*Larry David is returning to HBO this summer, and he’s bringing a very famous friend along for the ride. The Curb Your Enthusiasm creator unveiled new details about his upcoming sketch comedy series, “Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America,” during a SXSW panel on Friday.
The seven-episode limited series, which reimagines key moments in U.S. history through David’s signature cringe-comedy lens, will premiere June 26 on HBO and Max. And yes, that’s former President Barack Obama making a cameo, The Daily Beast is reporting.
Wait, Obama and Larry David?
The pairing is less random than it sounds. Obama and David are reportedly golf buddies, and the former president’s production company, Higher Ground (run with Michelle Obama), is an executive producer on the project. The official logline sets the tone perfectly: “President and Mrs. Obama wanted to honor America’s 250th anniversary and celebrate the unique history of our nation on this special occasion… But then Larry David called.”
In other words: civic uplift meets comedy’s greatest professional irritant.
During the SXSW panel, David and longtime collaborator Jeff Schaffer shared behind-the-scenes anecdotes about working with the 44th president. Schaffer revealed that Obama once spent 45 minutes praising David before gently offering a note on a sketch. David’s response? Not exactly deference.
“On Curb and Seinfeld, I’m used to being the boss,” David explained. “Obama is also quite used to being the boss. We came to a bit of a loggerhead there.” David’s proposed compromise: “I said, ‘I’m president here’.”
The Cast Is Stacked
Beyond the Obama cameo, the series boasts an absurdly deep bench. Bill Hader and Kathryn Hahn will play Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln. Jon Hamm and Sean Hayes are the Wright brothers. Susie Essman (David’s Curb foil) appears as Susan B. Anthony. Jerry Seinfeld even reunites with David to play Lewis and Clark.
The show is essentially “Curb in costume,” as Schaffer describes it—improvised dialogue built around historical outlines. A preview clip shown at SXSW featured David inserted into the famous V-J Day photo in Times Square, where his attempt to kiss a stranger goes spectacularly wrong. She calls him a “perv-o, f**k-o,” and an angry mob soon surrounds him.
The Internet Has Thoughts
Reactions online range from genuine excitement (“pretty, pretty good” energy) to confusion about why Obama would lend his brand to Larry David’s particular brand of chaos. Some X users are simply delighted by the mental image of Obama giving David script notes. Others, predictably, have injected partisan snark.
Either way, “Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness” is shaping up to be the must-watch comedy event of the summer. Whether Obama actually plays himself or something more unexpected remains under wraps. But one thing is certain: America’s 250th birthday just got a lot more awkward.
