A new season ofCurb Your Enthusiasmwas never a guarantee.
So when it turned out that he wanted more, it really felt like a gift.
And then the season started.
Credit: John P. Johnson/HBO
The picture quality was more high-def than anyCurbepisode has any right being.
Hell, the first shot of the season used a drone.
But settling into the first couple half hours, newCurbwas stillCurb.
And yet, something was off.
The episodes felt more like imitations of the highly improvised style than the genuine article.
The gravitational center of Larrys no-nonsense worldview seemed located somewhere in the early 2000s.
It just wasnt as funny.
It wasnt until I saw some tweets fromThe New Yorkers TV critic Emily Nussbaum that it all really clicked.
The result is arguments that dont go anywhere with an extra layer of comedic compromise.
Its a subtle change, but it grounds the shows comedy style in a more relatable world.
And thats the major difference this season.
He used to be the one telling it like it is.
His only flaw was taking it too far.
Now, in 2017, theres much too much of that.
