Curb Your Enthusiasm Might Be Ending for Real This Time

Larry David may have curbed his enthusiasm for the last time. In a now-deleted tweet Curb Your Enthusiasm writer and producer Jon Hayman posted a photo of himself and David on set, writing: “Maybe you love the show. Maybe you hate the show. Maybe you don’t give a sh*t. In any event, shooting the last scene of the last episode of the final season.” Richard Lewis also tweeted out an emotional goodbye on March 25, saying that it was his final scene of #Curb12. While Lewis didn’t explicitly say his last episode ever, the sense of reflection on the series certainly felt final. According to The Hollywood Reporter, sources have told the publication that Season 12 of the comedy will likely be its last.

Until David officially says he’s done, however, it seems like the door is always open for more Curb. In a 2022 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the show’s executive producer Jeff Schaffer said of Season 11, “I know I say this all the time, but every season is the last season. And I wanted to prepare as if it was the last one.” He said they even shot a real Larry David death scene to finish things off for good, but then David decided he wasn’t ready for the characterized version of himself to die.

Schaffer said the same thing in a 2017 interview with Metro when asked if Season 9 would be the last season. “It’s built so that it could easily be the final ‘Curb’ of all time,” he said. “Or not.” David’s character spent the entirety of that season trying to get rid of a fatwa placed on him by the Ayatollah, but in the finale even after it was lifted, he’s chased after by someone trying to still take him out. The audience had no clue if he survived or not until Season 10 premiered three years later. Even earlier still, Season 5 ended with David actually dying only to be returned back to Earth after arguing too much with his guardian angels. No matter how final the Season 12 ending may seem, there’s always a chance that David will make it out alive.

The bigger indicator that this may be the end is that, according to THR, David’s open-door pact with HBO — there’s been an understanding that David can make as many or as few more seasons of the show as he’d like — is up this year, meaning he would have to draw up a new contract with the network.

Another complication in moving the series forward could be Jeff Garlin’s prominent role in the series. The actor left his starring role on The Goldbergs in 2021 following multiple misconduct allegations and HR investigations. Recently his Goldbergs co-star Wendi McLendon-Covey spoke out about the incident, saying that his exit from the show was “a long time coming.”

At the time of Curb’s Season 12 renewal, Garlin was still listed as part of the returning cast. Neither David nor HBO have commented on the whether or not Season 12 will indeed be Curb’s last.

UPDATE (Monday, April 3 at 5:40 PM ET): There may be more Curb Your Enthusiasm after all. Executive producer Jeff Schaffer says a decision hasn't yet been made about whether or not the series will continue. In a statement to Deadline, he reiterated that every season has been approached as if it was the last, and this was no different. 

“Larry’s put all the ideas he likes into the season," Schaffer said. "He’s the only one who thinks he’s never gonna have another good idea. So, of course, he’s done for a while. But you know, usually he goes out and has spirited encounters with the westside of Los Angeles and then ideas come. So we’re in the same spot we’re always in. It’s just business as usual.”

Curb Your Enthusiasm Seasons 1 through 11 are streaming on HBO Max. Join the discussion about the show in our forums.

Brianna Wellen is a TV Reporter at Primetimer who became obsessed with television when her parents let her stay up late to watch E.R.