Curb Your Enthusiasm

Not a pantheon installment--which, given how many amazing episodes the show has done over close to 20 years, is no sin--but wickedly funny at times, and effective at both bringing us back into the fold and setting up this season’s storylines.

There are comforting pleasures in the return of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Cheryl Hines is back and her character is on pleasant terms with ex-husband Larry. ... But the derangement of the comedy might be the most satisfying returning element.

Larry David was still Larry David rang ultra true in the ninth-season premiere Sunday night. ... It should be, as expected, pretty, pretty good. At this point, of course, even the bits that don't work as seamlessly as you might want (not a new issue) pale in comparison to the joy that comes from watching Larry try to wriggle out of an endless amount of situations.

It picks up with no alterations other than those time arranges; otherwise, it is completely of a piece with the seasons that preceded it. There has been no attempt to fix what was not broken, to innovate, to go deeper; given that one point of the show is the impossibility of meaningful change, change would be inappropriate.

All told, there is plenty to be enthusiastic about. The season’s storylines are only just getting into place, and standalone “Thank You For Your Service,” the fifth episode, is an elegantly structured comic episode that suggests the season will just get better. ... Curb Your Enthusiasm’s long-awaited comeback is not exactly great, but pretty, pretty, pretty good.

There are comforting pleasures in the return of Curb Your Enthusiasm. Cheryl Hines is back and her character is on pleasant terms with ex-husband Larry. ... But the derangement of the comedy might be the most satisfying returning element.

It’s great have an old friend back, even better to see he’s still the best part of his own joke. It’s also reasonable to wonder whether that joke has grown just a little bit stale.