HBO’s 7-Episode Larry David Series Misfires Despite Barack Obama Turn
Updated
Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jun 24
HBO’s 7-Episode Larry David Series Misfires Despite Barack Obama Turn
3 articles · Updated · Hollywood Reporter · Jun 24
Summary
Seven episodes of “Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness” deliver only five or six strong sketches, with the review calling much of the HBO limited series repetitive and uneven.
Larry David’s history-themed format repeatedly drops his “Curb Your Enthusiasm” persona into famous moments, but many bits recycle old jokes such as “Chat ’n’ Cut” and “Respect Wood” rather than building fresh satire.
One Abraham Lincoln-centered extended sketch and a 1970s-style “All the President’s Men” riff stand out, while several Trump-administration lampoons fail to land.
Barack Obama, billed alongside David and serving as an executive producer with Michelle Obama, appears briefly at the start before returning later in a full sketch that earns praise for his comic timing.
The series premieres June 26 at 9 p.m. on HBO, framing David’s move from contemporary complaints to American history as an experiment that the review says works only intermittently.