Larry David's Creative Process Breakdown: How to Write Comedy like a Bald Jerk

Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 9 finally premiered a few weeks ago. So, this might be a good time to look closer at insane genius of Larry David. This video will attempt to breakdown Larry David's creative process from the writing stage, to shooting, and finally to editing, and hopefully provide some insight into how you can create comedy like true Social Assassin.
Please share your thoughts on Larry's Creative Process in the comments below.
All Clips are credited in accordance with KZbin's Fair Use Guidelines.
The instrumental track is produced by L.E.N. Beats
/ djlennygburnerbeat

[@jcnot9712]

I appreciate that the Curb crew has always been so open about their creative process, since the insights gave way for other great shows like Always Sunny to come together.

[@tannermacleod4115]

Larry is the most brilliant comedy writer ever!

[@paulgreengod]

No he isn't

[@hd-xc2lz]

Most brilliant of the past three decades, or during his heyday. People forget how huge Seinfeld was, and how it made all previous sitcoms seem corny and old fashioned.

[@daveidmarx8296]

@@paulgreengod Of course he is.

[@paulgreengod]

@@hd-xc2lz wrong

[@hd-xc2lz]

@@paulgreengod Care to elaborate?

[@notfilmes4981]

I've got a comment. What I love about every episode of Curb is how the episode is structured. It usually begins with some minor events with different people that create a net of stories. Then each one of those stories have their own development and finally they cross each other in one big event such as a dinner party, a demonstration etc, with hilarous consequences. Great video by the way.

[@bbrenz001]

Thats a great master outline of how the episodes develop! Thanks for the input

[@prnoiawegf55]

You're both excellent people, with excellent comments. Well done!

[@JamesPerrone-qq1ph]

Cram it up your cramhole.

[@iamamaniaint]

Yeahhhh well put! Lol love how it always comes to a head at a social gathering

[@Mr850man]

1st step: be a genius 2nd step: work your ass off on comedy for years

[@designybits4709]

Fun fact about also being named Larry Charles, I've had to answer many emails over my life disappointing people that their ideas suck, but also that I'm not the Larry Charles they were looking for.

[@williamshaw9047]

Why not just tell them their ideas suck and leave them believing you're the real Larry Charles?

[@constantinestamos6615]

Hey, i wanted to pitch something to you. Imagine this - CYE meets Manimal: the story of an awkward guy who can change into an animal and solve crimes.

[@jeffbaker7209]

​@@constantinestamos6615 -- Bird Your Enthusiasm!

[@StephenGeorge]

11 minute masterclass

[@hafkwantumrax4326]

the advice about extrapolating crazy situations from your everyday ones was very nice

[@connorgoosen2468]

First video of yours that I’ve found, subscribed halfway through! Well put together and I like the way you let Larry explain his process through a compilation with brief commentary.

[@karlhungus5554]

"...Social assassin..." What a great description.

[@fozterboy]

Found oot a lot aboot larry from this, glad I took time oot of my day to watch! Thanks!

[@dranipani]

Thanks for putting this video together. Appreciate your work and as a fellow writer, I appreciate you even more.

[@conormclaughlan772]

This is awesome! just what I needed. Approaching writing sometimes I just dont know where to start, so working with a structure first is definitely something Im going to do! Cheers!

[@StoryDive]

Glad it inspired you! I find myself in the same situation sometimes, which I why I try to analyze the process of writers who I admire.

[@RumBuboe]

Conor McLaughlan Cheers has already been done. Try something new, like maybe six people standing about in a kitchen talking to each other after dancing in a fountain.

[@BigCityPalooka]

Great channel. Thanks for doing this!

[@levinknox]

This is super helpful but applying Larry’s process to your own sitcom characters requires a bigger picture perspective: Have a deep understanding of what specific situations cause your character to express their specific token character/personality trait that makes them interesting to watch, then either go through life listening for those situations, or let your imagination play out those possible situations. Larry’s token character trait of being a “social assassin” is only expressed when he happens upon a social norm. Literally every scene in Curb is Larry pushing the limits of a social norm in heightened absurd ways. Rick from Rick & Morty’s interesting token character trait is to have a magical solution with unpredictable repercussions is only expressed in situations where he’s faces an existential crisis (and if he’s not in one, then he creates one). Larry’s figured out the laziest, most brilliant character to write though- all he has to do is go through life and wait for the social norm to pop up, writes down a little heightened “what if” idea, then go on with his day. And social norms are both extremely relatable to a wide audience, and rich in material cuz we have infinite ever-changing social norms. Super brilliant! Not to discredit the immense work and turmoil I’m sure Larry went through to get to Curb’s brilliant simplicity.

