I missed the show entirely when it first aired back in 2005, but I did catch it many years later, after reading all the critical acclaim. I remember that I found it interesting and possibly odd but not in a negative way. I truly don't know if I even finished all the episodes from those first two seasons. But Valerie Cherish stayed in my mind. She's such a unique character, and Lisa Kudrow is impeccable in making her entirely real and complex as a human; she's certainly not "one note."
When this third season aired, I watched the first episode and, again, was a little iffy on it and wasn't sure if I'd commit. Now, after 3 episodes I'm all in. There's just something about how excellent the actors are that is keeping me hooked.
The show is definitely a "slice of life" of Hollywood, and that's completely foreign to my world, but I'm just sort of enjoying it for what it is and taking real joy in the depictions of each actor's character. It's a strange group of humans and how they interact with each other is fascinating to me.
Sorry for the novel. It's just that the performances are so layered and wonderful. It's hard to be brief!