Barack Obama is heading into one of television’s most uncomfortable places: a Larry David comedy.
But working with a former president didn’t stop David from reminding Obama who was boss.
“I’m president here,” David said, recalling a moment when Obama offered a note on one of his sketches.
David revealed new details about the project—including its title, release date, and sprawling cast—during a SXSW talk in Austin alongside his longtime collaborator Jeff Schaffer, who directs the series.
The HBO sketch series Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America, is set to premiere on June 26.
The seven-episode show will satirize U.S. history in celebration of the country’s 250th anniversary.
A short clip shown during the SXSW panel previewed the show’s brand of historical absurdity. In the sketch, David witnesses the famous “V-J Day in Times Square” moment, which is depicted by the iconic photograph of a Navy sailor kissing a stranger to celebrate the end of World War II.
Like Curb Your Enthusiasm, the series relies heavily on improvisation, with sketches built around loose outlines rather than traditional scripts. Schaffer described the concept succinctly as “‘Curb’ in costume.”
Obama, whose production company Higher Ground also produces the series, will appear opposite David in one of the sketches.
Schaffer said the former president didn’t hold back from teasing the famously prickly comedian while they worked together.
“He was ragging on [David’s] golf game, ragging on how much sunscreen [he] wear[s],” he said.
But Obama isn’t the only famous face to feature in the series. Each episode will feature roughly four sketches with a rotating cast of actors and comedians, including Curb regulars Jeff Garlin, J.B. Smoove, and Susie Essman, who will play women’s rights pioneer Susan B. Anthony.
Other guest stars will step into historical roles, with Bill Hader and Kathryn Hahn set to portray Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln, while Jon Hamm and Sean Hayes will appear as the Wright brothers.
Together, the cast will step into some of the most famous moments in American history, with David, inevitably, at the center of the awkwardness.
In other words, American history—Larry David-style.
