Young Sheldon: Sheldon Tries To Be An Adult (Season 1 Episode 18 Clip)
see more: Cheryl Hines Says No One Tries to Be Funny on Curb Text Chain: ‘Nobody’s Doing Comedy Bits’ (Exclusive)
Some of the cast of the long-running series reunited at a panel discussion event, moderated by Judd Apatow, at PaleyFest LA on April 18
Cheryl Hines and her Curb Your Enthusiasm costars have left the jokes on set.
While attending a PaleyFest LA panel on April 18 discussing the hit comedy series — which just aired its series finale on April 7 after a 12-season run — the actress, 58, told PEOPLE that the cast continues to keep in touch via a text chain. However, they “don’t really do comedy bits on the text chain,” she says. “Not this group.”
“I mean, if anybody, it’s Jeff Schaffer,” she continues, referring to the show’s executive producer, who worked alongside series creator Larry David. “He’s the funny one. Everybody else is just nuts and bolts like 5:00 on Thursday. Nobody’s doing comedy bits usually.”
At the event, held at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, Hines also shared her thoughts on the star-studded finale and whether she was rooting for her and David’s characters, Cheryl and Larry, to get back together.
“I was really hoping in this last episode that somehow magically they would get back together or it seems like they might get back together. But we were all still in the same place, so I guess that says something,” she told PEOPLE.
In the episode, titled “No Lessons Learned,” Larry stood trial for passing a bottle of water to Auntie Rae (played by Ellia English) while in line at a polling station in Georgia, violating a controversial new law in the state. The storyline was a play on the ending of David’s other hit series, Seinfeld. Ultimately, a mistrial was declared, and the episode ended with the whole gang on a flight back to Los Angeles where a typical dustup ensued with Susie and the group, prompting Susie to yell, “Oh go back to jail, Larry!”
The episode featured guest appearances from the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Greg Kinnear, Dean Norris, Allison Janney and Jerry Seinfeld. Other season 12 guest appearances included Steve Buscemi, Sean Hayes, Hoda Kotb, Lori Loughlin, Sienna Miller, Conan O’Brien and Dan Levy.
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During the panel discussion, which was moderated by Judd Apatow, David, 76, and Schaffer, 54, admitted that they had no backup plan if celebrity guest stars turned down their offers to make cameos. “We cleverly had no plan B,” Schaffer said.
David recalled writing in comedian Mel Brooks — who famously appeared in season 4 — before even talking to him about the role. “I wrote the three or four episodes that he was in and then I had to have lunch with him and pitch it to him,” he said, quipping, “But I could’ve done Fiddler on the Roof if he said no.”
Larry David Says Bruce Springsteen Improvised This Explicit Line on Curb Your Enthusiasm
When Curb announced its final season back in December, he joked about being “derailed by portraying this malignant character” on TV for 24 years.
“As Curb comes to an end, I will now have the opportunity to finally shed this ‘Larry David’ persona and become the person God intended me to be — the thoughtful, kind, caring, considerate human being I was until I got derailed by portraying this malignant character,” he said, per Entertainment Weekly.
“And so ‘Larry David,’ I bid you farewell. Your misanthropy will not be missed. And for those of you who would like to get in touch with me, you can reach me at Doctors Without Borders,” David added.
Curb Your Enthusiasm collected an impressive 51 Emmy nominations and six Golden Globe nods during its long run.