Curb Your Enthusiasm (2009)

Image credit: Doug Hyun/HBO

Together Again: Michael Richards, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jerry Seinfeld, and Larry David reunite

After two initial episodes that reminded me why I stopped watching Curb Your Enthusiasmtoward the end of its previous season — few laughs, lotsa aimless yelling — the new season's third episode kicked off the muchballyhooed Seinfeld arc, and boy, is it ever a gas. Watching Jerry, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Jason Alexander, and Michael Richards bounce off Larry David makes you realize what Curb had been missing: worthy opponents for Larry to argue and scheme with.

The setup is impeccable — doing a Seinfeldreunion show mostly so Larry can get back together with his wife, Cheryl (a gleaming Cheryl Hines). The execution, so far, has been flawless. Every actor knows precisely how to slip in and out of his or her original Seinfeld persona. Right down to Alexander's grudge against the show's controversial finale, every whine, every forced smile, every giddy giggle is earned.

Graded for the current Seinfeldarc alone: A

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