Life, Larry And The Pursuit Of Unhappiness Review: Larry David Gives Us A Lazy History Lesson Full Of Recycled Jokes

You might not know that before Larry David hit it big with "Seinfeld" and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," he cut his teeth on TV sketch comedy, both on ABC's early-'80s "Saturday Night Live" clone "Fridays" and then in a (very) short stint as a "SNL" writer. Now he's returning to sketch comedy with his new HBO series "Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness" — the full title gets even clunkier by adding a colon and "An Almost History of America" — poking fun at 250 years of American history with sketches starring him and his comedy pals.

It's a promising start, and as a big fan of both "Seinfeld" and "Curb," I was happy to sign up for more Larry David, sight unseen. But unfortunately, David forgot to bring along any of the wit or sparkle that made "Seinfeld" and "Curb" certified comedy classics. Instead, "Life, Larry..." (premiering this Friday at 9 p.m.; I've seen the first three episodes) relies on dusting off old jokes and putting David in predictably awkward social situations, squandering the considerable comedy talent on screen with flimsy material.

Timed to celebrate America's 250th birthday, "Life, Larry..." delivers a quartet of historical sketches in each half-hour episode, placing Larry David in iconic moments in our nation's history like the writing of the Declaration of Independence and Alexander Graham Bell inventing the telephone. But of course, David's character is the fly in the ointment each time, messing everything up with his persnickety observations and irritating everyone in his midst. (If you win a presidential election and move into the White House, do you have to tip the movers?) Anyone who watched even a single episode of "Curb" will recognize the pattern here — and they'll have plenty of time to get used to it, since each sketch follows pretty much the same formula, to middling results. (I would get into specifics, but HBO has forbidden critics from revealing specific sketch topics and jokes.) 

Sketch comedy is a hit-or-miss endeavor by nature, but the sketches here miss far more often than they hit. David has assembled an impressive roster of guest stars like Bill Hader, Jon Hamm, and Lin-Manuel Miranda, along with "Curb" favorites like Susie Essman and J.B. Smoove, and the best moments in "Life, Larry..." come when he's riffing with old friends like Jerry Seinfeld. (Former President Barack Obama also introduces the series and serves as an executive producer along with his wife Michelle.) But the writing — David co-created the series with "Curb" alum Jeff Schaffer — feels uninspired, like a pile of rejected sketches left over from David's "SNL" days. They're one-note and labored, hitting the same "Larry is an a**hole" note over and over again, and they even directly lift old "Curb Your Enthusiasm" gags like waiting too long to wish someone a Happy New Year and not using a coaster on a wooden table. (David's character even says "I respect wood!") Yes, we expect David's comedy to fit a certain pattern of painfully minuscule social observations — but this is just brazen self-theft.

There's definitely potential for comedy gold — gold, Jerry! — in looking back at historical events with a modern lens, and it's understandable that HBO would write Larry David a blank check to do whatever he wants after the success of "Curb." But David and his co-creator Jeff Schaffer too often fall back on old, hacky punchlines about nagging wives instead of innovating. (Comedy Central's "Drunk History," by contrast, found a way to lampoon great moments in history in a way that felt fresh, free-wheeling, and almost dangerous.) Plus, the show's efforts to throw in winks to our current political strife — including a big, honking one in Episode 2 that's about as subtle as a sledgehammer — just feel clumsy.

I laughed a few scattered times watching "Life, Larry..." but not nearly often enough given the caliber of comedy legends on hand. Maybe it would've worked better if David had just stayed behind the scenes as a writer, retiring his familiar on-screen persona and letting his all-star cast shine. But as is, "Life, Larry..." is a disappointing misfire best left in the history books.

THE TVLINE BOTTOM LINE: Larry David's HBO sketch comedy "Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness" saddles an all-star comedy cast with flimsy material and recycled jokes.