At the HBO Upfronts presentation attended by The A.V. Club last month, CEO Casey Bloys said the network would leave the decision to end Curb Your Enthusiasm to Larry David. Apparently, Larry David has decided (again), because on Thursday, HBO announced the long-running comedy show’s 12th and final season. Curb’s swan song will premiere on February 4.
”As CURB comes to an end, I will now have the opportunity to finally shed this ‘Larry David’ persona and become the person God intended me to be—the thoughtful, kind, caring, considerate human being I was until I got derailed by portraying this malignant character,” David said in a statement. “And so ‘Larry David,’ I bid you farewell. Your misanthropy will not be missed. And for those of you who would like to get in touch with me, you can reach me at Doctors Without Borders.”
In his own statement, Bloys said, “It’s hard to say farewell to such a ground-breaking, brilliantly funny and iconic series like Curb Your Enthusiasm, which has left its mark across television and the comedy genre.” He went on to give a shout-out to David and showrunner Jeff Schaffer for their years of dedication to the show.
Schaffer was anticipating the end when the last season wrapped, filming a version of the final scene where David died. “I know I say this all the time, but every season is the last season. And I wanted to prepare as if it was the last one,” he said at the time. After all, Curb had experienced something of an ending before: after the eighth season, the show was ostensibly over, and David indicated he had no intention of bringing it back. He nevertheless returned six years later for a ninth season and has continued to produce the show since then.
While HBO kept tight-lipped about the series’ future until now, it seems that the Curb crew was aware of David’s decision in advance. “Maybe you love the show. Maybe you hate the show,” writer-producer Jon Hayman wrote on Twitter/X in March. “Maybe you don’t give a shit. In any event, shooting the last scene of the last episode of the final season.”
And so it’s officially a wrap on Curb—unless David changes his mind again somewhere down the line. “HBO knows the odds are against it,” he said back in 2015, years after the show had gone off the air the first time around. “I’m not ruling it out. I mean, it’s been a while. I don’t want to go back to the show and look 10 years older than I did in the last episode.” Who knows: an 85-year-old Larry David could make a pretty incredible Curb revival someday.
Seasons 1-11 of Curb Your Enthusiasm are available to stream now on Max.