors Larry for a future project ... playing Mr. David.


Honorable Mention: Mary, Joseph and Larry (Larry wrecks Christmas), The Bat Mitzvah (Larry has an itch), Beloved Aunt (A typo ruins an obit written by Larry), The Nanny from Hell (Pound cake saves Susie from Cheri Oteri), The Black Swan (Larry commits murder on the golf course), Vehicular Fellatio (car hijinks), The Seder (Larry gets his newspaper stolen), Denise Handicap (Larry finds some advantages dating the disabled), The Shrimp Incident (Larry gets screwed out of some shrimp), The Bare Midriff (Larry is saved on the roof by flabby skin), Interior Decorator (Larry is tackled by a Decorator), Never Wait for Seconds (Fatwa! Off), Shaq (Larry accidentally trips Mr. O'Neal), Thor (Professional wrestler slashes Larry's tires).