The Larry Sanders Show in its use of celebrity guests, its lack of laugh track, and its comedy of embarrassment by "Curb Your Enthusiasm", "The Office" and "Arrested Development". Shandling's performance is a precursor to Larry David's in "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and Ricky Gervais ("The Office", "Extras") as David Brent. Gervais said in "Variety" that he was heavily influenced by the show and that "It taught me that flawed characters can be compulsive viewing — seeing them squirm and get their comeuppance." Armando Iannucci said that his political satire "The Thick of It" strove to mix comedy and authenticity in a similar manner to
Curb (album) album's producer Larry Anschell also sued the band for "production royalties and property rights" to the songs on "Curb". "Curb" received mixed to negative reviews from critics. In "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide", published in 2004, "Curb" was awarded one and a half stars and criticised for its "generic heft [which] got the band nowhere". Reviewing the album for musicOMH, David Rafaello claimed that "Curb" is "stuck in a time capsule labelled 'mid-90s paralysis'", suggesting that it was only released internationally in 2002 in an attempt to "cash in on the momentary fame and success of the group". Continuing