Hi, I'm Jim Miller, and welcome to Origins.

Origins will explore beginnings in the world of film, television, music, sports, relationships, and more.

So as we start our own beginning of origins, let me offer an explanation as to why Chapter

One is devoted to curb your enthusiasm, the hilarious and innovative comedy series created

by Larry David. Now the easy answer to why is as simple as one two three.

One, Curb is one of my favorite comedy shows of the past 25 years. Two, Curb has

taken the half-hour sitcom to new and risky places.

And three, Curb's legacy continues to grow.

On October 1st, some 17 years after its premiere, Curb will return to HBO for a ninth season.

We've never seen quite such a journey in television.

I first met Larry David more than a decade ago when I interviewed him for Live from New York.

The oral history of Saturday Night Live I did with Tom Shales of the Washington Post.

We were up in Martha's Vineyard having breakfast at the Chilmark Cafe.

Larry held a muffin in one hand, but instead of eating it, he studied it, broke it apart,

spread it on his small paper plate, examined it further, and then asked

our waiter to return to the kitchen to find out why the previous day's muffin had more chocolate

chips in it than today's did. This was no joke. Larry seemed genuinely curious

about the lesser muffin. It wasn't meant to be a performance either, but even so, I watched

and laughed. It was a blast to witness, and just the kind of very Larry moment that would become a hallmark of

curb. So what you're about to hear is more than a tracing of Curb's pedigree.

It is a deep six dive down the rabbit hall of Larry David's professional life,

as well as of the show's unconventional history with all its eccentricities and outliers.

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