HBO's Curb Your Enthusiasm was stuck in a malaise prior to season 6, with Larry and Cheryl's divorce subsequently saving the show. Curb Your Enthusiasm centers on a (somewhat) fictionalized version of Seinfeld creator Larry David, whose socially unorthodox approach to everyday life lands Larry in various deplorable situations and labyrinthine misunderstandings. For the first six seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Larry's grating persona takes the highest toll on his exasperated wife Cheryl (Cheryl Hines), who acts as the series' initial foil for Larry's uncompromising approach to life. Cheryl finally snaps mid-way through Curb Your Enthusiasm season 6, specifically in episode 7, "The TiVo Guy."

As her plane back to LA is caught in a storm, Cheryl calls Larry for reassurance and affection, but instead, Larry is preoccupied with getting the notoriously hard-to-schedule TiVo technician (Kevin Heffernan) comfortable before he hangs up on her. Disappointed and hurt, Cheryl leaves Larry, and the pair eventually divorce.