Susie Essman: Getting analytical about comedy

by Emma Kat Richardson

As Curb Your Enthusiasm enters syndication via the TV Guide Network June 2, Susie Essman will add yet another title to her already varied comedy resume. She’s now the host of Curb: The Discussion, a companion show that will dissect each episode of the smash hit.

She’s best known as the woman behind the woman scorned by a man who specializes in scorn, but Susie Essman wants you to know that, despite whatever similarities may exist on the “first name” portion of their government documents, she and Susie Greene are two mutually exclusive entities.

For example, the former is a bold, brazen comic firebrand (and published author, after the fall debut of What Would Susie Say: Bullshit Wisdom About Love, Life, and Comedy) with a sense of insight so sharp she’d make industrial-strength razor-blades look dull and useless. The latter, conversely, is a fierce, fiery, trash-talking tormentor of Larry David and his whole shiftless, morally bankrupt world in HBO’s mega hit Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Setting aside personal disparagements between Susie the comedian and Susie the f-bomber, Curb’s seven season run (with an eighth on its way in 2011) has proven a very fruitful endeavor for the two Susies – the gift that keeps on giving as syndicated episodes of Curb prepare to make their way to a new life on the TV Guide Network every Wednesday and Thursday at 10 pm EST, debuting on June 2.

Be mindful, dear David devotees, that this is no Sex and the City-TBS-esque vanilla makeover; although the series has been mildly edited for risque language, an accompanying discussion panel will follow the airing of each episode and will allow Curb’s creative team to match wits with a collection of brainy, academic types and comedians as the ethical ins and outs of each story-line are offered up for dissection.

Checking in with the Curb panel’s hostess with the most-ess(man), Punchline Magazine caught up with Susie to commiserate over agreeing with Larry David on morals, replacing “fucks” with “freaks,” and how to successfully spotlight the misspelling of the word “aunt” for a basic cable audience. (Hint: this misspelling involves the letter ‘c.’)

What sort of topics will you be spearheading with the TV Guide Network’s Curb Your Enthusiasm panel discussions?
Oh god, everything. I mean, it’s interesting when you go through the episodes, how many issues Larry brings up. And like really intense stuff: so much stuff about race and the handicapped. It’s just like this real stuff that comes up.

How instrumental were you in preparing the talking points?
Totally instrumental. I went through each episode and came up with the questions. [Producer] Scott Carter and I basically did that together.

What have been some of the more surprising revelations that have come out of these panel discussions?
For me, some of the most surprising things are how often I agree with Larry. It was really kind of shocking to me, because you know, my character never agrees with Larry. And here I was – I purposely stepped out of my Susie Greene head, and was watching it – and so often, I was agreeing with Larry’s point of view. Larry’s so concerned with justice and injustice and social mores and the ridiculous things we all do in life and behave in certain ways.

I often agree with the choices he makes, but the only problem is his delivery. He just goes about it like such a jerk, that you’re completely turned off. And then a lot of times he goes too far: you don’t steal flowers from a roadside memorial of your best friend’s mother to give to your wife. There are certain things that are just wrong. [Laughs].

What do you think Curb’s die-hard fans can gain from watching these panel discussions?
I think it’s going to be really interesting, because people tell me all the time that their Monday morning water cooler discussions are just these exact kind of issues. People are talking about Larry’s behavior all the time. We got a really diverse group of people on the panel – from lawyers like Gloria Allred to psychiatrists like Dr. Drew Pinsky, to comedians Jerry Seinfeld and musicians Dave Navarro, like just across the board, so many different voices, like Joe Scarborough and D.L. Hughley.

Just great opinions, and there’s a lot of diversity going on in terms of the opinions; it’s just an interesting discussion. It’s like sitting around – to me, it’s a fantasy – because I’m sitting around with really smart, interesting, and sometimes very funny people, having discussions, and there’s nothing I like better than good conversation.

What goals did you and the rest of the creative team behind the discussion panels have?
To make it interesting, to make it something that people would want to watch. To make people think about things. Laughs are good, but it’s not always funny: some of it is very funny, but some of it… we get into real discussions about stuff that’s interesting– moral and ethical discussions.

Different people have different points of view. Randy Cohen, who’s the ethicist for the New York Times, he writes that column every week, he would come up with things that would have never crossed my mind, because he comes at it from an ethicist point of view. I always come at things from a more moral point of view. I enjoyed the discussions myself, so if I enjoyed them, I think the audience will.

Have there been any episodes you’ve discussed that, when they originally aired, they were written with a certain message in mind, but when they were dissected in the discussion, a completely different moral emerged?
No, there was never a consensus about everything. And we were never trying to get a consensus; we’re not looking for answers, we’re just looking for opinions and voices. Let people figure out their own answers. I don’t ever feel like I can tell anybody right from wrong. What’s interesting about it is the different interpretations. You wanted to get all voices: you wanted to get a liberal voice and a right-wing voice. A black voice, a white voice; whatever the differences could be.

