Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good: Larry David and the Making of Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, Fully Revised and Updated

by Josh Levine

For Larry David, success was no sure thing. A frustrated New York comic who was known to walk off the stage in disgust, David was barely making a living. At least until his friend Jerry Seinfeld asked him to create a new kind of television sitcom for NBC. The result — Seinfeld — started slowly but became a gigantic hit. But most people didn’t know that the real genius behind the show was Larry David.


Rich beyond his wildest dreams, David still had something to prove — and some television boundaries to push. And so he created Curb Your Enthusiasm, the improvised comedy that cast aside political correctness and made for hilarious, cringeworthy TV, a show that dared to relive the disastrous Seinfeld finale and turn it into a triumph.


This second, fully updated edition of Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good offers a complete episode-by-episode guide to the series and recounts David’s early struggle to succeed in television and movies, the creation and development of his hit sitcoms, and his later success starring in the HBO film Clear History and the Broadway hit Fish in the Dark. It also explores Larry’s on- and off-screen relationships with famous pals like Richard Lewis, Ted Danson, and Jerry, Jason, Julia, and Michael. Filled with candor and humor David himself would respect, Pretty, Pretty, Pretty Good is an essential companion to a comedic force.

229 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 28, 2025

Reviews

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was OK, I think it’s more interesting to watch comedy then to read about it.

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like I should have known who Larry David was before I started listening, but the truth of the matter is that I seldom watched "Seinfeld" until it was well into syndication, and only bought the first season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm" last week. Both series are relatively funny with "Curb" being rather more crude than I care for.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a book about Curb Your Enthusiasm, although it just seemed somewhat off. The book tells the history of the show and goes into some details about how the plots came about, but the tone is very dry and just was a bit boring. I thought the episode guide was extremely sparse as well.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, quick listen. Makes me want to go back and watch “Curb” from start to finish.

[Heather Luginbill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I could have done without the 11 chapters going over every single episode of curb your enthusiasm. I wonder if the author got paid per word?!?