[@smokedog2185]

Larry the king David

[@agnivash]

The Best Sitcom "Curb Your Enthusiasm" ❤️

[@krisinsaigon]

I think the key to what makes the acting so great in it is the listening. really great acting is all about listening, and because they have to listen for real it makes the acting great

[@matthewleger5605]

Really well done man

[@elijahverduzco3209]

Excellent video. Thank you

[@mrmmrm2]

Great show. 😀

[@johnysteps2418]

Brilliant ...Many thanks 😃🍏🍎

[@radiogagger]

This is GOLD Jerry!

[@WillN2Go1]

Great video, thanks, (And thank you Larry David for clearly stating that you are not a sociopath. I wasn't sure. I did once binge watch 5-6 episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm and while I didn't have a psychotic break, I was traumatized.) I would think the Curb technique would be really great for actors to use for practice and have a lot of fun. I read a book by one of the founders of the Chicago Second City group. Not a great book, but he did say something that I as a non-actor never knew. In improve no matter what one character says or does the other characters are supposed to go with it. In real life my experience is if you say something that might seem a bit odd, the closer someone is to you to faster they dismiss it. Nothing ever gets going. End of any possible fun. In middle school kids are professional kill joys. There is no greater need for a 14 year old than to immediately go negative. As an exercise teaching improve to middle schoolers with the key goal of getting them over the 'knee jerk go negative' impulse could be really terrific for them. After seeing an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm the last thing in the world I want to do is to get into a similar situation. It's clearly the most painful comedy I can think of. I become more tolerant, more polite. If that could work for middle schoolers, terrific. (Ten years ago they'd all seen Dave Chapelle and knew all about When Keeping it Real Goes Wrong. Just a quick reference to that would chill out a lot of situations.)

[@helloperson6431]

Pretty, pretty, pretty Good.

[@frostychickenprods]

I’ve had the exact Larry David little notebook since 2004 and still use them. I bought up all of them. They stopped making them decades ago.

[@ThatNerdChris]

Thx for the knowledge! Gonna put this to work

[@danielarribas5552]

This is the video we didn't know we needed

[@marcusorlandi8054]

Great video - thanks!

[@HistoryHeroes]

great job

[@ElkeDragos]

It’s a better version of Seinfeld IMO!

[@peroperic1080]

I could never understand how on earth people feel that way?? Seinfeld is way better in every aspect: characters, scripts, acting. Seinfeld is the best sitcom of all time (thanks to Larry who wrote best episodes in early seasons). Curb is quite often sloppy and lazy (and occassionally hilarious).

[@xilo3012]

@@peroperic1080 i dont understand how i dont like seinfeld. The series and himself. My english is not good i believed it was that. But must be the kind of observational humour. Other comedians in english i like a lot. May be to light humour for me.

[@LucasFerreira-kq3ye]

@@peroperic1080 Exactly! It's a great sitcom, but not even near as good as Seinfeld. Some of the acting in Curb is actually bad (which you only see in Jerry in Seinfeld).

[@LucasFerreira-kq3ye]

@@gm679 contemporary doesn't necessarily means better. And when you put away the laughs and the ratings, Curb is not more contemporary. It's the exact same type of humor.

[@TimelordPrime]

So your a moron then.

[@conormclaughlan772]

Could you cover Ricky Gervais' creative process with the office, extras and derrick? That would be wicked

[@thewildmitchell]

Steve Merchant's

[@ohshialabooof8958]

Easy….. Stephen merchant. (You’re welcome)

[@ohshialabooof8958]

Wild Mitchell : Awww dammit, I was so proud of that answer too.

[@DanMolsonOfficial]

Awesome. Some nice tips

[@keatonrodland7999]

Eric Andre in background at 9:05

[@firecrotch9190]

LIVIN LIKE LARRY

[@reifyproductions3068]

We've recently been taking the Master Class with writer/Director Spike Lee. Larry and and Spike both have very similar creative processes.

