'Curb's' Non-Reunion Odd Meta-Moment for NBC

"Curb Your Enthusiasm's" non-reunion "Seinfeld" reunion must be an extremely odd and frustrating meta-moment for the folks over at NBC.

The latest "Curb" featured the "Seinfeld" cast playing out fictional scenes from the fictional special that could really help the not-so-fictional network on which it's fictionally supposed to air.

Nearly all of the "Seinfeld" zoo, including many supporting players, popped in during the extended episode, which also incorporated a riotous riff on Michael Richards' notorious outburst at African-American hecklers during a comedy club appearance a few years ago. That, and another subplot that played off a misunderstanding regarding pedophilia, should be a reminder to everyone (are you listening, Catholic League?) that "Curb" is a series that doesn't recognize the existence of sacred cows.

The really strange part, though, was that the bogus reunion special looked like it would potentially be a big ratings draw for NBC -- it's certainly a link to happy days at the network, back when "Seinfeld" reigned supreme in the 1990s -- given all the hoopla that would have surrounded such an event. Instead, a fictional network suit is watching the run-throughs rubbing his grubby little hands together.

The next episode marks "Curb's" season finale, and the teaser suggested more of the reunion -- including a lot of squabbling about whether this was a chance to do a proper finale after "Seinfeld" screwed up its farewell episode and left a lot of fans grumbling, a la "The Sopranos."

It's nice to see that David and company can still laugh at themselves. Yet if I was at NBC right now, seeing them trip down memory lane on HBO might be a little too painful to watch.