Comedian and writer Larry David was compared to a sex worker by longtime collaborator Jeff Schaffer, who directed Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, a sketch comedy limited series, which was co-created in collaboration with David. Schaffer joked about David never retiring with a crude remark.
Jeff Schaffer explains why Larry David keeps returning to TV
Jeff Schaffer, who joined Seinfeld as a writer in his early 20s and later became a driving force behind several television comedies, has now reunited with Larry David for Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, also known as Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America.
Speaking to Variety before the premiere of the series, Schaffer joked about Larry David while reflecting on his retirement.
“Larry can’t sit still. He’s like a pr*****ute who has sex when he’s not working. He’s always writing and thinking about stuff. We were actually in the beginning stages of thinking about other things to do after ‘Curb.’ There was a movie we were thinking about, and there was a possible limited series we were thinking about, but this seemed appealing for a variety of reasons,” he said. “One was working with the Obamas, and two was that the show had a deadline. It had to be done by now for the 250th.”
He further elaborated on the idea, saying, “The idea that it was eventized appealed to us. We said we’d do six episodes, and that’ll be that. It didn’t feel like it had the full weight of a series where you have to worry about Season 2 or Season 3. It was just a lark. But we ended up making so many sketches that we did seven episodes. Frankly, the thing that really appealed to Larry is that he loves American history. He studies it. This is a man who has the Gettysburg Address in his bathroom.”
Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness premiered on HBO on June 26, 2026.
