Crub Your Enthusiasm is one of those shows that has viewers screaming at the TV, as Larry finds himself in increasingly uncomfortable situations when they could have easily been avoided. There are a lot of frustrating things about the cast of Curb, and their constant miscommunication is one of them.
Though it might be hilarious in almost every instance, there are certain screaming matches that Larry takes part in when the catalyst was something so small and completely pointless, and these are the most frustrating of the lot.
Mocha Joe
Opening a spite store was one of Larry’s highest points in the series, but before the grand battle with Mocha Joe in season 10 over cold coffee and rocky tables, the barista appeared close to the end of season seven during the filming of the Seinfeld reunion.
As Joe was delivering some coffees up to Larry’s office, Larry asks him to take some cable ties with him. Joe obliges, waiting for a tip, but never gets one because Larry doesn’t think the favor warrants a tip. This then leads to Larry having to run around doing favors for Joe, and Larry having to fork over hundreds of dollars.
Cheryl’s Parents
Cheryl’s parents are two of the worst recurring characters on the show, and Larry’s patience is always tested whenever they come to visit, but the worst of it was when Larry was tasked with sorting out Cheryl’s deceased Aunt’s death notice for the newspaper.
Through no fault of his own, there was a misprint in the paper that called the aunt a “beloved c***.” Though it’s one of the funniest scenes of season one, the situation was handled terribly and ended up in a screaming match between Larry and Cheryl’s parents.
The Blacks
Helping the Blacks was one of the few times Larry was a nice guy, as he let the family in to his home after they were displaced during a hurricane. Though he never wanted to live with the family in the first place, he inadvertently sent them packing when he was reciting a story.
As he overheard a racist in a bathroom scream “1,200 pound n*****” down the phone, Larry repeated the story, using the word. This again resulted in a screaming match when the whole misunderstanding could have been easily explained.
Lin-Manuel’s Cousins
The whole relationship between Lin-Manuel Miranda and Larry was a complete mess, but when the Hamilton creator asks Larry to host his cousins while they stay in L.A., Larry surprisingly allows it, probably to avoid any altercation with Miranda.
However, Lin-Manuel’s cousins end up being more stuck up and pretentious than Lin-Manuel does in the show. The cousins are impolite and completely ungrateful to Larry, even though Larry was totally unlike his real self, as he comes across as rather accommodating. It all comes to blows after Larry confronts them about their behavior and the cousins’ posturing is so unwarranted.
Christian Slater
When Christian Slater helps himself to a little too much caviar, Larry, of course, calls the actor out on his portion size, and it’s one of the times Larry was the bad guy, but still right.
The two start bickering endlessly, as they’re both calling each other out for things they are both guilty of, but what’s worse is that Larry is framed for eating all the caviar, and Christian never once gets his comeuppance.
Cody
With Cody working on the Fatwa musical, he is unable to attend the staff paintball day set up by Larry, as he has a different gig booked the same day. Larry, again out of character, offers to pay Cody his full day rate, which is $1,200. However, Larry doesn’t take into account tax deductions and feels duped by Cody.
Really, it was negligent on both sides, as Cody didn’t think about tax deductions and Larry burned yet another bridge by bringing it up and embarrassing Cody.
The Greenes
Having to deal with his parents and their demands is one of the saddest things about Jeff, as he already has enough on his plate between Suzie and managing Larry.
However, sometimes those issues carry over to Larry too, as he has been forced to have several uncomfortable conversations with the Greenes. He first offends them after he calls Cheryl "Hitler," and being Jewish, it greatly offends them. With Larry putting his foot in his mouth, he keeps digging the hole deeper and deeper, but it’s a conversation he should have never had to have in the first place.
Alice
Although season 10 was a disappointment to some fans (one of the many unpopular opinions about the show on Reddit), it did have a ton of highlights, but Larry’s overbearing and easily offended new receptionist, Alice, isn’t one of them.
The receptionist gets offended when Larry asks about her “personal” tattoo that is clearly on display on her forearm and then sues him for sexual harassment. The whole thing spirals out of control and it’s another frustrating case of characters not properly communicating.
Matt Tessler
Matt Tessler was the director of several Seinfeld episodes, but his character on Curb Your Enthusiasm is one of the most frustrating in the series, as he is constantly hounding Larry for help with his career and charity events.
The worst of the lot comes in season six when he literally forces Larry to leave L.A. after he asks him to attend a charity event five times. He is overly inquisitive and always putting his nose where it doesn’t belong.
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Though he clearly isn’t like his character in real life, Lin-Manuel Miranda plays an exaggerated version of himself on Curb and every altercation between him and Larry becomes increasingly frustrating.
From the initial meeting about where to sit in the office to Miranda trying to take over the entire Fatwa project, the two are in competition for superiority the whole time, and it annoyingly results in the musical not getting made.