Are you concerned that Curb’s transition to the TV Guide Network might have some negative ramifications for the series, considering that some content will undoubtedly be edited out?
Well, I’ve seen the first two seasons and the way that they cut them. I have to say, I myself was extremely worried about it. I spent 10 days in a sound booth looping – you know, I had to take out all my “fucks” and make them “freaks.” I was worried about the integrity of my character, first and foremost, and I found for Susie Greene it really didn’t make that much difference. I’ve always contended that the thing people are responding to with Susie Greene is not her language: it’s her comfort with her anger. The anger is still there and the intent is still there, so my character seemed to work.

They were very careful in terms of the content – there are some instances where they have to change some things, but they seem to be clear, anyway. Like, for example, the “Beloved Aunt” episode. Do you know that episode?

I don’t think so.
The “Beloved Aunt” episode is where Cheryl’s aunt dies, and Larry has to put an obituary in the paper. There’s a typo, and it’s supposed to say “devoted sister, beloved aunt,” but instead of saying “aunt,” there’s a typo and the ‘a’ is changed to a ‘c.’ All hell breaks loose, and the entire family kicks Larry out of the house, when it really wasn’t Larry’s fault; it was a typo.

Of course, it’s the worst thing you could ever possibly say in an obituary, and somehow, they managed to finesse it so that they didn’t show it. In the HBO version, they showed the typo, and in the TV Guide version, they didn’t show the typo, but you knew exactly what was going on anyway.

Do you feel like that almost adds another dimension of humor to the series, just based on the element of surprise and mystery there?
It’s hard for me to say, because I’m so familiar with the other version. There’s nothing that could really surprise me, but I’d be curious to hear what other people who’ve seen it for the first time feel like. It would be interesting.

Do you think that Curb’s regular fans might be alienated by the vanilla makeover?
No, because it’s not that vanilla. It’s pretty risque for basic cable. One of the great things that TV Guide did is they’re not editing it for time, which is why we’re doing these panel discussions. Most of our shows are 28, 29, 30 minutes – full half-hours – so if they were going to be on a network, with commercials, they’d have to be 22 minutes. And to take out story-line would really ruin the show.

They didn’t do that. They left the integrity of the show, and I also think we’re adding something the diehard group is going to be interested in with this new element, the discussions.

Do you foresee the series recruiting a new crop of fans because of this move?
Oh, absolutely. There will be way more viewers; millions of viewers! A lot of people tell me, “I’ve never seen the show, I don’t have HBO.” I guess there are still people that don’t have cable, and TV Guide is pretty much on everybody’s basic cable plan, I think. So I think we’re going to add millions of viewers. I think the show has gotten to the point where it becomes so popular that a lot of people who haven’t seen it are going to be really curious to see it. It definitely grows on you.

In addition to the next season of Curb, what’s next for you and your comedy career?
Just more of the same. I do tons of stand-up – I have a bunch of gigs set up between now and June when we start shooting, and I have to do another 46 episodes of the discussion. We’ll see, we’ll see; I just can’t do more than six or seven months ahead of time.

Do you think the discussion panels will end up playing any kind of integral role in the new season when it’s finally put together?
No. I know how Larry thinks; he’s not thinking about that. He won’t think that way.

But for you personally, is it kind of hard to turn off that switch that’s constantly analyzing now?
No, because when I do Susie Greene, I become Susie Greene. I put on those outfits, and I’m Susie Greene. I’m not thinking about anything but my acting in that moment.

Are you a Method actor?
Yeah, I suppose so. I guess. I’m not really sure what that is, but yeah, I get my anger worked up, but I also work from the outside in. I mean, a lot of actors look to the inside out, but Laurence Olivier used to work from the outside in, in that he would change his nose a lot with putty, and for me, it’s the Susie Greene wardrobe. I kinda put on those outfits, and I’m just her. I just become her. I don’t put a whole lot of thought into it, but I definitely have to work on the anger.

Do a lot of similarities exist between Susie Greene and yourself?
Yes and no. I’m not nearly as angry as her. She’s a lot more reactive than I am. I analyze everything every which way, but with Susie Greene, it’s like you do something, she responds. She doesn’t think a whole lot about it. She’s a lot simpler than I am, I think.

Do you ever find her coming out when you’re doing your stand-up?
Yes, and I find her coming out when something makes me really angry. There is definitely that Susie Greene aspect in me.

For more info on Susie, check out susieessman.com; for more on Curb Your Enthusiasm, check out TV Guide Network’s official site. To buy Susie’s book, just click the image below!