It’s pretty bad, to put it mildly.
Watching Larry David’s latest attempt at capturing American life in HBO’s new series “Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness,” dedicated to the country’s 250th anniversary, left me contemplating a personal secession.
For decades, viewers have been trained, much like Pavlov’s dogs, to burst into laughter at the mere sight of David, the brilliant mind behind “Seinfeld” and the beloved cynical character starring in “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”
This time, however, the familiar bringer of laughs, whose real-life persona inspired George Costanza, is greeted with uncomfortable silence. The usual comedic spell breaks in this jarring seven-episode series, notably brought to life by the production team of comedy heavyweights Barack and Michelle Obama.
In the inaugural episode of “Unhappiness,” which certainly lives up to its name, not even a hint of amusement crossed my face. Instead, frowns, glowers, and scowls dominated my expression, prompting a personal twist on a familiar national tune: And the critic’s red glare! The jokes bursting on air!
The show’s shtick is that it plops David and his usually hilarious modern gripes and grievances into major moments in American history: the writing of the Declaration of Independence, the trenches of World War I.
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In one scene, he plays telephone inventor Alexander Graham Bell as he first demonstrates his device. But the chatty guy on the other end, played by Richard Kind, is so annoying that Bell hangs up.
Another imagines Rosa Parks (Jurnee Smollett) on an earlier bus ride than the pivotal one that sparked a movement. She sits next to David’s character Murray, who jabbers on so much that she voluntarily moves to the back to shake him.
The skits are more amusing when described than viewed because a synopsis takes 10 seconds, not five minutes.
Onscreen, the segments arrive at their obvious destination fast and then linger there far too long — a personal quality that “Curb” Larry would surely not approve of.
It also does the vignettes no favors that they are all borderline identical and, unlike in a great “Curb” episode, don’t add up to a big payoff.
I can understand why David signed onto this. The series was the brainchild of stand-up-comic legend President Obama. It’s hard to say “no” to a previous commander in chief (who’s embarked on a weird Hollywood career), even when you play a character beloved for saying “no” to pretty much everybody else.
Also, one of David’s biggest inspirations early in his career was Mel Brooks. Maybe he thought that “Unhappiness” would be his very own “History of the World: Part I.”
Well, he wound up with something closer to Brooks’ 2023 Hulu show, “History of the World: Part II” — hated by the few people who actually watched it.
How depressing. To my mind, David is just about the funniest man on the planet. This feels like a kidnapping.
And if he was so intent on making more semi-improvisational TV that takes advantage of his grouchy persona — using the same bits from “Curb,” by the way — he should’ve just made another season of “Curb.” That series’ worst episode is ten times better than this.
David had an unique path to celebrity. He made his fortune with “Seinfeld” behind the scenes and then became famous playing a fictionalized version of himself for an impressive 24 years. In the minds of audiences, he and his TV double have merged.
So, wherever he goes, he always portrays amped-up “Larry David” — his Bernie Sanders on “Saturday Night Live” was that with hiked-up shoulders — because that’s what he knows and what people want.
Yet, as his disappointing latest HBO effort proves, Larry’s bitter, picky antics don’t fit in everywhere. Really, I’m convinced 2024’s terrific finale of “Curb” should have marked the end of them.
Alas.
For David’s sake, let’s hope that “Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness” winds up a footnote in his own history.