The TV Zone

Life may have meaning again.

HBO executives announced this week at the TV critics' press tour in Los Angeles that "Curb Your Enthusiasm" our favorite program -- and yours too, we're sure -- will most likely return for one more season.

HBO President Michael Lombardo was reluctant to use the word 'guarantee,' but he did say that Larry David has "every intention" of producing a seventh season of "Curb," which may debut at the end of 2009.

Lombardo said David has already put forth several ideas for the next season.

That's a good sign.

Photo: HBO

“Curb Your Enthusiasm” ended its season Sunday night with another near-brilliant episode. (And thankfully, there's Hollywood scuttlebutt that Larry David wants to bring the show back for another season).

Here are the five things I loved

1. The ending: A fantasy (we think) in which Larry and Loretta (Vivica A. Fox), who was Larry’s last-minute date to Sammi’s bat mitzvah, have become in item. Loved that holiday card proclaiming greetings from “Larry and the Blacks.”

2. The guest turn by the always-oily Michael McKean as a hack TV director (he directed the cancer episode of “Home Improvement” and thus got stereotyped as the guy who only does “ticker” episodes) who spreads the rumor that Larry has a gerbil up his rear end.

3. Larry’s “toast” at the bat mitzvah, which devolved into a rant against said director and a rage-filled denial about the gerbil rumor.

4. Larry’s uncomfortableness (mirroring our own) in a doctor’s office has provided many memorable moments over the years. In an earlier episode, he railed about putting his name on the patients’ sign-in list, and he did it again Sunday — this time with a “Curbish” twist.

5. Cheryl and Larry did not get back together.
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So now I have something to really think about.

Namely, will Cheryl get back with Larry?

On last Sunday’s "Curb Your Enthusiasm" — still the funniest show on TV — Cheryl David (Cheryl Hines) walked out of her marriage to jerko supremo Larry David. It was of course, a case of -- cliche alert -- art imitating life since LD’s real-life marriage to eco-activist Laurie David checked into splitsville several months ago.

The Davids’ actual union probably didn’t disintegrate in a manner as funny as what we saw on TV, which as Larry might say was pretty dark, pret-ty dark.

Cheryl dumped Larry when he hung up on her frantic air-phone call because Larry deemed it more important to talk to the cable guy about his malfunctioning TiVo.

So what happens next? I’m not sure I want to see “Curb” go down this road for its remaining episodes. I think the "will she or won’t she come back?" storyline will drag the show down if it gets stretched out. I’m hoping there will be some resolution this Sunday, but I don't think that's gonna happen. An HBO spokesman told the Associated Press earlier this week that “the split would indeed constitute a full arc."

What would you like to see happen with Larry and Cheryl? Send me a comment.