I've been a huge Curb fan for years and I was thrilled to see the show come back on air, but the first episode of season 9 was kind of disappointing. Right from the start, it's clear that production was more of a focus than improv humor. For starters, hand-held cameras are gone, but if that was the only major change, I wouldn't be complaining...
It's painful to watch Larry in some of the scenes, as his execution of the lines is cringe-worthy, with dialogue lacking a natural flow. Overly scripted perhaps? Maybe too much emphasis on trying to be funny? Either way, the humor seems forced. The raw, largely unscripted humor of Curb is what made the show incredibly funny in the past.
If production value is going to go up (fancier camera work), you'd think the humor would too. Maybe Larry is a bit rusty here and they tried "too hard," inadvertently coming off as a bit disingenuous. To the trained Curb eye, you can see Larry delivering scripted line after line, sometimes grinning before the punch line even comes out. The plot also lacks fluidity, but maybe that's something I shouldn't over analyze, as Curb doesn't fit the mold of a typical sitcom. Still, some of the jokes and scenes feel like they were forced into the episode.
With that said, there are still some good laughs from time to time, especially when Richard Lewis gets on camera. The new or casual Curb fan will probably rate this episode quite high, but someone like myself can't help but feel just a bit let down.
Overall, I'm glad that Curb is back, but Larry, don't try so hard. Let the lines and humor be natural, like it used to be!