[@svetamakoveeva318]

Thanks for putting this together!

[@mrfringes]

really insightful, great

[@serigraph73]

oh, go ahead, by all means offend Matt Lauer

[@StoryDive]

Haha. I published this video before the recent news about Matt. I would be much harder on him if it were published now.

[@dogmgfuckshitmcgee4656]

StoryDive ok course you would you fucking coward.

[@seanwebb605]

You don't hear much from him these days. Is he away on assignment?

[@KyleMorrison]

Dogmgfuck Shitmcgee what?

[@dogmgfuckshitmcgee4656]

Kyle Morrison read the thread. It’s very obvious what I’m saying

[@greablood1072]

I’ve noticed that comedy writing and songwriting are very similar. Could you do a video on a songwriter’s creative process, like MJ or Paul McCartney?

[@Speakers154]

This is great! So glad I watched this, I had no idea the show was unscripted. No wonder it feels so much better than canned laughter shows.

[@Speakers154]

@Caleb Mayfield You are right. I didn't mean it has canned laughter.

[@kimberleecatena]

8:11 I love that. Its so obvious too.

[@filmproproductivity3443]

Great breakdown!

[@JohnMoseley]

The leave your jokes out bit is actually, as far as I know, standard practice in scripted comedy. Jonathan Lynn talks about it in his excellent book Comedy Rules, how great comedy writers go through the scripts taking out stand-alone clever lines and jokes because what really works is what are called 'relational gags' - as the video says, the characters interactions. it's called 'punching up' the script.

[@TCCdude708]

The real question is if the 7 pages are double-spaced or not

[@cpa54]

Good question. I tried seeing how it was spaced when he read an excerpt on Ricky's show.

[@MrUndersolo]

A genius of our times.

[@swine13]

And at the rate modern comedy is going, a genius of a couple more times to come...

[@jordil6152]

I think his formula works for his comedy which is very minutiae-heavy. When he introduces too much plot, the plot becomes very convoluted and farcical (eg. Susan's death by poison stamps). Larry's comedy is at its best when the plot is minimal, like the Chinese restaurant in Seinfeld.

[@jaimejaimeChannel]

Interesting - thanks. Speaking of Kevin Pollak, he's one of the best actors I've ever seen ("Mother Ghost"). Would like to know what he's up to. The podcast / website given doesn't work at this time (2020)

[@omg_wtf]

the master

[@smokeyrainbows]

Fun and funny!

[@kimberleecatena]

The world will be a terrible place without this terrible man someday. 🥰❤😂❤❤❤

[@khakimzhanmiras]

Basically, Larry David is a genius

[@LightningStrikes66]

Would be Awesome if you did a Christopher Nolan Writing Process breakdown. Thanks 🙌🏽

[@SammyQuezada]

At minute 5:33 What is this plot narrative graphic organizer specific to? Where can I get a copy of one?

[@samuelnewman-thatcher956]

Analyze Elaine May!! An all time genius of comedy and improvisational storytelling

[@ellenorchid01]

great idea

[@matthewscully2475]

Mike Leigh's process is quite similar to this. No traditional script, just an outline that the actors improvise from.

[@valbiktashev1726]

Good

[@ImWORTHITINC]

HEY GREAT CHANNEL SO FAR! this is the first I've seen because I watch little clips of Curb while I"m editing my own channel...do you know anything about Tarantino's process? I LOVE his style! He, Larry David, Stephen Speilberg & Steven King are the people I aspire THE Most to be like with my films & shows...did you know Eminem said the same thing about how he writes songs, like Larry writes his shows?? Stephen King says the opposite! "Don't write everything down, the good ideas are like when you strain spaghetti, they'll stay on top"

[@StoryDive]

Thanks. Actually, I don't have any other videos quite like this one. This video didn't get many views until around 2 years after it was published, by which time I had moved on to focusing on mythology, but I would like to do another video like this.

