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 Your Enthusiasm culminates in a season finale that often features the return of many of the characters that appeared throughout the season. The style and the characters of the show are introduced across a series of mostly isolated episodes, in the only season without a major story arc. Cheryl is tired of Larry not working, so he begins to develop a new television show, initially with guest stars Jason Alexander and Julia Louis-Dreyfus (George and Elaine, respectively, on "Seinfeld") as themselves. But Larry's constant social faux pas ruin the chances of the show being financed by a major television network. Larry invests