History According to Larry David; Why the Creator of Seinfeld Will Never Retire

According to the CinemaDrame News Agency, when the hit series Curb Your Enthusiasm came to an end in 2024 after 24 years on the air, fans worried it would be the last time they would see Larry David on their television screens. He had repeatedly stated that the comedy had run its course, finally wrapping it up with its twelfth season. At the time, he told Variety: “I’ve said it was ending before, but I wasn’t 76 when I said it!”

However, Jeff Schaffer, his long-time collaborator—who joined the Seinfeld writing team in his early twenties and later became a key creative force behind Curb Your Enthusiasm—always knew David would return to television.

On the eve of the premiere of their new series, Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness—a historical sketch comedy that Schaffer describes as “Curb in period costume”—Schaffer shared via Zoom: “We’re like a cicada swarm, except you don’t have to wait 17 years for us to come back!” Schaffer co-created the project alongside Larry David and directed all seven episodes.

The series, which premiered on HBO on June 26, is produced by Barack Obama, who also makes an appearance in one of the segments. In this production, Larry David plays his signature archetype—selfish, narrow-minded, and inconsiderate men throughout history. For instance, while the Founding Fathers are striving to liberate the colonies from British tyranny, Larry (named Lawrence here) suggests that sharing desserts and umbrellas should be banned under the Declaration of Independence! In another alternate historical timeline, Larry defends Rosa Parks on a bus—not out of any passion for civil rights or black struggles, but simply because he has the aisle seat and doesn’t want to stand up to let someone else pass!

In other words, the series is a celebration of America’s 250th anniversary, but one that smashes a little cake right in the country’s face.

Below are excerpts from Jeff Schaffer’s engaging interview with Variety:

Larry David’s Obsession with Work and American History

I didn’t expect to see a new project from you and Larry so soon after the finale of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

When that show ended, we were kicking around a few ideas when this proposal suddenly came up. Larry usually rejects every single opportunity pitched to him; he is the master of the “no!” But this one genuinely caught his eye, and we immediately started writing. The initial idea came from the Obamas. They wanted to do something to honor America’s 250th anniversary, and since Larry is a massive American history buff, he loved the concept of traveling back through time.

When Curb ended, fans were worried Larry might retire from television entirely. But you never shared that concern.

Larry cannot sit still. He is the type of person who never stops working, even during his downtime; he is always writing and coming up with new ideas. We were actually in the early stages of brainstorming other post-Curb projects—we were thinking about a feature film and a miniseries—but this project felt far more compelling for several reasons. One was collaborating with Obama, and the other was that it had a hard deadline; it absolutely had to be ready for the semiquincentennial anniversary. Besides, Larry is obsessed with American history. This is a man who literally has Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” framed in his office bathroom so he doesn’t waste any time!

This series bears a striking narrative resemblance to Curb Your Enthusiasm. Were the film and miniseries ideas similar in tone?

We never wander far from our own comedic sandbox and tone. Larry still has an endless supply of pristine ideas. I always say: “As long as you can walk out into the street and get completely aggravated by the behavior of your fellow human beings, we will always have work!” So it’s just a matter of what vessel we put those ideas into. Larry’s comedy since the days of Seinfeld has always been the clash between the macro and the micro—the idea that a massive historical event is unfolding, yet Larry’s entire focus is hyper-fixated on something incredibly petty and stupid.

Jerry Seinfeld’s Presence and Reimagining Historical Tropes

How scripted was the structure of this show compared to the heavily improvised format of Curb Your Enthusiasm?

The writing and shooting process was very similar to our previous work. There wasn’t a full traditional script; rather, we worked from a detailed outline. Granted, we had more defined narrative parameters due to the historical context, but it was still heavily grounded in improvisation. The main difference was that this project is far more cinematic than anything we’ve done before. Larry didn’t want these segments to look like cheap, conventional comedy sketches; he wanted them to feel like short films. We built authentic sets, like actual World War I trenches, to make everything look as real as possible, and then we dropped Larry right into the middle of it to create chaos!

Were there specific actors you had in mind for roles from the very beginning?

Yes, from day one, we knew Larry had to be the guy who suggested to Abraham Lincoln that he should go see that infamous play [where Lincoln was assassinated]! Larry insisted that Kathryn Hahn should play Mary Todd Lincoln and Bill Hader should play Lincoln. Also, when we were writing the “Lewis and Clark” sketch, it reminded us of those 1950s sitcom dynamics, and we thought how incredible it would be to reunite Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld in that specific setting.

Larry David’s Back-and-Forth with Barack Obama

Tell us about Barack Obama’s role as an executive producer. Did he ever use his executive powers behind the scenes?

Using a presidential veto to secure more production budget would have been fantastic! I wish I had thought of saying the President ordered a three-day extension on filming! Joking aside, Obama’s feedback was incredibly valuable. He had read a ton of material before our very first meeting and truly loved the concept. He once offered a specific note on a segment, and Larry went, “Yeah, yeah, we’ll fix it.” Obama jokingly retorted, “I’ve been talking for half an hour about how funny this show is, and I give you one note and you get defensive? I listened to my advisors in the White House and I was the President of the United States!” Larry immediately fired back, “Yes, but I am the President of this show!”

This project has been billed as a limited series, but if the opportunity arises, would you be open to making future seasons?

We had an absolutely wonderful time. Larry is someone who said every single season of his previous show was going to be the last one! Nothing gives him more pleasure than finishing a job, but at the same time, he never actually stops working. That’s one of the fascinating paradoxes of Larry David; he counts down the minutes until a project ends, yet simultaneously starts mapping out the next one. I am certain we will collaborate on something else, because there is still so much unexamined history left, and as I said, people are still incredibly annoying!