Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Complete Ninth Season

Larry David has no filter. He always speaks the contents of his narrow little mind, even when simply shutting his mouth could save him a great deal of torment. He offends everyone, treating women and children and parking lot attendants alike with barely concealed disdain.

So who wants to bring Larry David back for a ninth season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm," after years of being off the air? Lots of people. The series - which won Emmys and Golden Globes from 2000 to 2011, and was named one of the best TV shows of the 21st Century - is as strong as ever in this new season, coming back to television as though it never left the air.

So what makes the creator of "Seinfeld," playing a fictionalized version of himself, such a pain in the ass? Well, he doesn't respect the country. He won't even thank a newly returned veteran for his service. Then he compounds the problem by dragging the soldier to a Civil War recreation-causing him to get PTSD, which he never had before.

Or he coaxes an All-American pitcher to open a jar of pickles, making the kid injure his elbow, forcing him to wear a cast on his arm and preventing him from engaging in his passion - masturbation. In an attempt to fix this problem, Larry hires a prostitute for the ball-player. Long story short, it leads to the boy's death.

Larry's always getting into trouble, and his friends are the ones that have to pay for it. If he's the goofball who's always spilling his soup, the people around him are the patsies that are wearing his lunch. All of our favorite cast members have returned, including Jeff Garlin, Cheryl Hines, Susie Essman, Ted Danson, Mary Steenburgen and J.B. Smoove.

But this time Larry's pushed it too far, producing a stage show based on "The Satanic Verses" controversy called "Fatw?! The Musical." (A fatw?, by the way, is an Islamic ruling set down by a religious authority - one of the most famous and controversial being the fatw? from Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, pronouncing a death sentence on Salman Rushdie, the author of "The Satanic Verses.")

To promote the show, Larry goes on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" and ends up insulting the current Ayatollah. Guess who gets fatw?ed now? So he goes into hiding, disguising himself with a fake wig and mustache and adopting the pseudonym Buck Dancer.

This schmuck represents the real American Dream. He has celebrity, prestige and all the money he ever needs without doing much of any kind of work at all. Beyond that, he can be as petty and boorish as he likes, and he will always come out of it relatively unscathed.

This is why Larry David and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" have returned after a seven-year hiatus because he doesn't need a bullshit slogan like "Make America Great Again." His philosophy of life mirrors the way this country truly feels: "Keep America in a position where we can remain as selfish and arrogant as we like."

The DVD collection includes the entire season, plus deleted scenes on the first disc and interviews with the cast about their most memorable moments on the second.

"Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Complete Ninth Season"
DVD
$34.99
www.hbo.com/