Tonight, Showtime’s comedy Episodes, which stars Matt LeBlanc (Friends) playing a heightened version of himself, finally returns to kick off the show’s fifth/final season. The new season picks up a few months later. Matt has been hosting the crazy game show “The Box,” which has become a major hit, but he’d rather be acting. Despite the success of the show, producer Merc (John Pankow) is still bitter with Matt for sleeping with his wife. Meanwhile, husband-and-wife writing team Sean (Stephen Mangan) and Beverly (Tamsin Greig) had their show taken away and are now begrudgingly working for irritating new showrunner/Sean’s former partner Tim (Bruce Mackinnon). Meanwhile, Carol (Kathleen Rose Perkins) is living like a hermit, jobless and disgraced after being fired.

I had forgotten how much I missed this show until I checked out the first few episodes of the season. I absolutely love these characters and this world. The series is so much fun, poking fun at the inner-workings of the TV business. However, as the season opens, some of the character dynamics of the past seasons seem to be missing — the storylines remain separate for a few episodes, especially with Matt working separately from the Lincolns and Carol not really part of the group. However, I am still thoroughly enjoying this series and look forward to seeing how it all comes to an end this season.

On tonight’s premiere, “Episode 501,” Matt’s gameshow is a hit, but he must also have daily contact with Merc Lapidus; Sean and Beverly work for Sean’s ex-partner; Carol goes into a tailspin.

Don’t miss the season premiere tonight on Showtime at 10/9c, or if you can’t wait that long, watch it online right now!

I’ll also be watching/recording The $100,000 Pyramid, Big Brother, The Great Food Truck Race, The Strain, The Last Ship, and Game of Thrones.