"Curb Your Enthusiasm" has made its mark over the last four years by depicting the most outrageous social conflicts imaginable. Essentially, the show concerns the life and times of Larry David living in a post-"Seinfeld" world.

As Larry, the co-creator of "Seinfeld," meanders through life, occasionally trying to develop certain enterprises, he seems to attract conflict and his stubborn sense of idiosyncratic morality further propagates insipid confrontations with his family, friends, co-workers, peers and plenty of high-strung strangers. The fun of watching the show is trying to figure out how Larry will ineptly wander into trouble, and then worsen things by fruitlessly arguing his position.

"Curb's" success is indebted to its structure and process of development. The show is balanced between the mechanics of a tightly written sitcom like "Seinfeld," and the free improvisation of a show like "Who's Line is it Anyway?" Each scene in "Curb" is based on a loosely constructed concept of how a certain interaction will play out, and then the actors come together and improvise the scene within the structure of pivotal plot directions. Usually, a scene is shot a few times to help the actors refine and streamline their performances, and the best overall take is used in the show. This process results in shows with interweaving, symmetrical storylines and interactions that seem unrehearsed yet still hit key moments with effortless timing.

The fact that the nuances of interaction are developed off the cuff leads to a lot of polemic arguing among the characters. As the arguments escalate, they seem to lose their substance in the sheer volume and intensity of the confrontation. This is certainly a function of the momentum of improvisation, because when one has to think on his feet and react naturally, it's hard to embrace the ambiguities and subjectivities of a given argument.

This is where the show truly shines. These scenes are so ridiculous, furious and primal that it becomes less about the substance of the argument and more about the push and pull of the characters. For example, the first episode of the new season finds Larry childishly arguing with his friend Richard Lewis during a High Holiday service over the fact that Larry had a sandwich named after him at a deli that Richard frequents more often. It's every bit as funny as it is absurd.

However, "Curb" occasionally loses its appeal in the calmer, less momentous interactions when the actors can't quite find poignancy in their lines. For example, the third episode of the new season finds Larry and his manager Jeff sitting in Jeff's living room watching a basketball game. Larry claims that he could easily be the general manager of a professional basketball team and Jeff mundanely disagrees. The interaction feels static and extraneous.

The new season has presented three episodes with more to come on HBO every Sunday at 9 p.m. (CST). Fans of the show will be pleased while detractors probably won't change their minds.

However, compared to last season, Larry is a little nicer and less crotchety. Occasionally, he shows hints of sensitivity such as in the first episode when he apologizes to Jeff's wife, Suzy, after recoiling when a stranger mistakes her for his wife. Sometimes, Larry's attempts to be nice seem patronizing, such as when he instructs his maintenance man on how to speak to Larry's father, who is hard of hearing.

Cheryl, Larry's wife, reaches the peak of her impatience and reproachfulness toward Larry, which is disappointing because in the past she often provided some sympathy and tenderness, two qualities that are sparsely embodied in regards to "Curb."

On the other hand, Suzy and Richard Lewis are settling further into their niches and contributing some of the show's funniest moments this season. In other seasons, Suzy acted like a complete psychopath, and there's still a sense of instability, but she's now a bit more tempered and forgiving. Of course that doesn't stop her from kicking Larry out of her house after the noise from his orthopedics wakes up her daughter at the moment when Suzy is placing tooth-fairy money under her pillow.

In previous seasons, Richard Lewis played the pathetic card for few laughs and was always lagging behind Larry during fierce conversation, but this year he seems more explosive — though still a bit lacking in wits.

Thus far, the new season has coarsely dealt with issues of race, sexuality and religion as a unifying theme. It doesn't offer insight as much as it mocks the tensions surrounding these sensitive areas. There are no better arenas for Larry to tactlessly explore in order to elicit cringe-induced laughter.

Just as the show creates humor by the collision of polarities, "Curb Your Enthusiasm" is bound to remain divisive among television audiences. It presents the type of humor that breeds a love-it-or-hate-it attitude. For those who love it, season five is yet another honeymoon in paradise.