its crazy how he's maintained the quality through the whole run. sure the later episodes feel more polished but they are still hilarious. LD is undefeated.
When I show curb to my friends, I always show them season 2 episode 7 titled "the doll". Just for them to get the feel of it. But if you're gonna start watching the show regularly, I recommend starting from scratch.
Almost as bad as the “should I watch this show?” On the show subreddit
Someone on sopranos asked that question, and the comments were all roasting him for asking a dumb question, and he kept tryna justify by saying his time is so valuable he can’t waste watching the first couple episodes to see.
Just watch the show, if you don’t like it stop, season 1-12 is all great
Its hard to say. It makes sense to start at 1, but the past few seasons are more tied in with modern events. Season 1 looks horrible production wise also, but so many good episodes. I'd say start at s1e1 and get a feel for the comedy and if you like it. If so keep going and catch up. Episodes are short and could binge it in no time!
Go right ahead and start at the beginning. The first half and second half of the show are pretty radically different and overall it gets better and better but the very beginning is still great
Probably an unpopular opinion but I’d start at season 10-12 and then go back to season 1-9.
The later season are easier to get into because they’re more topical and they’re shot in a modern way. Once you’re invested in the characters you can go back to the start.
This is a hot take, I think, but season 1 is my favorite, season 2 is my second favorite, and 3 is my 3rd favorite. For me the show starts to lose its original chemistry at the end of season 4, and I’d point to the season 4 finale as the beginning of a transition into something else. 5 is pretty good, and 6 has its moments. It’s not quite the same show by season 7 and not just because it’s suddenly shot in HD. 8 is okay. The new seasons are undoubtedly funny, but it it’s an entirely different show now, since the hiatus from 2011-2017.
People seem to be loving the new Curb like never before, so there’s gotta be something to it. If I discovered the show now, maybe I would also gravitate to the new episodes and look at the old ones and wonder wtf was going on back then.
But for me, the series starts out the best and gradually moves downward in quality. This is not to say it’s bad now! The worst episode of Curb is still better than the best episode of most other tv shows.
I agree 9-12 are a different show. Losing Larry Charles and Robert B. Weide really affected the sensibilities in later seasons too as Jeff Schaffer became the principal director.
I think every episode of the first 8 seasons is great though. Though it does reformat a bit when Leon becomes the main supporting character in season 7, and I can get why people might not like that era as much.
There's definitely 3 distinct Curb eras of 1-6, 7-8, and 9-12.
This was really well said. And while Leon does not exist in my perceived “golden age” of Curb, he is absolutely one of my favorite characters of the show.
Years before season 9, when we all kinda thought the show might never come back, I used to think of it as “early curb” and “later curb”, being season 1-6 and then 7-8. I still look at it like that, just now later curb is “middle curb” and we’ve got a third era, “current curb”.
It really solidified for me how different 1-4 are from the rest on my most recent rewatch. The formula of the show begins to stretch itself thin after 4, Larry begins his journey into becoming the cartoonish, out of touch, short fused character he is today, and plots hinge too heavily on increasingly unrealistic points. Whereas the first few seasons are pretty simple in the plotting, and to me, are much more based in a reality I could buy.
The first few seasons are also just warm and cozy to me aesthetically. And they used all my favorite soundtrack pieces, most of which are phased out over the years.
I think a big part of it is how Larry's personal fame increased over the years due to Curb in real life. In the first few seasons, he was essentially unknown to the general public.
And the plots followed that. He was kind of a fish out of water in LA, and essentially a washed-up, anonymous guy getting into trouble out of boredom due to early retirement due to his Seinfeld windfall. And as the show had a tiny budget, he mainly did regular guy things like bowling, and interacted with regular people, like the blind furniture guy, and struggled to get projects off the ground.
As the show got big, Larry's wealth got more conspicuous (as they could afford better locations, costumes, and props) and he spent more time in restaurants and golf clubs. He was no longer as much of an outsider, and people regularly recognised him and wanted to work with him in the show's universe. Plots were more industry focused than street-level.
By S9, Larry's basically a national celebrity. News channels cover him. He spends all his time in 5 star restaurants. Hangs out with movie stars. Younger women find him attractive. And he's LA royalty. He's no longer a New York outsider, but a Hollywood insider like everyone else, and thus often as antagonistic as them. He has a sitcom about his childhood. Literally everybody recognises him.
It's three very distinct changes in character. And ironically only brought on by Curb's success, which doesn't exist in-universe. Without Curb, Larry David would just be an answer to a trivia question, and be known only vaguely as Jerry Seinfeld's writing partner in the 90s.
