Larry David is officially stepping back into comedy — this time with a twist on American history.
During a conversation at SXSW, the Curb Your Enthusiasm creator revealed details about his upcoming HBO sketch comedy series “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America.” The seven-episode limited series will premiere June 26 and will satirize moments across the past 250 years of American history in honor of the nation’s upcoming anniversary.
Each episode will feature about four sketches, blending historical events with David’s signature awkward, improvisational style.
And the guest list is stacked.
The series will feature appearances from Barack Obama, J.B. Smoove, Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, Bill Hader, Kathryn Hahn, Jon Hamm, Sean Hayes, Vince Vaughn, and Jerry Seinfeld. Obama — whose production company Higher Ground is producing the series alongside Michelle Obama — will also appear in one of the sketches opposite David.
A clip shown at SXSW gives a glimpse of that approach. In the sketch, David witnesses the famous V-J Day in Times Square moment — the iconic photograph of a sailor kissing a woman in celebration of the end of World War II. Inspired by the moment, David’s character grabs a random woman and kisses her, only for the situation to quickly spiral as she calls him out and an angry crowd forms around him.
Several of the actors will portray historical figures. Hader and Hahn play Abraham Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln, while Hamm and Hayes appear as the Wright brothers. David and Seinfeld will reunite in a sketch as Lewis and Clark.
The show reunites David with longtime collaborator Jeff Schaffer, who directed and co-wrote the project. Much like Curb Your Enthusiasm, the sketches are built around outlines rather than full scripts, allowing most of the dialogue to be improvised.
Schaffer described the format simply as “Curb in costume.”
While the series focuses on moments from American history, David acknowledged that the current political climate inevitably finds its way into the comedy as well.
The show marks David’s first major project since Curb Your Enthusiasm ended in 2024 after 12 seasons.