Ted Danson’s Wildest Curb Moments!

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Ted Danson’s TV career extends across multiple generations, with his most notable role being the bartender Sam Malone on the popular sitcom “Cheers.” Since then, he’s accumulated a diverse portfolio of roles in critically acclaimed and widely watched TV shows like “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Damages,” “The Good Place,” “Becker,” and more recently, “A Man on the Inside.” Through both movies and television, Danson has proven his ability to excel in both dramatic and comedic roles. However, it seems that no TV show has provided him with a better platform for comedy than “Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Hailing from the mind of renowned comedian Larry David, this show presents an annoying, fictitious portrayal of Larry, navigating the nuisances of daily existence. Similar to his initial TV production, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm was a success due to its absurd yet recognizable situational comedy and its riotous supporting players. Among these was Ted Danson, who, like Larry, portrays a fictionalized version of himself – a suave Hollywood gent and overly kind individual. Often, Danson’s character conflicts with Larry’s, resulting in side-splitting encounters.

With that in mind, here are ten of Ted Danson’s funniest moments in Curb Your Enthusiasm.

10
Using Larry’s Party Absence Excuse

Season 6, Episode 1 – “Meet the Blacks”

Season 6 of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” stands out as one of its strongest, featuring an African-American family, the Blacks, who temporarily move into Larry David’s (and Cheryl Hines’ character) home following a hurricane loss. The season commences with “Meet the Blacks”, where we are introduced to this family. In this particular episode, Larry concocts an elaborate reason for being late to a party. He arrives after the party has ended and pretends he had mistakenly written down the wrong date on his calendar, justifying his absence from the gathering.

In the finale of the episode, some characters employ this tactic and even turn it against Larry. At the episode’s close, Ted Danson unexpectedly appears at Larry’s residence with a bottle of wine, feigning surprise that he had missed Larry’s gathering. However, Larry is quick to sniff out his deceit.

9
Supporting Mocha Joe

Season 10, Episode 5 – “Insufficient Praise”

Larry David has built quite a few adversaries throughout his 12 seasons on Curb Your Enthusiasm, but possibly his most formidable foe is Mocha Joe (Saverio Guerra). Their first confrontation takes place during Season 7 when Mocha Joe serves coffee on the set of the Seinfeld reunion. Mocha Joe resurfaces in season 10, opening a coffee shop that Larry deems completely unacceptable. In retaliation, Larry receives a lifetime ban from Mocha Joe’s and, in a spiteful move, opens a rival coffee shop called Latte Larry’s right next door. He refers to it as a “Spite Store.

In a seemingly impossible scenario, how could underdog Mocha Joe challenge multi-millionaire Larry? By locating an affluent individual eager to engage Larry in a friendly rivalry. In the “Insufficient Praise” episode, Mocha Joe brings Larry face-to-face with his newest benefactor – none other than Ted Danson. As Danson strides purposefully toward Larry, his eyes burning with vengeance, he declares, “I’m eagerly anticipating ruining your spiteful business.” Seeing Danson ally with Larry’s greatest competitor might ruffle Larry’s feathers, but it certainly brings laughter to the viewers.

8
The Chef Josh Argument

Season 3, Episode 3 – “Club Soda and Salt”

In Season 3 of “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, the narrative centers around Larry and his co-investors, including Ted and Jeff (Jeff Garlin), starting a restaurant together. If you’re familiar with “The Bear”, you’ll understand that the chef is crucial to any eatery. Danson proposes Chef Josh as their potential head chef and organizes a food tasting where Chef Josh prepares a meal for Ted, Larry, and Jeff to sample.

Throughout this incident, Danson expresses strong disapproval towards Larry, starting when Larry salts his food without permission. When Danson seeks the opinion of his friend who happens to be bald on the food, he receives a very typical response from Larry David – an indifferent “Eh.” Infuriated, Danson sets up a confrontation with Larry by inviting Chef Josh into the dining room and suggesting that Larry has something to share with him. In response, Larry informs Chef Josh that he won’t be hired for the restaurant but would still appreciate some dessert. The entire scene featuring Danson’s reactions to Larry’s behavior is a hilarious spectacle.

7
Asking for Permission to Date Cheryl

Season 9, Episode 2 – “The Pickle Gambit”

In Season 9, the storyline focuses on Larry writing a musical comedy titled “Fatwa!“, which satirizes and mocks the Ayatollahs. Following his impersonation of the Ayatollah on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Larry inadvertently angers the real-life Ayatollah, who issues a genuine fatwa against him.

In the heart of episode 2 titled “The Pickle Gambit,” I found myself in an unexpected twist as Ted Danson, under the guise of checking on Larry’s welfare, paid him a visit at home. Little did we know that this seemingly benign act was merely a cover for something much more intriguing. It turns out, Danson had come to seek Larry’s blessing to pursue a relationship with his ex-wife, Cheryl! This revelation, following the pretense of Danson’s own divorce from Mary Steenburgen, felt like an explosive surprise. And boy, did he deliver this bombshell with a self-satisfied smirk, giving no thought to Larry’s emotional state whatsoever.

