Comedy, Repetition and Racial Stereotypes on Television

Abstract

The article explores the affinity of comedy for repetition, analyzing particularly the sitcom Curb Your Enthusiasm (Creator: Larry David, HBO 2000-2011), a comedy series on the life of the co-creator and writer of Seinfeld, Larry David, who plays himself. Sitcoms in general have been assessed as a conservative form of television in regard to its repetitive form, its contents, and stereotypes. Through an analysis of Curb, I will reevaluate this appraisal in regard to racial and especially to anti-Semitic stereotypes.