Larry David lives to see another day.
While Curb Your Enthusiasm is set to return for another season, the team behind the HBO hit weren't sure about the show's future going into the season 11 finale. "I know I say this all the time, but every season is the last season," executive producer Dave Schaffer told The Hollywood Reporter Aug. 4. "And I wanted to prepare as if it was the last one. So Larry kept falling into that pool without the fence and banging his head [for the scene]."
If the show wasn't renewed for season 12, Schaffer said they were going to add a final shot of "the still pool with just the envelope floating in the middle, and maybe adding one bubble." This would effectively communicate that Larry had drowned.
Fortunately, HBO ordered another round of episodes in April, which came as a huge relief to Larry, who, according to Schaffer, said, "I'm not ready to die." We're not ready for it either, Larry!
Schaffer said that's likely the last time they'll ever prep a death scene, noting that they only did so in this instance because it "lent itself too perfectly."
"We just got high and wide on the pool, with one light shining on it and the envelope floating in the middle," he continued. "And we said, 'OK, if this is how we go, this is how we go!'"
Now, they're gearing up for another season, which Schaffer is cautiously optimistic about. He said the writers are still in the early stages, sharing, "The writing of the season is honestly exactly the same as the other seasons, where we've figured out an arc and now it's just about putting together the funniest episodes. We're so micro that we're not even worried about the macro right now. We're still brick-by-brick building all the houses. There is some really funny stuff."
And yes, there will be more discussion of Young Larry, the show Larry was writing in Curb.
But don't hold your breath waiting for a premiere date. Schaffer joked that they like long gaps between seasons, because it takes the pressure off the writers. "One of the things that I always tell myself when we're writing a new season is, 'Hey, I know that last season ended really well and people really liked it but, it's OK,'" he explained. '"It's going to be two years before they see it again. They'll forget. And they'll just be so happy to have us back. So, the pressure is off because no one is going to remember!'"
Curb Your Enthusiasm is streaming now on HBO Max.