Editing Julia Louis-Dreyfus (section)

===1999–2004: Post-''Seinfeld''===
Following a voice role in the highly successful [[Pixar]] film ''[[A Bug's Life]]'' (1998), Louis-Dreyfus lent her voice as [[Snake (The Simpsons)|Snake]]'s girlfriend Gloria in ''[[The Simpsons]]'' episode "[[A Hunka Hunka Burns in Love]]". In 2001, she made several special guest appearances on ''Seinfeld'' co-creator [[Larry David]]'s show ''[[Curb Your Enthusiasm]]'', playing herself fictionally trying to break the "curse" by planning to star in a show in which she would play an actress affected by a ''Seinfeld''-like curse.

After several years away from a regular TV job, Louis-Dreyfus began a new single-camera sitcom, ''[[Watching Ellie]]'', which premiered on NBC in February 2002. The series was created by husband [[Brad Hall]] and co-starred [[Steve Carell]] and Louis-Dreyfus's half-sister [[Lauren Bowles]]. The initial premise of the show was to present viewers with a "slice of life" from the goings-on and happenings of the life of Ellie Riggs, a Southern California jazz singer. The first season included a 22-minute countdown kept digitally in the lower left-hand corner of the screen, which many critics panned, claiming it was useless and "did nothing for the show."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117917072 | work=Variety | first=Phil | last=Gallo | title=Watching Ellie | date=February 23, 2002 | access-date=February 19, 2020 | archive-date=September 26, 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926004722/https://variety.com/2002/tv/reviews/watching-ellie-1200551182/ | url-status=live }}</ref> Overall, the show received mixed reviews but debuted strongly with over 16 million viewers tuning in for the series premiere, and maintained an average audience of about 10 million viewers per week.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/television/2002/2002-05-28-year-end-chart.htm|title=How did your favorite show rate?|work=[[USA Today]]|date=28 May 2002|access-date=September 24, 2017|archive-date=February 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170222174856/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/2002/2002-05-28-year-end-chart.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>

When the series returned for a second season in the spring of 2003, it suffered a decline in viewership, averaging around eight million viewers per week. The show had undergone a drastic stylistic change between the production of seasons one and two. The first season was filmed in the single-camera format, but the second season was presented as a traditional multicamera sitcom filmed in front of a live studio audience.<ref name=op>[http://old.post-gazette.com/tv/20030414owen0414fnp4.asp "TV Review: NBC's retooled 'Ellie' vastly more watchable"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423030606/http://old.post-gazette.com/tv/20030414owen0414fnp4.asp |date=April 23, 2021 }} April 14, 2003, ''Post Gazette''</ref> With dwindling viewership and failing to retain the numbers from its ''[[Frasier]]'' lead-in, the series was cancelled by NBC in May 2003.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.seattlepi.com/ae/tv/article/NBC-s-fall-lineup-is-looking-a-lot-like-its-1114511.php | work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer | first1=Melanie | last1=Mcfarland | title=NBC's fall lineup is looking a lot like its current one | date=November 5, 2003 | access-date=November 13, 2011 | archive-date=April 26, 2021 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210426045521/https://www.seattlepi.com/ae/tv/article/NBC-s-fall-lineup-is-looking-a-lot-like-its-1114511.php | url-status=live }}</ref>

Following NBC's cancellation of ''Watching Ellie'', the media began circulating rumors of a so-called "[[Seinfeld curse|''Seinfeld'' curse]]", which claimed that none of the former ''Seinfeld'' actors could ever achieve success again in the television industry. Louis-Dreyfus dismissed the rumor as "a made-up thing by the media",<ref name=op/> while ''Seinfeld'' co-creator Larry David asserted that the curse was "completely idiotic."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.gregbaerg.com/articles/David.html|title='Curb's' Larry David: 'Seinfeld' Curse 'Idiotic'|first=Greg|last=Baerg|publisher=Zap2It.com|agency=[[Knight Ridder]] / [[Tribune Content Agency|Tribune News Service]] September 7, 2001)|via=Gregbaerg.com|archive-date=January 3, 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103003650/http://www.gregbaerg.com/articles/David.html|url-status=live|access-date=July 12, 2012}}</ref> Louis-Dreyfus was interested in the role of [[Susan Mayer]] on ''[[Desperate Housewives]]'', the role that ultimately went to [[Teri Hatcher]].<ref>[http://www.aoltv.com/2006/05/04/desperate-networks-is-a-must-read-for-tv-fans/ "Desperate Networks is a must-read for TV fans"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016155552/http://www.aoltv.com/2006/05/04/desperate-networks-is-a-must-read-for-tv-fans/ |date=October 16, 2015 }} May 4, 2006, ''The Huffington Post''</ref> Instead, Louis-Dreyfus scored a recurring guest role as Maggie Lizer, the deceitful prosecutor and love interest of [[Michael Bluth]] on the Emmy-winning comedy ''[[Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development]]'', from 2004 to 2005.