Co-creator Larry David left Seinfeld after its seventh season. A few years later, he starred in his own show, Curb Your Enthusiasm, on HBO. Both shows are fantastic in their own ways, and both enjoy widespread critical and audience acclaim. Each of these shows contains Larry's signature sarcastic, misanthropic humor, but the way they package their material is quite different, for numerous reasons.
Seinfeld was a game-changing sitcom that aired on basic cable, whereas Curb is an uncensored, improv-based, commercial-free program on a subscription service. Both have their own relative strengths and weaknesses.
Curb Did It Better: Profanity
The most obvious difference between Seinfeld and Curb is that the latter aired on HBO, and therefore was able to explore more vulgar themes using more vulgar language. Jeff's wife, Susie, is Larry's fire-breathing, profanity spitting nemesis whose outbursts are among the major highlights of the series.
But the cast, as a whole, is free to speak their minds using whichever four-letter words come to mind.Such over-the-top theatrics wouldn't be allowed on NBC, giving Curb the edge in terms of being able to push the envelope.
Seinfeld Did It Better: The Studio Audience
Laugh tracks are controversial - many audiences hate them, finding them unnecessarily distracting and cheesy. In Seinfeld's case, however, the studio audience's reactions give the show an exciting, theatrical quality that makes it all the more enjoyable.
For example, when Elaine delivers a surprise zinger at the end of "The Cheever Letters," the audience erupts in an elongated ovation. The same happens when George pulls the golf ball out of his jacket in "The Marine Biologist." Seinfeld is the rare show that actually makes its laugh track an asset, not a liability.
Curb Did It Better: Improvisation
Part of what makes Curb Your Enthusiasm so unique and original is its improvised dialogue. Oftentimes, the performers laugh at each others' jokes, and the laughs are kept in the final cut of the episode. The cast is chock full of talented improvisers, who surprise not only their audience, but themselves and each other, with off-the-cuff one liners and impromptu witticisms.
The improvised scenes make for a truly unpredictable viewing experience, which is part of what makes an episode of Curb so exciting and surprising.
Seinfeld Did It Better: Its Ensemble Cast
Curb has a strong cast of its own, but they all play second fiddle to Larry himself. Seinfeld, on the other hand, is a true ensemble show in that all four of its main characters are given equal screen time and are equally important.
In this way, each episode of Seinfeld contains three or four mini-episodes within it. Jerry is the title character, but not necessarily the "main" character. In fact, there are episodes where he has little to no plotline of his own, and George, Elaine, and Kramer do most of the heavy lifting themselves.
Curb Did It Better: Married Life
Unlike Seinfeld, which follows the lives of four single New Yorkers, much of Curb's early seasons involve conflicts between Larry and his wife, Cheryl. Their marriage was a key component of those early seasons, before Larry and Cheryl separate in the show's later years.
Being married to Cheryl makes Larry morally accountable, which adds a layer of conflict and ethical substance to what otherwise would be construed a more or less nihilistic series. The fact that Larry and Cheryl are emotionally, socially, and legally bound, raises the stakes for both characters whenever they embarrass each other or rope each other into their respective problems.
Seinfeld Did It Better: Dating Life
Of course, an ensemble cast of singles makes for a golden opportunity to explore dating humor. Seinfeld explores the dating world from both the male and female perspective, and the radically different personality traits among its core four stars makes for endless possibilities in this arena.
Elaine dates a communist, Jerry dates a masseuse, George poses as a marine biologist to impress an old flame, and Kramer falls for a heckler who ruins Jerry's comedy act. The characters' romantic endeavors are a source of endless humor throughout the series and part of what gives the show its universal appeal.
Curb Did It Better: The Celebrity Factor
Because Larry David plays himself as the ultra-rich and famous Seinfeld creator, it's believable that he would interact from time to time with real-life celebrities, who often appear as guest stars on the show.
Examples abound, but most recently, Jon Hamm appeared as himself, shadowing Larry to study his behavior after being cast against type as someone with Larry's personal qualities. Other celebrity cameos include Ben Stiller, David Schwimmer, Lin Manuel Miranda, and Ricky Gervais.
Seinfeld Did It Better: The Underdog Factor
In Seinfeld, George Costanza is based on Larry David. In Curb, Larry David is Larry David. What makes Seinfeld a bit more compelling in this arena is that George is the ultimate underdog - a lowly, socially challenged everyman who struggles his way through life - whereas Curb's Larry is far less vulnerable due to his celebrity and class status.
When George gets caught with his hand in the tip jar because he didn't get credit for having put money in it, he's a bit more sympathetic than Curb's Larry in a similar situation involving petty amounts of money, giving his near half-a-billion-dollar net worth.
Curb Did It Better: It Has Jeff Greene
Jeff Garlin plays Jeff Greene, Larry David's friend and manager. His tenuous relationship with his hot-headed wife Susie, as well as his financial interest in Larry's success, creates a unique social and power dynamic that's not really present in Seinfeld, where the four main characters are mostly independent of each other.
Jeff often finds himself awkwardly situated between Larry and his various nemeses, which makes for great comedy, and great storytelling. Of course, in addition to refereeing Larry's numerous conflicts, Jeff also serves as Larry's partner-in-crime on occasion, most hilariously in season two's "The Doll."
Seinfeld Did It Better: It Has Cosmo Kramer
Seinfeld has plenty of unique characters, as well - most notably, the inimitable Cosmo Kramer. Kramer represents the opposite of convention, commitment, and social obligation. Kramer, conversely, is an agent of chaos; a symbol of pure anarchy.
Curb, because it takes place in a more structured world of fame, fortune, and accomplishment, doesn't have a "Kramer-esque" character in it. Few shows do, which is part of what makes the character so singularly special.