Although Curb Your Enthusiasm shot — and then discarded — a death scene for Larry David to end its previous season, both the show and its central character are alive.
HBO has picked up a 12th season of the comedy series, eight months after season 11 aired its last episode. The premium cable outlet has more or less an open-door policy with David and fellow executive producer Jeff Schaffer; if and when they have ideas for a new season, HBO says yes.
There’s no word yet on when Curb will begin filming its 12th season, or when it will premiere. At 11 seasons (spanning 20 years) and 110 episodes so far, the show is HBO’s longest-running scripted (or outlined and improvised, in this case) series.
“Larry outdoes himself season after season and always manages to come back when the audience needs him most,” HBO Programming executive vp Amy Gravitt said in a statement. “We’re thrilled for him, Jeff Schaffer, and our phenomenal cast to continue making us laugh and cringe in equal measure.”
Said David, “Playing the role of Larry David has been the greatest honor of my life. In researching this multi-faceted, multi-talented man, I discovered that there’s more to him than I ever could have imagined: He speaks six languages, brines his own pickles, and spearheads a national movement to install a bidet in every home. I’ve also been told from numerous sources that he is the most generous of lovers. I am so excited to once again transform into this force of nature. I only pray that I can do him justice.”
Schaffer told The Hollywood Reporter that after filming an ending for season 11 where Larry meets his demise, David said “I’m not ready to die” and they started working on new material. “We’ve figured out an arc and now it’s just about putting together the funniest episodes,” he said. “We’re so micro that we’re not even worried about the macro right now. We’re still brick-by-brick building all the houses. There is some really funny stuff.”
David and Schaffer executive produce Curb Your Enthusiasm with co-star Jeff Garlin (who departed ABC’s The Goldbergs after an HR investigation into allegations of inappropriate on-set behavior). Laura Streicher and Jennifer Corey are co-exec producers.
