For what has felt like an eternity to fans of HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, the straight shooting and all too often socially inept antics of Larry David have been missing from their lives. Five years have passed since anyone has seen or heard anything from the one-time Seinfeld co-creator - and such a lapse had occurred between Curb Your Enthusiasm seasons that many had the creeping feeling that perhaps there wasn’t going to be a ninth series of the beloved black comedy.
Thankfully, Larry David – after much wavering on the issue – finally committed to a ninth season this past summer, eliciting a great deal of excitement from Curb fans everywhere. Since that announcement, things appear to be moving quickly toward getting the latest season off the ground, with recent projections teasing a potential May 2017 release, as well as a rounding up of the familiar cast that has helped to make the series what it is. Amidst all this preparation, the only thing missing has been direct confirmation that production has officially begun.
Well, it appears that the final piece of the puzzle is now in place, as HBO has provided a double treat in a new video from the Curb Your Enthusiasm set. Not only has filming of the ninth season officially begun, but the new video (above) also confirms the return of Larry David’s hilarious wingman Leon (JB Smoove). Smoove was the last member of the main cast to not have made an official announcement on whether he was returning for more Curb (though he has previously stated that he would be involved if there were a new season), making his arrival on set and apparent eagerness to get things started all the more humorous.
Five years ago, the eighth season of Curb Your Enthusiasm ended with Larry David and Leon wandering the streets of Paris together before Larry ultimately couldn’t resist himself and got into an argument - in French, mind you – with a Parisian. That has been the final memory Curb fans have of a season that offered guest stars as comically diverse and entertaining as Ricky Gervais and Michael J. Fox. Even through this latest glimpse at getting season nine underway, however, it’s apparent that the ability of the regular cast to make every episode and season feel as relaxed and natural as possible has always been the strength of Curb Your Enthusiasm. This all too brief promo for the ninth season appears to continue that tradition with Smoove’s distinctly comedic antics.
Curb Your Enthusiasm’s eighth season was a critical success – as has been the case for the entire series thus far. David’s apparent reluctance over doing a ninth season therefore wasn’t the result of bad press. Perhaps it had more to do with not wanting to spoil a good thing. It’s surely tempting to continue to create something that people love, but the risk of taking things in the wrong direction is always going to be hanging over everything. Fortunately for David as well as Curb fans, he has decided to roll the dice once again and the fact that he’s waited so long between seasons can in fact, be more of a potential help than a hindrance.
With the entire main cast of Curb Your Enthusiasm back together for the first time in five years and filming on the ninth season officially underway, maybe we’ll finally see if Larry can get Cheryl back or if this season he decides to let her go for good. There are plenty of questions to be asked of season nine and Curb fans will surely delight in the upcoming process of seeing them answered after such a long wait.
Screen Rant will keep you up to date on all Curb Your Enthusiasm news as it arrives.
Source: HBO