[@ImWORTHITINC]

StoryDive awesome! Yeah do more like this! Thanks so much! And always answe t your comments! That’s why I come back so much to channels & people that don’t answer I forget about them & unsubscribe eventually

[@bySterling]

Curious how many cameras/angles are they usually taking when ‘improve-ing’ the scenes? Just wondering in editing how involved those takes can get GRT video sir! One of my fav shows ever

[@Herfinnur]

If they do it the way live takes are usually done, they'll have three cameras: a total, a medium and a close-up

[@JPatelLive]

Starts @1:22 Larry David and Ricky Gervais

[@dedbeatdevil5123]

thank you so much!

[@RedVelvetUnderground333]

Can u do one about always sunny

[@StephenBittrich]

Still not 100% sure how it can be edited if people are coming up with different things each time. But maybe they do 1 or 2 and then sort of set the main action and movement, so they can cut it together. I'd love to be a fly on the wall.

[@PatriciaVettori]

Just wanted to add that the technique is called retroscripting (don't think it was mentioned). This video was extremely thorough and sheds a lot of light on Larry's process. Thanks!

[@EvanJones2016]

Eric Andre sighting at 9:07 ?????

[@lindenstromberg6859]

What part of the US are you from? I notice a bit of a UK twang in your accent.

[@Prithviization]

ELVID MA MAN!

[@melly1432]

I do love Jon Lovitz! Geeshgarshdsdamn? They won’t let me spell his name right!

[@user-xc7uo6md3n]

Larry David is a comedic genius

[@daveidmarx8296]

I knew this was an old video as soon as I saw Matt Lauer. 😬

[@Matt_Palm97]

I feel like I'm just watching Curb during points of this video even when its real life

[@Xxxxxrrr6464]

👍👍💪

[@MrBuketman]

Between Curb and Seinfeld, how is he connecting the crazy events of each character’s conflict? Is it even teachable on how it all comes together?

[@manicfoot]

I imagine that comes from Larry's idea book (e.g. mixing 2 or 3 ideas together in one episode). Larry really has a knack for gluing everything together and forming structure around improvised scenes.

[@MrBuketman]

Phil Haynes Exactly. I have a script. Let me know if you’re interested.

[@wonder6789]

I didn't realize Bernie Sanders did comedy!

[@atcquentin]

I wish someone could have asked him "Where do you get your ideas from?", I've been dying to know

[@waynelast1685]

I think he alluded to some things: conflict and irony .

[@sharonspeer418]

Pay very close attention to people to what they do, internally and how they cover it up with words. Larry says the things that people are REALLY thinking. I would love to have my own show and be the female version of Larry David. I have alot more hair but I have a million ideas written somewhere...need to revisit. My 1st favorite comedian is hands down George Carlin. Larry is 2nd. Or maybe they are a combo of me. George is laugh out loud irreverent which I love and Larry is more subtle laugh out loud. I am shocked that some people can't watch Larry because they say its too real and too embarrassing. I would never want to hang out with that person. They don't get it and they never will. You're either in tune to humor or you're not. In my case, humor is my oxygen. I would die without it. Ahh that's why we say "he killed it". Ho ho ho! Happy Festivus for the rest of us!

[@LmtdShady]

So he's basically like the Eminem of writing comedy.

[@adamjacksonmedia]

The unfair thing about Larry is... I'm laughing at him talking. He doesn't need a joke. He's funny already.

[@IPlayOneOnT.V.]

This is the genius of Larry David.

[@lindaleelaw5277]

" stupid sense": Finally, words to describe the presidents brain. Wikipedia, can you explain?

[@nickcarlson8603]

9:38 woke up siri

[@sorabji1]

I knew your voice was familiar, weren't you Rabbi Glickman on Seinfeld?

[@StoryDive]

I do enjoy snackwells.

[@codeblueopinions2908]

This sounds like the modern martial artist lol

[@IPlayOneOnT.V.]

So, I guess "Hesh" ("Sporanos") has been in witness protection on "Curb (10:43)."

[@DanielAquarian]

7:56

[@MarkMcAllister-ni9sf]

skip to 1:23 to avoid the telling you what they are going to do part...

[@147258GS]

I'm makin' stupid sense.

[@dpreetam]

It's basically the Marvel Method from comics.

