Just about any fan of Seinfeld can name its two creators -- stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld and former Saturday Night Live writer Larry David. While NBC was at first skeptical of the series, it quickly became one of the most popular additions to the "Must See TV" lineup, and ended rather anti-climactically several years ago in a series finale that left more people scratching their heads and saying "Huh?" than anything else.

Since the end of Seinfeld's run, Seinfeld has stayed quiet for the most part, sticking to his original stand-up and every once in a while appearing in television specials including the NBC 75th Anniversary Special; he's also become something of a regular on The Late Show with David Letterman and is no stranger to Late Night with Conan O'Brien, either. Chances are that you can find Seinfeld or Seinfeld somewhere on the air, with the proliferation of syndicated reruns.

But what happened to David? His filmography is notably shorter than that of Seinfeld's, most likely because David's likelihood is not that of "performer" so much as it is as "auteur."

Sour Grapes is his most notable (and arguably least-liked) film, and while he himself acknowledges that the film was a flop, he didn't let it stand in the way of creating new product for television.

Enter Curb Your Enthusiasm, an HBO original series (airing Sunday and Wednesday at 10 p.m., Tuesday at 12 a.m. and Friday at 11:30 p.m.).

Written and starring David as himself, the series is purportedly improvisational (although a recent lawsuit by the Writer's Guild of America charges David with failing to pay the show's writers adequately for their work, limited as it may be). David claims that each program is based on a basic "outline" that is given to each actor ¯ and the lines come from there.

The show comes across as almost a staged reality TV show, wherein there is an actual storyline that plays out over the course of the show ¯ there are no "to be continued" endings on this show.

While the dialogue does seem more human and in many ways more natural than the clearly scripted banter of a program like Frasier or the clever one-line zingers of Will & Grace, there always seems to be an acidic edge to the dialogue. Everything seems sarcastic and almost bitter, in many ways.

While I presume that the actors are having fun making a program that they feel is funny, I can't say that personally I found it that entertaining at all.

Larry David the character and Larry David the person are not entirely different, and for the most part this similarity makes it difficult to sympathize with him, even though most of the episodes end unfavorably for him. I've watched this program with mixed emotions on several occasions ¯ while it sometimes elicits a giggle, for the most part I watch it and wonder "why am I wasting my time?"

The disturbing combination of reality television, sitcom and drama (of some sort) often makes this program confusing to watch. Are we supposed to sympathize with David in his various predicaments, or are we supposed to ridicule him and laugh at his stupidity?

The world that the characters live in is fraught with problems and conflict just waiting to happen, and is not really all that pleasant at all. It certainly isn't a television world that I would want to voluntarily escape into.

The program does, on occasion, have its moments, and perhaps it was the particular episode that I have in mind (No. 29, "Mary, Joseph and Larry") that seemed particularly weak.

The humor seems to lie mostly in obscure references (for example, David telling his gardener to use the "tu" form of Spanish greeting because the "usted" form is too formal), and in almost degrading stereotypes (David's pronouncement of his housekeeper as a "good folder" but not such a great "sponge replacer"). It's not that I don't get the jokes ¯ I do, they just aren't all that funny.

I'm not sure exactly why Curb Your Enthusiasm was nominated for an Emmy this past go-around, but nonetheless it failed to win.

I almost feel that the show's rave reviews primarily come from David's "insider" status as a long-time television alum and writer.

While I'll likely tune back in to the program just to see if it remains consistently disappointing, I can't recommend this program to those who are looking for gut-wrenching hilarity.

Seinfeld and Saturday Night Live this program is not. It has yet to find a slot on the shelf where it really fully fits ¯ among such classics for which David is known.