HBO’s longest-running scripted series Curb Your Enthusiasm may be coming to an end after producers hinted on social media that the upcoming twelfth season could be the show's last.
According to a now-deleted tweet from writer and producer Jon Hayman, the crew finished “shooting the last scene of the last episode of the final season.”
Created by legendary Jewish comedian Larry David, who has written or co-written every episode since its pilot in 1999, the show follows a semi-fictionalised and exaggerated version of himself as a retired television writer.
Apart from a six-year hiatus after its eighth season, the show has spanned nearly two decades and received high critical acclaim, with 47 primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series for nine of its eleven seasons.
Maybe you love the show. Maybe you hate the show. Maybe you don't give a shit. In any event, shooting the last scene of the last episode of the final season.
— Curb Your Enthusiasm - Larry David Latest News (@curb_david) March 28, 2023
- Jon Hayman - Curb Producer pic.twitter.com/pLr1LHRCgt
The comedy show is known to take long breaks between seasons due to enjoying an open invitation from HBO without a strict timeline.
The show often features guest stars playing dramatised versions of themselves, from Ben Stiller to Jon Hamm, and primarily revolves around the minutiae of everyday social life. Each season has ten episodes and contains its own story arc, which is introduced in the first episode.
1st day: March, 1999. Last day of Season 12: March 27, 2023. These 24 years have flown by. Thank you, #LarryDavid. What a trip. #CurbYourEnthusiasm. #DirectedByRobertBWeide. pic.twitter.com/7AYNrD7jDK
— Robert B. Weide (@BobWeide) March 29, 2023
According to a recent interview with producer Jeff Schaffer, when David does a season, he puts “every idea that he really likes into that season. So, at the end of the season, there’s this hole – there aren’t any ideas that he really likes – so how could he possibly do another season? He’s the only person on the planet who doesn’t think he’s going to come up with more good ideas.”
Schaffer told The Hollywood Reporter last year that the crew had shot David’s death scene as a possible ending to season 11, but in the end went in a different direction. When asked about his reaction to the potential series-ender, David reportedly said: “I’m not ready to die.”
There I was a few hours ago in my trailer on location to shoot my last scene of #Curb12.
— Richard Lewis (@TheRichardLewis) March 25, 2023
Hard to believe we started in 2000. The cast and crew all knew we were working for a genius. When that rarity happens, no one ever takes a moment for granted. We love you LD. pic.twitter.com/E0v6su64jQ
When season 12 was announced in August 2022, David said: “Playing the role of Larry David has been the greatest honour of my life. In researching this multi-faceted, multi-talented man, I discovered that there’s more to him than I ever could have imagined: He speaks six languages, brines his own pickles, and spearheads a national movement to install a bidet in every home.
“I’ve also been told from numerous sources that is the most generous of lovers. I am so excited to once again transform into this force of nature. I only pray I can do him justice.
David started out as a stand-up comedian and became a writer for NBC’s Saturday Night Life from 1984-85, before co-creating Seinfeld with fellow Jewish comedian Jerry Seinfeld in 1989. Seinfeld went on to become one of the most successful shows in history.
HBO has not confirmed that the twelfth season will be the show’s last.
