Overview
- Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness, a seven-episode sketch series created by and starring Larry David and produced by Higher Ground, premiered on HBO on Friday, June 26 and will run weekly through August 7.
- The series places David’s familiar comic persona into brief, mostly improvised reworkings of U.S. historical moments and relies on rapid-fire sketches rather than a single narrative.
- The show features a long list of guest stars, including Barack Obama, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Hamm, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bill Hader, and Kathryn Hahn, which has drawn attention to its cameo-driven approach.
- Director and co-creator Jeff Schaffer told Variety that Obama gave development notes and described an exchange in which Obama admonished David and David replied, “Yeah, but I’m the president of this,” a moment that has focused debate on creative control.
- Early reviews are mixed, with critics praising production values and some performances but criticizing slow pacing, repetitive premises, and reliance on well-worn Larry David beats, and commentators note the series marks a tonal shift for the Obamas’ Higher Ground slate.