Dice (2016)

After the static and bloodless world of “The Girlfriend Experience,” the Showtime comedy Dice is like an explosion of heat and vigor and passion.

The six episodes don't feature enough laughs to rank it among the essential comedies, even if the writing in specifics is pretty solid. A handful of jokes land every episode. Few miss. The tone is consistently light.

Overall, Dice may not be a groundbreaking piece of television, but it does feel in many ways like a culmination for Clay’s career.

Dice is the new Tony Soprano, except he’s not seeing a therapist. He’s making a TV show, indulging his damaged but inflated ego, without ever pushing hard enough to make his story worth watching.

Strengthen or ditch most of the supporting cast (and go “Louie”-style with a rotating ensemble) and Dice could become something really special. As is, it’s still an interesting chapter in a return of a once-superstar that most of us never saw coming.

Dice has its moments of levity but struggles to maintain a regular comedic pace.

Dice is unwilling to give Clay qualities beyond abrasiveness and unequipped to craft for him an insightful line. Leggero, co-creator of Comedy Central's terrific Another Period, is wasted, while cameos by Adrien Brody and Wayne Newton go nowhere.