Seinfeld completely revolutionised the sitcom format after its success in the 90s, with no cute kids, and mainly focusing on four self-absorbed people. The show was co-created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. The success also landed David a second chance to develop his original comedy series Curb Your Enthusiasm. It not only continued his legacy but also fixed his first show’s conclusion, which was met with some serious backlash on its release. The last episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm titled ‘No Lessons Learned’ was a direct nod to Seinfeld’s last episode ‘The Finale’ aired on NBC on May 14, 1998.
The last episode of the beloved sitcom showcased Jerry, George (Jason Alexander), Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), and Kramer (Michael Richards) getting arrested for breaking the local “Good Samaritan Law”. The law required them to help those in need, but as seen throughout the show there have been more than a few instances otherwise. In the final season of the series, Jerry is en route to success thanks to a new show he pitched for NBC but the arrest ends up totally derailing his career. The four are arrested and head to trial and the biggest evidence against them is the characters’ most egregious activities from the previous seasons.
Seinfeld Finale That Broke Hearts
In the end, the jury finds them guilty and all four are sentenced to one year in prison. The showrunners received massive backlash for the ending. Many pointed out how the finale did not live up to the show’s humour and style, but few supporters did talk about how the show finally gave the characters what they deserved. Some said the finale was a fitting end to the series, as it held the characters accountable for their behaviour. But David addressed the criticisms of the Seinfeld season finale within the final episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Larry David on the Seinfeld Finale
Before the finale aired, David admitted on the Today Show that he was “a little bit” nervous about Curb’s send-off due to the backlash he received for Seinfeld. Back in 2014, recalling the Seinfeld finale, he told another reporter, “I got so much grief from the ‘Seinfeld’ finale, which a lot of people intensely disliked, that I no longer feel a need to wrap things up” on Curb Your Enthusiasm, which was at that point in the middle of a six-year hiatus. He added, “I thought it was clever to bring back all those characters in a courtroom and testify against them for what they did, and then show those clips, and also for why they even got arrested in the first place.”
Hints About Curb Your Enthusiasm’s Ending
From the beginning, it seemed like Curb too could have a similar fate as Jerry in Seinfeld. In Season 7 of Curb, Larry’s reunion special with Jerry also talked about giving himself a redo. “Larry, we already screwed up one finale. We can’t do another!” Jerry, playing himself, complains in a scene. To which Larry adds, “We didn’t screw up a finale. That was a good finale.”
Meanwhile, a year before the finale of Curb aired, Jerry during a stand-up performance in Boston talked about Curb with the live audience, after one asked if he liked the Seinfeld finale. He said, “I have a little secret for you about the ending. Something is going to happen that has to do with that ending that hasn’t happened yet. Just what you are thinking about, Larry and I have also been thinking about, so you’ll see.”
Curb Your Enthusiasm Finale
Season 12 of the show ended on April 7 2024. It followed David as he was put on a criminal trial in Georgia. David in the show was arrested for giving a bottle of water to a person standing in line to vote. The series attempted to comment over and make fun of the state’s controversial election laws. Similar to Seinfeld, Curb too follows David through a series of misfortunes, as he is found guilty of interfering with Georgia’s election and sentenced to jail.
Not only the story, but the episode’s visual setting also mirrored that of Seinfeld’s finale. All characters and cameos are placed in a classic courtroom setting, bringing back the references to Jerry Seinfeld’s fate. After David is sentenced to jail, he is seen complaining to a fellow inmate, the show introduces Jerry Seinfeld paying him a visit in jail. This time correcting the ending after lessons learned, Seinfeld reveals that the day prior, he had a run-in with a man in a Mexican restaurant who he thought resembled actor Joe Pesci.
Larry David’s Realisation
However, during the trial, Seinfeld realized the Pesci he met was a doppelgänger who was a juror in David’s case. The same is being notified to the judge of the potential conflict of interest. The case is then declared a mistrial and David walks out of prison free. The show ends with another scene. David and Jerry walk out side-by-side sharing a revelation, and joking about the controversial conclusion to their previous show Seinfeld. David turns to Jerry and says, “Oh my God, this is how we should have ended the (‘Seinfeld’) finale.”
“You’re right! How did we not think of that,” Jerry responds.
Throughout the series David has often passionately defended the Seinfeld finale, it seems like in the end, he came to the realization that Jerry is right. He decided to give fans what they wanted and gave his character in Curb a different ending also vindicating Seinfeld of his horrible ending in the process. Fans have been happy with Curb’s ending not only because the show ended in the most Larry David way possible, but it also fixed the other beloved show in the same way. Similar to Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry David may take another hiatus before turning to another great comedy to keep up with the legacy of the previous two hits.
