Different city, same nothing

Over the course of the first 10 episodes of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," Larry David manages to offend everyone from Ted Danson to an Incest survivors group. In his first major project since being co-creator of the '90s best sitcom, "Seinfeld," Larry David again revels in the minutia of daily life. David plays himself on the show, living in Los Angeles, presumably off his "Seinfeld" money. He does occasional work as a writer and stand-up comic, but more or less this is the diary of a permanent pessimist with too much time and money on his hands. His only allies are his loving but annoyed wife Cheryl (played by Cheryl Hines) and his friend/manager Jeff (played by Jeff Garlin). With Hines and Garlin having strong backgrounds in improv comedy, it's no wonder almost all of "Curb" is improvised. Unlike "Seinfeld," "Curb" knows exactly what it is at its inception, where its predecessor needed a few seasons to find its groove, you can appreciate the first episode of the first season just as much as the 4th season currently playing on HBO. \nThe two-disc set contains all 10 episodes of the first season (with commentary from the cast on the first episode), the hour-long HBO special that was the genesis for "Curb," as well as a 30-minute interview with David conducted by Bob Costas. However, the juicy meat of this DVD comes from the 10 episodes themselves. This is a must for any "Seinfeld" fan as well as any latecomers to the "Curb" phenomenon. These episodes are proof that daily social life is funnier than anything you can make up, because when you laugh at Larry David, you're really laughing at yourself- and that's funny.