I'm surprised that a lot of people didn't seem to like the new episodes so far. Compared to season 8 that had some weaker moments(maybe the NY setting?), season 9 so far seems great and I can understand why the cast says this might be the best season yet. Maybe people are too used to Larry's character by now, so some of the scenes with him seem repetitive or less funny, but I thought they handle it pretty well, mixing awkward single incidents with the story arc in the background. Compared to another show that returned after a long hiatus(Arrested Development), season 9 of CyE feels like it is still the show we came to love, while season 4 of AD seemed much less like a comedy to me and was quite a disappointment. Larry David didn't try to reinvent the show and I think that's a smart move.