HBO prepares for the return of Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm by announcing guest stars, like Bryan Cranston, Nick Offerman, Elizabeth Banks, and more. The series may not have taken as much time away as Twin Peaks, but it’s still been an unusually long break in between season’s for HBO’s beloved comedy series. The return of Curb was confirmed over a year ago, and then later set a return date of October 1, after not having aired a new episode since September of 2011.

Not much is known about the plot or story arc of the new season of Curb, nor have we seen any new footage aside from one brief teaser. But we do know that David is returning, along with the bulk of the show’s traditional cast (Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman, J.B. Smoove, Cheryl Hines), as well as most of its original creative team. Now we have some more information about other stars joining the series .

The ninth season of Curb Your Enthusiasm will consist of 10 episodes, and in addition to the main cast, traditional guest stars like Ted Danson, Richard Lewis, and Bob Einstein will be back, HBO said Wednesday. The season will also feature new-to-Curb guest stars, like Bryan Cranston, Nick Offerman, Elizabeth Banks, Ed Begley, Jr., Carrie Brownstein, Lauren Graham, Nasim Pedrad, and Elizabeth Perkins.

The Curb announcements, made concurrently with the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour, also included the news that series veterans Jeff Schaffer (co-creator of The League), Larry Charles, Robert B. Weide, Jessie Nelson and Bryan Gordon will direct episodes of the new season.

This news is all welcome. The series has always used guest stars very well, whether it’s real-life famous people playing an exaggerated version of themselves, or an original character (like Einstein’s Marty Funkhauser) otherwise making an indelible mark. Danson and Lewis, in particular, have done some of the funniest work of their careers playing off of David. Of the new guest stars, Cranston and Offerman are especially promising, both having fit well into comedy ensembles before.

Still, after this much time away, there’s a chance the team could be rusty. Or perhaps the series’ premise – an aggrieved wealthy white man, angry at small slights -- won’t play as well in 2017 as it did a decade ago. But nonetheless, don't bet against the success of Curb’s season 9.

Curb Your Enthusiasm season 9 premiers October 1 on HBO.

Next: Curb Your Enthusiasm Season 9 Premieres in October

Source: HBO