[@optimisticwhovian1726]

John Cleese and Fawlty Towers please

[@beenmicrophone5817]

THIS. from what I can tell, Fawlty is the ultimate masterclass of comedy writing, to the point that the show had such a short run in order to preserve the high standard on which it operates, and may have potentially caused a marriage to breakdown.

[@charlieparkeris]

I was a huge Curb fan, until it came back in 2017, I found it hard to get through, like every scene just descended into a shouting match, and it gave me a headache. I thought the quality of the show had just dropped, but then I watched earlier episodes and realized the show was always like that. It's just I used to be able to stand it, and now I can't. I like the premises and how the stories come together, but the show suffers from not having a script. The actors don't know what to do, and thus we have every scene, and it really is almost every single scene, becomes characters shouting at each other. I went from being a huge fan, to finding it literally unwatchable.

[@Rcinch1]

You said we could mention an interesting future video? I got a whooper of one for you! GARY SHANDLING. Hear me out !!!! Gary wrote incessantly on notepad and napkins and notebooks. His handwriting style was similar to rapper Eminem. The words went up down and all around the papers! He wrote all day every day when he was not performing or playing basketball with his colleagues at his house every Sunday. If you look up Eminem Songwriting Process on youtube and then google "GARY SHANDLING HAND WRITTEN NOTES" and click "IMAGES" and also watch the Gary Shandling Documentary....you will notice the similarities. Gary also drew little pictures and shapes on his pages just like rapper Eminem. Both drew pretty interestingly. You should really consider this because I believe it would get you tons of views! Plus, I think I would wanna see what you show us that we never knew! I know you can! Think about it! .....and ROCK ON!

[@dylanlovellconrad1174]

Anybody here from the Florida area tryna make a curb type show?

[@bobthechimp5431]

Me writing my ideas in quarantine: Woke up at 2pm, ate, watched tv, ate more, slept.

[@JohnMoseley]

The question is, are any of our ideas ever going to apply to the real world again?

[@bobthechimp5431]

John Moseley yeah ofc

[@urzathehappy72]

itll be a show about nothing!

[@indigoali5612]

That’s what human beings do, they need to eat and sleep

[@indigoali5612]

are you an alien or a robot?

[@twistandshoutabout]

Wouldn't you just write ideas in your phone nowadays?

[@clipsJPP]

that's what he does. He started doing that on his blackberry

[@iamamaniaint]

Maybe you would... If you mean you personally. By all means. Write that shit in your phone. Send me some scripts if you come up with anything good. I'd love to collab

[@nicholasdolinger6745]

I miss Marty

[@DefNotMyBurner]

1. Turn a minor inconvenience in a huge problem 2. Use catchphrases 3. Dry humor

[@swine13]

Dude you didn't use a full stop. How did you miss the full stop? How can somebody miss the full stop? Its a full stop! ...the STAHP! It stops the sentence! If you didn't have it, your sentences wouldn't end - you'd have a never ending sentence, you gotta have the full stop if you're going around starting sentences all "willy nilly"... **Kramer bursts in** K: woah, Jerry, you look a little tense. Whats goin on? He didnt use a STAHP! K: Yatut-tut-tut-tut-tut!! Cmon... DJ, what kind of a man forgets the stop? You know that's how my friend Bob Sacamano ended up having to get surgery to have his legs perforated! [Looks at Jerry] he can't drink standing up any more because if he does, it all comes out the holes like a watering can. ... It didn't work, did it...? im very definitely still broke, so I don't think it did sh**... 🥲

[@iamamaniaint]

Whoa bro.... You just roasted EVERYBODY ... "Full stop" or not 😵

[@iamamaniaint]

Dude plz plz stop roasting people

[@pigsonwings]

he writes scenes like a novel. not like a play.

[@xxloopermanxx9699]

you forgot the weed

[@ECL28E]

Jeff Garlin looks like Harvey Weinstein's good twin

[@AnAntidisestablishmentarianist]

You actually think Matt Lauer writes his own questions? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@ohshialabooof8958]

There are only 2 people who’s creative process I would want to know about when it comes to comedy. Larry David & Trey Parker. You already did larry, so if I had to suggest another guy’s creative process for you to cover then it would be Trey hands down.

[@joecostner1246]

robot talking here?

[@StoryDive]

YES I AMMM ROOOBOOOT BEEP BEEP