We rate David Steinberg as a television director with a firm grasp of comic timing and ensemble acting. The programmes benefit from that skill, though their writers and performers deserve at least as much of the credit.
Fi1m perspective
In Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000), Larry David keeps talking long after a disagreement might sensibly have been settled. The supporting cast know how long to let him continue, and the delay makes his behaviour funnier. We laughed at how much trouble he could make out of an everyday disagreement, then found the repeated quarrels wearing. Steinberg’s skill with comic timing makes him a good fit for a programme so dependent on how its actors respond to one another.
His move behind the camera began with Paternity (1981) and Going Berserk (1983), before television became his principal directing work in the mid-1980s. Mad About You (1992), on which he directed approximately 50 episodes, suggests how thoroughly he settled into the form. His earlier work as a stand-up comedian helps explain the attention to performers. He works closely with actors to refine material and is willing to challenge writers; collaboration here need not mean simply accepting what is on the page.
Seinfeld (1989) is the stronger recommendation, with plotting that gives its selfish quartet ample opportunity to behave badly over almost nothing. The pleasure comes from the ensemble as much as the individual joke, and Steinberg’s aptitude for managing comic exchanges fits the programme well. We should not give an episodic director sole credit for the writing or performances, but making those elements work together is a substantial job. The series takes a little time to settle, with tentative opening episodes, but we would happily spend another evening with these people.
With David on Curb Your Enthusiasm, the test is how long an argument can remain funny. Steinberg’s collaborative approach is useful here: performers need room to prolong a disagreement without losing the exchange’s timing. That does not make the series inexhaustible, and the accumulation of quarrels can leave us wishing somebody would change the subject. We rate his television work because he takes these small adjustments seriously, rather than treating the format as a lesser occupation. Start with Seinfeld; save Curb Your Enthusiasm for evenings when one episode will do.
Biography
David Steinberg (born 9 August 1942) is a Canadian comedian, actor, writer and director. He began his career in stand-up comedy and as a member of the Second City troupe in Chicago, later appearing more than 130 times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.
Steinberg has directed numerous episodes of television sitcoms, including Seinfeld (four episodes, 1991–1998), Curb Your Enthusiasm (eight episodes, 2000–2017), Mad About You, Friends, Designing Women and Weeds. He has also directed feature films such as Paternity (1981) and The Wrong Guy (1997). He won two Primetime Emmy Awards for writing on Academy Awards broadcasts.
