‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’ Writer, Star Revisit the Show’s ‘Seinfeld’ Reunion

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As a critic, I remember being thrilled in 2009 when HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm managed to bring together the iconic cast of Seinfeld. It wasn’t the full-blown revival everyone dreamed of, but it was the only way we were going to see Jerry, Kramer, Elaine, and George share the screen again. Apparently, the cast agreed to make an appearance at the request of Larry David, who not only co-created Seinfeld but is also the creative force behind Curb Your Enthusiasm. Interestingly, David later confessed that the whole thing happened because he was facing a bit of a writer’s block and needed some inspiration for the season!

David, who also wrote for both shows, looked back at the reunion in the book No Lessons Learned: The Making of Curb Your Enthusiasm as Told by Larry David and the Cast and Crew. Jeff Schaffer, the director of numerous Curb episodes, also contributed to the book. Both of them shared their thoughts on the highly anticipated reunion and explained exactly how it came together.

As a huge cinema fan, I always think about strong story arcs, and honestly, they’re surprisingly hard to create! David explained they’re often closer to just a basic movie premise. In one episode, the show focused on Larry being asked to write a fictional Seinfeld reunion, bringing back the original cast. But, as he revealed, his real motivation wasn’t about the show at all – he was just trying to win back his ex-wife, Cheryl! It was a brilliantly funny storyline that came about when they were completely stuck for ideas. As David put it, “That’s how the Seinfeld reunion came about. We knew it was something we could have fun with… and we had no other ideas at the time.”

However, Schaffer built upon the fundamental ideas of a reunion, deliberately subverting audience expectations. The director is also known for writing multiple episodes of Seinfeld, and when the decision was made to bring the team back together, he chose to “give people the opposite of what they were hoping for.” He explains that their approach was intentionally unique and non-traditional:

We had decided against the traditional Seinfeld reunion that NBC was hoping for. [We didn’t want] anything cheesy. Instead, we envisioned a reunion in the style of Curb Your Enthusiasm, where Larry would be the one to gather the cast – but only to fulfill his own desires. His primary motivation was getting back together with Cheryl. Everything he planned was entirely for his own benefit.

People had a lot of hopes for a Seinfeld reunion, like wanting Jerry and Elaine to finally end up together and the series to conclude with a wedding. We actually did give them that, but it happened behind the scenes, since the two characters broke up before the reunion could even take place.

There Was Just One Way to Carry Out a ‘Seinfeld’ Reunion, and It Was on the Very Show That Replaced It


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Curb Your Enthusiasm is widely considered the show that took over from Seinfeld in terms of cultural influence. It largely relied on improvisation and broke away from typical sitcom formats. However, when it comes to the distinctive comedic style that made Seinfeld a standout in ’90s television, Curb Your Enthusiasm is its natural continuation. In fact, Jerry Seinfeld notes in his book that moving away from NBC was the correct decision:

I initially thought it was a smart move, as I realized a traditional reunion show wouldn’t have suited us. Therefore, appearing on Larry’s show felt like the ideal solution.

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2025-10-05 17:39