Curb Your Enthusiasm Addresses Controversial Seinfeld Ending In Series Finale

The following contains spoilers for Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 12, Episode 10 “No Lessons Learned.”

Over two decades after Seinfeld ended, co-creator Larry David addressed the backlash from the controversial finale in the final episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Season 12, Episode 10, titled “No Lessons Learned,” aired on April 7 on HBO, bringing to an end the story that began in 2000.

In the last season of Curb Your Enthusiasm, the fictionalized version of Larry David goes on trial for violating an election law by offering Leon’s aunt a bottle of water during her wait to vote in scorching heat. Larry is eventually jailed, reminiscent of the Seinfeld finale, in which the main cast also ends up in prison. However, Larry’s stint behind bars is short-lived, thanks to Jerry Seinfeld, who informs his friend that he is free to go due to a mistrial. “You don’t want to end up like this. Nobody wants to see it. Trust me,” Seinfeld says.” This is how we should have ended the finale,” David replies, in a nod to the hit comedy series.

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The series finale of Seinfeld, titled “The Finale,” aired on May 14, 1998. It marked the end of the iconic sitcom’s nine-season run. In this episode, Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer go on trial in Latham County, Massachusetts, for failing to help a carjacking victim. The trial becomes a spectacle as various characters from past episodes are brought in as witnesses, each highlighting the selfish and callous behavior the group has exhibited throughout the series. The jury ultimately convicts the group of criminal indifference, and they are sentenced to a year in prison.

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Curb Your Enthusiasm mirrors Seinfeld’s final scenes as the opposing counsel calls upon several character witnesses to testify against Larry. These witnesses include individuals whom Larry has wronged in various ways, such as insulting Mocha Joe, killing Matsue Takahashi’s black swan, and allegedly bribing a councilwoman. Larry tries to appear compassionate during his own testimony, but his numerous misdeeds overshadow his efforts. The jury finds Larry guilty, and he is sentenced to one year in prison.

The Seinfeld cast stands under an umbrella in black and white.

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While Larry David is adamant that Season 12 of Curb Your Enthusiasm will be the last, J.B. Smoove, who plays Leon in the series, believes the show will live on. “That’s the thing about characters that makes them iconic and legendary,” he said. “They give you a lot, but you know it’s not everything. It’s the same thing with the show. Do you know how many people, for the rest of their lives, are going to say, ‘This is such a Curb moment?’ No matter if this show comes back or if it’s the end, that’s gonna go on forever.”

Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 12 debuts on Max on April 7, 2024.