Top 5 TV Series to Stream If You’re a Fan of Curb Your Enthusiasm

Counted among television’s greatest sitcoms, “Seinfeld” set the bar high for comedy. In its wake, co-creator Larry David found himself enjoying unprecedented creative liberty. With this freedom, he ventured into a project similar in spirit to “Seinfeld,” yet offering more room for artistic expression. Transitioning from NBC to HBO, David introduced the world to “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

Echoing the “show about nothing” philosophy of “Seinfeld,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” brought David to the screen himself, albeit as an exaggerated version. This series captures David basking in his “Seinfeld” success while grappling with mundane life’s frustrations. His character often bristles at excessive public displays of affection or when individuals flout a store’s policy on free samples. Known for his own set of irrational rules, David’s insistence on these leads to comically awkward situations and misunderstandings.

The brilliance of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” lies in its ability to transform trivial matters into comedic chaos. With two influential comedies to his name, David’s reputation as a comedic mastermind is well-earned. For those seeking similar humor and cringe-worthy moments after devouring all 12 seasons of “Curb,” rest assured, the world of cringe comedy is plentiful and varied.

After finishing “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Seinfeld” stands out as the quintessential follow-up for any viewer, especially if it’s uncharted territory. Dominating the TV landscape of the 1990s, “Seinfeld” remains uproariously funny today, having marked a shift from the emotionally driven sitcoms of its era to something refreshingly unique.

Renowned for its focus on life’s trivialities, “Seinfeld” was a trailblazer in its time. The characters didn’t undergo life-changing developments, which allowed them to remain delightfully flawed throughout the series. Jerry Seinfeld’s character, for instance, notoriously dismissed romantic prospects over minor issues. A memorable example from Season 6, “The Switch,” showcases Jerry ending things with a partner who, instead of laughing, merely comments, “That’s funny.”

Situations like that serve as essential connective tissue between “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Characters on both shows will obsess over a tiny social faux pas or character flaw and wind up coming across as jerks in the process. Some jokes are just too good and must crossover. On “The Dinner Party” episode of “Seinfeld,” Jerry and Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) complain about getting told “Happy New Year’s” too far away from January 1. Larry complains about the same thing on a Season 10 episode of “Curb” literally titled “Happy New Year.” We suppose there are only so many things to complain about…

Larry David had two rules on the set of “Seinfeld,” namely no learning and no hugging. It emphasizes how characters shouldn’t learn lessons or grow as people over the years. That carried over into “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” and you can see the same DNA in “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.”

It could be considered the modern “Seinfeld” and how it’s effectively about nothing, and after two decades, the core cast of characters remain truly sociopathic. If anything, they’ve only gotten worse over the years, as they’ve been allowed to fester in their own eccentricities and hatred toward the world. A typical “Always Sunny” episode sees the cast trying to scam people or get ahead in life in some way, often through deceit and manipulation. And it always ends up backfiring on them in the end. It’s similar to how Larry on “Curb Your Enthusiasm” will have some deeply held belief, only to have it come back to bite him in the end. 

But both shows also have a similar rhythm. A lot of improvisation took place on “Curb.” “Always Sunny” is largely scripted, but with characters constantly talking over one another and arguing, it has a more off-the-cuff feel compared to other, more traditional sitcoms. You don’t watch either show to see the characters grow. If anything, you watch to see how far they can fall. 

Larry David wasn’t the only one who jumped ship to HBO following “Seinfeld.” Julia Louis-Dreyfus, who played Elaine on “Seinfeld,” got to lead her own exceptional comedy series with “Veep.” She plays Selina Meyer, who shared a lot of DNA with Elaine, as they’re both fairly self-absorbed individuals. But in Selina’s case, she just so happens to be the Vice President of the United States, so she tries to emit a certain persona to the public that’s at odds with how she truly feels about the boring day-to-day operations of being a politician.

Selina Meyer is ruthlessly ambitious, serving as a neat contrast to Amy Poehler’s Leslie Knope. Whereas Leslie saw the best in people, Selina is far more pessimistic and narcissistic. She goes against the girlboss archetype and wants power purely for the sake of having power. “Veep” has a deeply cynical outlook on the government, which is perhaps why it’s predicted the future on several occasions, like Selina coming under fire for her emails, which is what would dog Hilary Clinton during the 2016 presidential campaign. 

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” has very low stakes. With “Veep,” Selina and her eccentric team are steering the fate of the country, adding a whole new angle to the cringe comedy.

Maybe you want a similar cringe comedy vibe to “Curb Your Enthusiasm” without committing to a 30-minute episode. In that case, you need the sketch comedy stylings of “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson.” Each episode is comprised of a few different sketches, so even if one bit doesn’t work for you, you won’t have to wait long to see another.

But the sketch series homes in on reactions to awkward social situations like “Curb.” For example, one of the funniest “I Think You Should Leave” sketches involves a man (Robinson) getting offended that the birthday boy (Steven Yeun) had a muted response to his gift. So in retaliation, he eats the gift receipt. You also have a man (also Robinson) leaving a job interview and accidentally pulling on a push-only door, only to proceed to pull until the door comes off its hinges and opens. 

Both “I Think You Should Leave” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm” tap into the idea that being perceived as cringe is one of the worst things that can happen to a person. You have characters who insist the world should operate by a certain set of rules, no matter how arbitrary they seem. But “Curb” remains firmly grounded in reality. As a sketch show, “I Think You Should Leave” escalates awkward situations to bizarre extremes, sometimes even getting into horror territory.

“I’m Sorry” is basically “Curb Your Enthusiasm” with a female lead (and a central marriage where the two spouses seem to actually like each other). The show follows Andrea Warren (Andrea Savage), a comedy writer navigating the complexities of being a working mom, who has no issues with pointing out the ridiculousness of certain social situations. That includes being handed a live fish as a party favor for a kid’s birthday. 

A lot of the comedy comes from Andrea navigating two very different worlds — hanging out with her comedy friends and other mothers. She often misjudges what is and isn’t appropriate to say around non-comedians, leading to plenty of foot-in-mouth situations. It’s just a shame the sitcom got the short end of the stick for coming out right before COVID-19. “I’m Sorry” ran for two seasons and was actually renewed for a third, but following COVID shutdowns, that third season was cancelled. 

As such, “I’m Sorry” remains an underseen gem. It doesn’t have the same social cache as something like “Seinfeld,” but if your favorite shows involve a lead character constantly saying the wrong thing, “I’m Sorry” will scratch that itch.