“You have finally done the show about nothing,†Larry David tells Jerry Seinfeld in the first installment of the web series Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee. The premiere is sadly not embeddable (and even if it were, it’s a bit of an affair at thirteen-and-change minutes, although a worthwhile watch simply to see these two yuk it up so genuinely), so allow us to paint a picture for you: Seinfeld, after a bit of uncomfortably narration-y intro, picks up David in a blue 1952 Volkswagen Beetle. (“We did a TV series together in the nineties,†Seinfeld unfussily refreshes us.) Then they’re off, enacting a half-length episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm or Seinfeld on the ride and in a diner.
DINING
Larry: “The lunch in a normal American restaurant is very problematic for me. I don’t like to have hot food for lunch.â€
TEA VS. COFFEE
Larry, who prefers tea and runs into problems with that preference: “But there’s something in my cup! You can’t see into my cup! I’m still sipping, there’s still steam coming out of it! What’s the difference?â€
SEMANTICS
Jerry: “Look at the turn signal.†[flips up tiny orange flag out of passenger window]
Larry: “Holy mackerel!â€
Jerry: “That’s called a semaphore.â€
Larry: “I thought a semaphore was some grammatical notation.â€
Jerry: “That’s a semicolon.â€
Larry: “I’m gonna look that up.â€
TEA VS. COFFEE, PT. 2
Jerry: “You wanna know the difference? We go to an ice cream shop. I get a cone … and you get a salad. That’s the difference. And you go, What, I’m eating, you’re eating. It’s the mood.â€
PANCAKES
Jerry: “But don’t you think once it cools off it loses its allure, the pancake? Don’t you think the heat is like, a big part of it? I’m kinda intrigued by that. Heat doesn’t have any flavor.â€
Larry: “It’s inviting.â€
Jerry: “Why? What does it do?â€
Larry: “It warms you. That’s very Kramer-ish — It’s good, Jerry. Eat. It warms you.â€
To get an idea of the show’s vibe, here’s a clip: