‘Pretty, pretty … presidential’: Everything to know about HBO’s American history sketch comedy from Larry David and Barack Obama
Larry David is returning to television, and he's bringing a former U.S. president with him.
HBO has ordered an untitled half-hour sketch comedy limited series from David, who starred in, wrote, and produced Curb Your Enthusiasm for the premium cable network between 1999 and 2024. Barack Obama's Higher Ground production company is executive producing the new project, which is being billed as an American history sketch comedy.
Details are still emerging about David and Obama's HBO collaboration, so read on for everything we know so far.
What's it about?
The sketch series will focus on U.S. history, which is where the 44th president's expertise comes in. "President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America's 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion," HBO teases. "But then Larry David called."
Who's in the cast?
HBO has revealed that cast members and noteworthy guest stars from Curb Your Enthusiasm will appear on the sketch program, including David. That means other potential stars might include Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines, Susie Essman, J. B. Smoove, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen, etc.
Who's on the creative team?
The show will be executive produced and written by David and Jeff Schaffer, who worked together for more than two decades on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Schaffer will also serve as the director. Higher Ground's executive producers are Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Vinnie Malhotra, and Ethan Lewis.
What they're saying
Barack Obama: “I’ve sat across the table from some of the world’s most difficult leaders and wrestled with some of our most intractable problems. Nothing has prepared me for working with Larry David.”
Larry David: “Once Curb ended, I celebrated with a three-day foam party. After a violent allergic reaction to the suds, I yearned to return to my simple life as a beekeeper, harvesting organic honey from the wildflowers in my meadow. Alas, one day my bees mysteriously vanished. And so, it is with a heavy heart that I return to television, hoping to ease the loss of my beloved hive.”
Jeff Schaffer: “The characters Larry is playing didn’t change history. In fact, they were largely ignored by history. And that’s a good thing.”
How many episodes?
HBO has only ordered six half-hour episodes for Season 1 of the sketch series. While that number might seem low, it's on par with the network's docu-comedy The Rehearsal from Nathan Fielder, which produced six episodes for both of its first two seasons. For comparison's sake, each season of Curb Your Enthusiasm was 10 episodes.
When will it air?
Considering that the country's 250th birthday will be July 4, 2026, it makes sense for publicity purposes that HBO would want to air the sketch show around that time. Stay tuned for more details.
Larry David at the Emmys
David has been nominated for a whopping 31 Emmy Awards, but he's only won twice: for writing and producing Seinfeld in 1993. His most recent bids were in 2024 for starring in and producing the final season of Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Sketch comedy programs are a dwindling genre at the Emmys. This year, for example, there are only six competing in the Best Scripted Variety Series category: Last Week Tonight With John Oliver, Saturday Night Live, Fantasmas, Studio C, After Midnight, and It's Florida, Man. A shiny new show from big names like David and Obama could finally rejuvenate this category ... and that's pretty, pretty, pretty good.