6
The Defective Shirt Gift

Season 3, Episode 1 – “Chet’s Shirt”

In season 3, there was another amusing exchange between Larry and Ted, not just the one involving Chef Josh. During the episode titled “Chet’s Shirt”, Larry presents Ted with a shirt as a gift. At first, Ted is delighted, but his joy quickly turns to confusion when he discovers a large hole in the back of the shirt. Larry suggests that Ted should return the shirt to the store for repair, which leaves Ted puzzled.

As a film enthusiast, let me rephrase that situation: Instead of squabbling over who should fetch the damaged shirt and mend it, I proposed a solution by saying, “How about I send you a present, and you pick it up in Seattle?” However, my friend disagreed, stating, “That’s not a gift, that’s a problem!

5
The Gift Card Argument

Season 7, Episode 4 – “The Hot Towel”

In “The Hot Towel”, Larry bestows a $300 restaurant gift card on Ted and his spouse Mary, a high-end eatery just opened. True to Larry’s character, he takes umbrage when Ted and Mary opt to use the gift card with Jeff and Susie instead of Larry himself. The episode concludes with Larry addressing this matter directly with Ted, catching him off guard at his doorstep, fearing someone might be pursuing him.

Ted’s initial response to Larry’s predicament is impressive. He questions what Larry is wearing, glancing at his worn-out gym shorts. Things often get heated (as they often do) when Larry angrily voices his dissatisfaction over not being invited for dinner, essentially claiming half of the $300 gift card. “Here’s your $150!” Danson exclaims, pulling out his wallet and shoving money into Larry’s hand. “Take this $150 and go buy yourself some decent pants,” he says sharply, before slamming the door in Larry’s face, leaving him in a precarious situation.

4
The Freak Book Gift

Season 6, Episode 5 – “The Freak Book”

The episode titled “The Freak Book” lays the groundwork for a dramatic fallout between Larry and Ted. In an unusual turn of events, Larry decides to give his longtime friend a coffee table book filled with oddities as a birthday present. As Danson unwraps the gift, his expression is priceless, showing clear confusion. Matters take a turn for the worse when a drunken guest crashes Ted’s party. In a surprising revelation, Larry admits, “I think that might be my driver.

The icing on the cake, however, is when Larry’s driver inappropriately touches Ted’s spouse, leading Danson to reach a breaking point. “Get out of my house!” he exclaims, pulling Larry off the sofa. “Leave your strange companion and your peculiar book behind, and get out!” It appears that Larry’s gifts to Ted Danson aren’t always well-received.

3
The Anonymous Donor

Season 6, Episode 2 – “The Anonymous Donor”

In essence, Larry, from his kind-heartedness, contributes substantially to a museum and receives a wing named in his honor. However, instead of acknowledging Larry’s charitable act, everyone, including Larry’s wife, becomes overly enthusiastic about the mysterious donor who gave anonymously. Interestingly, the enigmatic benefactor isn’t truly anonymous as one might think.

In a humorous turn of events, Ted Danson has been boasting to all and sundry that he is indeed the anonymous donor. This act leaves Larry feeling rather displeased at what seems like an excessive display of self-praise from Ted.

2
The Sandwich Argument

Season 5, Episode 1 – “The Larry David Sandwich”

What indicates that you’ve truly succeeded in life? Not through becoming a millionaire or producing one of the most iconic sitcoms ever made. It’s when they name a sandwich after you at Leo’s deli, although Larry isn’t particularly pleased with his whitefish and sable sandwich. In a bold gesture, he proposes trading sandwiches with another well-known figure featured on Leo’s sandwich board – Ted Danson.

As a film enthusiast, I, Ted, initially agreed to the swap, but that was before I caught a whiff of what Larry had tucked away in his lunch. Watching my discomfort escalate into sheer horror as Jeff casually unveiled each new layer of that sandwich was quite amusing. Things took an intense turn when I reneged on the deal, leading to a heated verbal exchange between us. “What’s the big deal?” Larry asked, bewildered. “The difference,” I retorted, “is one tastes great, while the other… well, it doesn’t.

1
The Pie Argument

Season 7, Episode 5 – “Denise Handicap”

The episode titled ‘Denise Handicap’ on Curb Your Enthusiasm is considered one of its most entertaining and humorous installments. A particularly amusing moment unfolds when Ted Danson sends a pie to Larry’s table during a dinner date, only for Larry and his companion to politely decline. In response, Danson insists they taste it, resulting in further comedic situations.

The scene unfolds comically yet absurdly as the duo embarks on a playful tug-of-war over the pie, using the unfortunate waiter as their makeshift rope. “Give me that slice of pie and move it away from my face!” Larry exclaims angrily at the waiter. Infuriated, Danson swears and exits – but not without mocking Larry for supposedly losing to Rosie O’Donnell in a fight.

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2025-06-01 21:04