Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 8 Unleashes Divorced Larry David

Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 8 has been a long time coming. But despite almost two years off, Larry David still isn't ready to shut up, and the Season 8 premiere further proved that Sunday night. In fact, after the long hiatus and getting a divorce, the HBO version of David is still as cranky as ever -- just as the fans hoped for.

Warning: Spoilers follow

Just as David got an amicable divorce from his real wife a few years ago, his TV alter ego is finally officially single as well. It took over seven seasons for David to finally push Cheryl away, yet that might be seven seasons longer than others may have survived. After all, this is a man who gives lessons about using tampons to Girl Scouts.

But those who don't have to live with David, and who are safe from him in their living rooms, are much happier that he's still making everyone uncomfortable. Although Curb is finally starting Season 8, when most shows and comedies start falling apart, early responses for the first few episodes are as positive as ever.

However, Salon's Matt Zoller Seitz did pan Sunday's premiere, though he doesn't believe that there has ever been a "truly bad episode" of the show. Yet he does reassure fans that future episodes are better, like the one in two weeks that actually uses the Israel-Palestine war for comedic fodder.

The show is back just in time to form HBO's latest all-powerful Sunday lineup. With True Blood's fourth season now underway at 9 p.m. Sunday, viewers can come down from all the envelope-pushing blood and sex with envelope-pushing laughter. But it will be followed by a big farewell soon, as the final season of Entourage will start alongside True Blood and Curb on July 24.

Entourage is ending things after its eighth season, and many of the show's critics are happy to see it go. But on the other hand, Curb is also entering Season 8, and critics and fans are still eager to see more. Although there were some speed bumps in the past year, most everyone raved about Season 7, which David devoted to a massive Seinfeld reunion.

The momentum from that big event may have carried over, even though it has been well over a year since the last episode. Yet that has only given David more time to find new targets to rant about and new special guest stars to offend like Rosie O'Donnell, Michael J. Fox and Ricky Gervais.

Age and divorce have clearly far from softened David or Curb Your Enthusiasm in general. The proof will continue to air every Sunday at 10 p.m. ET on HBO.

Sources

ABC News- "Curb Your Enthusiasm season 8 trailer: 'What's not to like?'"

Meta Critic- "Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 8"

Salon- "A pretty, pretty, prt-tayyyy, not-so good 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'"