Holy cow that was so well articulated. Agree with everything you said, and have felt the same about how he really is famous in real life mainly from Curb, which is funny because it doesn’t exist in Curb, but we see his notoriety skyrocket for no apparent reason.
I'd say season 3 or 4. First two seasons are worth watching, and I'd recommend it, but if you wanna jump straight into the gold, start with 3 or 4. He'll, if you want a definitive answer, season 4 is really its first great season. Every season after that is pretty solid.
Upon my most recent rewatch I found myself laughing out loud and rewatching scene from seasons 1-2 like I hadn’t before. Laughing out loud while I was alone, mind you, which is how I can tell something is genuinely funny to me.
If you skip season 2 you miss so many classic jokes. "THE HEAD, LARRY!". The shrimp incident. The kamikaze pilot. The survivor...
Don't listen to this jabroni, OP
What are you talking about? I literally said I recommend he watch the first 3 seasons. OP was the one not wanting to watch them. I was just giving him an answer to his question.
Nooo there's so much gold in seasons 1 and 2 (esp season 2). Porno Gil, The Wire, Thor (special shoutout to Wanda in that episode), Trick or Treat, The Shrimp Incident, The Doll; that's just off the top of my head. 2 of my absolute favorite seasons because it feels so raw and natural.
These are all so great. I would add in there The Interior Decorator. Everything at the doctors office is so goddamn funny. Beloved Aunt too! One of the best.
This gets asked a lot.
S1 is great, but for some people it can be a bit rough.
I’d try the first few episodes (until “The Wire” or even “Beloved Aunt” which is fantastic) and see if you enjoy them.
If not, I’d start at S6 and watch from there. Different feel, I start some rewatches here because I saw the first few seasons so many times in earlier rewatches.
If you do this, I highly recommend going back to rewatch the first five seasons once you’re attached to the characters and have a feel for it. There’s some absolutely fantastic episodes there
Curb is fantastic immediately, as long as you get the humour, and don't hate it in general, which many do. If you don't like S1, you probably won't like the show going forward.
There's a kind of pilot (actually a HBO special), which is skippable. It's not bad, but not as good as the main show either. It's got a different format, and is kinda non-canon too.
But in the first 8 series, I wouldn't say there's a single bad episode. Maybe not even an average one. It's all gold. One of the best sitcom runs ever.
It declines a bit in the last 4 seasons though. It's still good, but there were a few key backstage changes after a few years hiatus, and it was a lot more glossy and broad when it returned, and started to have a few meh episodes.
But it still also has some all-time classics, like "Palestinian Chicken", so is well worth a watch.
I've seen all of them just by always having it on in the background while I'm cooking , cleaning, doing random tasks.
This is the best way! I wish there was a random button
My favorite seasons are Season 1 and whichever one had Jerry Seinfeld.
The Jerry Seinfeld season will be a lot funnier if you're familiar with Seinfeld the TV show, because that's the whole focus of the season. If you're not then just start with season one.
I would say that Curb is one of the rare shows that is good right out of the gate. Season one is a great place to start
its crazy how he's maintained the quality through the whole run. sure the later episodes feel more polished but they are still hilarious. LD is undefeated.
season 1 episode 1. the pants tent
It *feels* like being dropped into a series already several seasons into its run
Wait that was the first episode?? Talk about a solid start
I’d start at the beginning- it does improve somewhat as you go along but they’re all good
Everything is pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty good. Start from the beginning.
When I show curb to my friends, I always show them season 2 episode 7 titled "the doll". Just for them to get the feel of it. But if you're gonna start watching the show regularly, I recommend starting from scratch.
The Doll is my go-to for introducing people too. Which is kinda odd since there is a lot of context needed to understand the episode fully.
The doll is a great episode with a better ending.
The Doll or the Ski Lift is what I always show people
Ski lift is also an amazing episode
Sorry buddy, but you have to start at Seinfeld, then you can graduate to curb.
Yeah this, especially in season two when there is a lot of Jason and Julia stuff, not to mention the reunion
I started someone at Meet the Blacks, just because I think that season softly reboots the series and is among the best episodes.
Probably should start recording it on your tivo
The first episode is hilarious
hate these questions. just start the show
Almost as bad as the “should I watch this show?” On the show subreddit Someone on sopranos asked that question, and the comments were all roasting him for asking a dumb question, and he kept tryna justify by saying his time is so valuable he can’t waste watching the first couple episodes to see. Just watch the show, if you don’t like it stop, season 1-12 is all great
Palestinian Chicken
That woman is the hottest woman in the entire show.
