Barack Obama and Larry David are making comedy history for HBO.
The programmer announced on Thursday that the 44th US president and the Curb Your Enthusiasm comic would team up for a sketch comedy series focused on American history, in honor of the country’s 250th birthday.
The official log-line reads: “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.”
The as-yet untitled half-hour series comes from Higher Ground, the production company founded by Obama and his wife Michelle after he left office in 2017. David and his Curb partner Jeff Schaffer will write the sketches, which will reportedly feature former Curb cast members and other “noteworthy” guest stars.
The former president said in a press release: “I’ve sat across the table from some of the world’s most difficult leaders and wrestled with some of our most intractable problems. Nothing has prepared me for working with Larry David.”
“Once Curb ended, I celebrated with a three-day foam party,” David added. “After a violent allergic reaction to the suds, I yearned to return to my simple life as a beekeeper, harvesting organic honey from the wildflowers in my meadow. Alas, one day my bees mysteriously vanished. And so, it is with a heavy heart that I return to television, hoping to ease the loss of my beloved hive.”
The 78-year-old David co-created the network sitcom Seinfeld, which ran from 1989 until 1998. He also wrote and starred on HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, a comedy of manners that aired off and on between 2000 with its final celebratory episode airing in 2024. “We’re thrilled that Larry is coming back to HBO, this time with Higher Ground, to give us a glimpse at our shared history as we celebrate our semiquincentennial,” said Amy Gravitt, head of comedy programming at the newly rebranded HBO Max.
The series will be the first project with HBO for Higher Ground, which has predominantly worked with Netflix since its launch in 2019. Past projects include the documentaries Crip Camp and American Symphony, Michelle Obama’s autobiographical film Becoming, and the Oscar-nominated feature Rustin. The company won an Oscar in 2020 for the documentary American Factory.
