17 Years Later, Curb Your Enthusiasm Gets a Perfect Replacement by Netflix
Almost two decades after its premiere, Curb Your Enthusiasm is over – but Netflix has a replacement for you.
Summary
- JB Smoove has played Leon Black on Curb Your Enthusiasm since Season 6.
- Although the show just came to a close, Smoove already has a new show on Netflix.
- It’s an animated reboot of a classic sitcom, and he’s joined by another CYE star.
After 12 seasons, Curb Your Enthusiasm has come to a close. Seinfeld co-creator Larry David played a curmudgeonly version of himself for 120 episodes of the semi-improvised cringe comedy, which was nominated for 47 Emmy Awards over the course of its run.
But all good things must come to an end, which Curb Your Enthusiasm did in April of 2024. Luckily, one of CYE’s stars has a perfect replacement series on Netflix.
Smoove Move
JB Smoove played Leon Black in CYE for the last half of the series. He was introduced in season 6 as the brother of Larry’s love interest Loretta Black.
After Hurricane Katrina destroys her home, single mom Loretta moves her family in with Larry. Leon ends up tagging along with his sister (even though he already lived in LA and was unaffected by the hurricane), and sticks around to be Larry’s roommate even after Loretta leaves.
Like Larry, Leon is confrontational and blunt, but over time, the two form an unlikely friendship, with Larry often offering (bad) advice on romance and business. Smoove’s character was popular enough that he was promoted to being a series regular in season 9.
Now that viewers have said goodbye to Larry and Leon, they might be interested to know that JB Smoove already has another project ready for viewing.
Good Times Are Here Again
Shortly after the finale of CYE, Netflix dropped ten episodes of Good Times, an animated series rebooted from the classic 1974 sitcom about a family living in a poor neighborhood of Chicago.
The original series was the first on television to feature a two-parent Black family, headed by Florida and James Evans. The two parents struggled to put food on the table for their three children, while also facing comedic situations with their friends, neighbors, and classmates of the kids. The show ran for 6 seasons and was a staple of primetime.
In the new series, Smoove stars as the voice of Reggie Evans, the family patriarch and grandson of Florida and James. Reggie’s wife Beverly is voiced by Yvette Nicole Brown (of Community fame). Joining Smoove on the show is another CYE alumna, legendary comedian Wanda Sykes. She voices one of the kids’ teachers, Ms. Likeigiveashit (get it?). With two CYE voices in the cast, this might be the perfect replacement if you’re going into Curb withdrawal.
…Or Not?
Of course, critics might disagree with us there. So far the show hasn’t attracted many accolades, and holds a sub-par 17% on Rotten Tomatoes. However, there have been many sitcoms that improved with age (30 Rock, Parks & Rec), so it’s possible that this is just a bump on the road for now. Given the sheer star power in the cast, it seems likely that it will improve if given the chance.
And for now, the creators are having the last laugh: the reviews might not be stellar, but Good Times has been trending on Netflix.
The new animated Good Times is available on Netflix, while the original series can be streamed on Peacock. And, if you’re not ready to let go of it yet, Curb Your Enthusiasm is available on Max.