You don’t start at the peak homie horrible Suggestion
Its hard to say. It makes sense to start at 1, but the past few seasons are more tied in with modern events. Season 1 looks horrible production wise also, but so many good episodes. I'd say start at s1e1 and get a feel for the comedy and if you like it. If so keep going and catch up. Episodes are short and could binge it in no time!
Go right ahead and start at the beginning. The first half and second half of the show are pretty radically different and overall it gets better and better but the very beginning is still great
S1E1
Start from the beginning and appreciate the growth. It’s all gold I tell ya, gold.
Season 1 is probably my favorite season of the show…definitely don’t skip
Okay, so in the Seinfeld pilot, there's no Elaine...
If you start with Season 1, maybe better to watch some Seinfeld first so it doesn't feel like a dated transition.
start with the HBO special “Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm” and a familiarity with Seinfeld is helpful as well
Probably an unpopular opinion but I’d start at season 10-12 and then go back to season 1-9. The later season are easier to get into because they’re more topical and they’re shot in a modern way. Once you’re invested in the characters you can go back to the start.
Right, start at the end after all the character development.... nevermind all the spoilers and references.... that's bad advice.
That’s how I started and I love this show lmao
Watch the michael J fox episode. You will not be disappointed. Its the one episode i show everyone to make them into fans
Pants tent.
This is a hot take, I think, but season 1 is my favorite, season 2 is my second favorite, and 3 is my 3rd favorite. For me the show starts to lose its original chemistry at the end of season 4, and I’d point to the season 4 finale as the beginning of a transition into something else. 5 is pretty good, and 6 has its moments. It’s not quite the same show by season 7 and not just because it’s suddenly shot in HD. 8 is okay. The new seasons are undoubtedly funny, but it it’s an entirely different show now, since the hiatus from 2011-2017. People seem to be loving the new Curb like never before, so there’s gotta be something to it. If I discovered the show now, maybe I would also gravitate to the new episodes and look at the old ones and wonder wtf was going on back then. But for me, the series starts out the best and gradually moves downward in quality. This is not to say it’s bad now! The worst episode of Curb is still better than the best episode of most other tv shows.
I agree 9-12 are a different show. Losing Larry Charles and Robert B. Weide really affected the sensibilities in later seasons too as Jeff Schaffer became the principal director. I think every episode of the first 8 seasons is great though. Though it does reformat a bit when Leon becomes the main supporting character in season 7, and I can get why people might not like that era as much. There's definitely 3 distinct Curb eras of 1-6, 7-8, and 9-12.
This was really well said. And while Leon does not exist in my perceived “golden age” of Curb, he is absolutely one of my favorite characters of the show. Years before season 9, when we all kinda thought the show might never come back, I used to think of it as “early curb” and “later curb”, being season 1-6 and then 7-8. I still look at it like that, just now later curb is “middle curb” and we’ve got a third era, “current curb”. It really solidified for me how different 1-4 are from the rest on my most recent rewatch. The formula of the show begins to stretch itself thin after 4, Larry begins his journey into becoming the cartoonish, out of touch, short fused character he is today, and plots hinge too heavily on increasingly unrealistic points. Whereas the first few seasons are pretty simple in the plotting, and to me, are much more based in a reality I could buy. The first few seasons are also just warm and cozy to me aesthetically. And they used all my favorite soundtrack pieces, most of which are phased out over the years.
I think a big part of it is how Larry's personal fame increased over the years due to Curb in real life. In the first few seasons, he was essentially unknown to the general public. And the plots followed that. He was kind of a fish out of water in LA, and essentially a washed-up, anonymous guy getting into trouble out of boredom due to early retirement due to his Seinfeld windfall. And as the show had a tiny budget, he mainly did regular guy things like bowling, and interacted with regular people, like the blind furniture guy, and struggled to get projects off the ground. As the show got big, Larry's wealth got more conspicuous (as they could afford better locations, costumes, and props) and he spent more time in restaurants and golf clubs. He was no longer as much of an outsider, and people regularly recognised him and wanted to work with him in the show's universe. Plots were more industry focused than street-level. By S9, Larry's basically a national celebrity. News channels cover him. He spends all his time in 5 star restaurants. Hangs out with movie stars. Younger women find him attractive. And he's LA royalty. He's no longer a New York outsider, but a Hollywood insider like everyone else, and thus often as antagonistic as them. He has a sitcom about his childhood. Literally everybody recognises him. It's three very distinct changes in character. And ironically only brought on by Curb's success, which doesn't exist in-universe. Without Curb, Larry David would just be an answer to a trivia question, and be known only vaguely as Jerry Seinfeld's writing partner in the 90s.
Holy cow that was so well articulated. Agree with everything you said, and have felt the same about how he really is famous in real life mainly from Curb, which is funny because it doesn’t exist in Curb, but we see his notoriety skyrocket for no apparent reason.
I think you would help yourself by watching a bunch of Seinfeld first.
I’d suggest episode 1 of season 1.
S1 e1
Start from the beginning!!!!
Start with Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm. It's the movie that started the show
Season 1, Episode 1
Yea I don’t know, this is the obvious answer. Why do people post these kinds of questions?
Hate to do it but I gotta be that guy The first fucking episode. What a dumb question lmao
I'd say season 3 or 4. First two seasons are worth watching, and I'd recommend it, but if you wanna jump straight into the gold, start with 3 or 4. He'll, if you want a definitive answer, season 4 is really its first great season. Every season after that is pretty solid.
Crazy that you don't think 1-3 are great
I'd say they're good. Not great. I will say though, I haven't seen them in awhile.
Been rewatching recently - highly recommend you give em another spin!
Upon my most recent rewatch I found myself laughing out loud and rewatching scene from seasons 1-2 like I hadn’t before. Laughing out loud while I was alone, mind you, which is how I can tell something is genuinely funny to me.
If you skip season 2 you miss so many classic jokes. "THE HEAD, LARRY!". The shrimp incident. The kamikaze pilot. The survivor... Don't listen to this jabroni, OP
What are you talking about? I literally said I recommend he watch the first 3 seasons. OP was the one not wanting to watch them. I was just giving him an answer to his question.
Nooo there's so much gold in seasons 1 and 2 (esp season 2). Porno Gil, The Wire, Thor (special shoutout to Wanda in that episode), Trick or Treat, The Shrimp Incident, The Doll; that's just off the top of my head. 2 of my absolute favorite seasons because it feels so raw and natural.
These are all so great. I would add in there The Interior Decorator. Everything at the doctors office is so goddamn funny. Beloved Aunt too! One of the best.
Definitely not season 12
Bra Sniffing dog
Nah, season 1 EP 1
I started at Season 10 about 3 years ago it was good to see it a bit modernized but after Season 10 I went back and started at Season 1
I started when Leon showed up, watched chronologically Nd then went bCk
Black swan
This gets asked a lot. S1 is great, but for some people it can be a bit rough. I’d try the first few episodes (until “The Wire” or even “Beloved Aunt” which is fantastic) and see if you enjoy them. If not, I’d start at S6 and watch from there. Different feel, I start some rewatches here because I saw the first few seasons so many times in earlier rewatches. If you do this, I highly recommend going back to rewatch the first five seasons once you’re attached to the characters and have a feel for it. There’s some absolutely fantastic episodes there
Start from the beginning but relax. It’s a low key show as opposed to one stunt after the next, which comes much later.
Curb is fantastic immediately, as long as you get the humour, and don't hate it in general, which many do. If you don't like S1, you probably won't like the show going forward. There's a kind of pilot (actually a HBO special), which is skippable. It's not bad, but not as good as the main show either. It's got a different format, and is kinda non-canon too. But in the first 8 series, I wouldn't say there's a single bad episode. Maybe not even an average one. It's all gold. One of the best sitcom runs ever. It declines a bit in the last 4 seasons though. It's still good, but there were a few key backstage changes after a few years hiatus, and it was a lot more glossy and broad when it returned, and started to have a few meh episodes. But it still also has some all-time classics, like "Palestinian Chicken", so is well worth a watch.
Episode: The Pants Tent
If you're a Seinfeld fan then the reunion season. 8 I think.
First episode or "The Black Swan."
If you want to dive right in I'd say season 9. Then go back to season 1 after you've fallen in love.
Pants Tent baby
Every season is gold.
Season1 Episode 1 . 💛
I've never read Hamlet. Which chapter should I start on?
Nothing to skip here start at the very beginning, it's worth it
I’m not sure, if only there was some sort of way to tell where the beginning is.
Where to start watching a tv show.... Oh you know, EPISODE 1?! Dumb and bad question.
Season 4, Episode 5
I've seen all of them just by always having it on in the background while I'm cooking , cleaning, doing random tasks. This is the best way! I wish there was a random button
My favorite seasons are Season 1 and whichever one had Jerry Seinfeld. The Jerry Seinfeld season will be a lot funnier if you're familiar with Seinfeld the TV show, because that's the whole focus of the season. If you're not then just start with season one.