"You won't win the million here" - and you won't win the innovation prize either

"Here I am again," Stefan Raab, 57 years old, warbles cheerfully into the camera during his big TV comeback, "so easy!"

Well, it wasn't quite that simple. If it had been easy, Raab's new show, "Du gewinnstst hier nicht die Million bei Stefan Raab", would already be on linear television. Instead, it will remain hidden behind a paywall on RTL+ for the time being. Elton confirmed this a few hours before the premiere in an Instagram story.

"It's not about the money," explains Raab's eternal show intern, "there can't be as many new subscriptions as RTL would earn with a single advert a year on TV." He then adds that there were no good slots available anyway. Hence the decision to include the programme in RTL's streaming service. "An experiment," he adds.

In other words: "Du gewinnst hier nicht die Million bei Stefan Raab" could still be on linear TV in a few months' time. At least if the programme is well received. And the chances are not bad. You are quite curious to see if Raab is still up to it, as you have already made clear in this article. But buying an RTL+ subscription just for his programme would still be going too far for you.

That's why I've done it for you.

Raab's new show: what do you think that means?

"Ladies and gentlemen. Now the time has come. After a summer break of almost ten years, he's back to entertain you and himself," Manfred Winkens, also known as "the funny voice of 'TV Total'", announces the host. Raab enters the studio. With its brick facades, kiosk and shop, it is reminiscent of the look of an American late-night show. Raab is wearing his usual sneakers, blue jeans and a light blue shirt. The audience stands - standing ovations.

Then it starts: Raab sings his new hit song "Pa aufs Maul". The Heavytones, Raab's old band from his "TV Total" days, play in the studio. Actually, they would have continued to play on "TV Total" until the end of the year. But their appearance on Raab's boxing match last Saturday annoyed the ProSieben bosses so much that the band was immediately released.

Raab, meanwhile, is more captivating than he has been for a long time. And experienced. In a positive sense. As if his last show was ten days ago rather than almost ten years ago. The man is clearly up for it. The first 30 minutes are a feast with a sensational density of gags. But it is also a one-to-one copy of "TV Total": Raab recapitulates the past week. Especially his boxing match against former world champion Regina Halmich.

"I'm sure you've all noticed. I had a little fight," he tells the audience. "And I'm sure you're just as outraged as I am: this is the third time I've been ripped off by the judges and cheated out of my title as women's world champion."

Of course, his nipple interludes - actually memes before the term was invented. But he has replaced the nipples with his new meme pad: an app on his smartphone. After all, the technical side of things has to go a bit further, says Raab, who clearly enjoys playing Captain Max Parger's - played by Florian Silbereisen - almost lascivious "Hier spricht der Kapitän" from "Das Traumschiff".

One thing is clear: Raab hasn't changed a bit. He remains true to his humour, somewhere between self-congratulation and schadenfreude. Anyone who used to like Raab will still love him. Anyone who was happy to no longer have to watch the trained butcher on TV in 2015 will curse. That is also part of the fascination of Raab.

"Many people wonder what I get for the show. I can tell you: Twelve months free RTL+ Max subscription. I really ripped them off from RTL!"

If the programme had ended here - nobody would have missed anything. A motivated Raab as a stand-up comedian, who makes fun of TV events, may not be the least bit innovative, but it still works damn well.

Half-time two: Now it's all about the million

The second half loses a lot of momentum. After all, the self-proclaimed first entertainment quiz competition hybrid show in the world still has "quiz competition" in its name.

This is how it works: Five contestants sit in the front row at the buzzer right from the start. After 30 minutes, Raab asks the first question, which relates to the previous 30 minutes. For example, what was the name of the influencer who commented on Raab's comeback: "Awesome, he's still alive!"

Whoever answers the question correctly first gets to the quiz competition part. This involves alternating between answering questions and playing games against Raab. A mixture of "Who wants to be a millionaire" and "Beat Raab". The further a candidate gets, the higher the winnings - until the final is about one million euros. However, there is no joker; anyone who answers a question incorrectly or loses a game against Raab is eliminated from the programme. At worst, empty-handed. Then the whole thing starts all over again: the four remaining contestants play for the next place in the quiz competition part.

Compared to the fireworks of the first thirty minutes, this part is a little flat. Firstly, because Raab is not a gifted quizmaster à la Günther Jauch. Raab first asks his opponent's name, profession and background in a well-behaved manner. But he is not really interested in them. There is hardly any interaction. It's a bit like his last "TV Total" years.

The games themselves are, in typical "Schlag den Raab" fashion, wonderfully absurd. For example, Raab and his first opponent have to throw tennis balls onto an office chair from a distance of around three metres so that they stay there. Sometimes, however, the games are a little long-winded. For example, when the second candidate of the evening has to change four (!) tyres of a small car faster. With Elton's introduction and explanation, the game lasted almost 20 of the 90 minutes. Too much

King Lustig returns - but is that enough?

"The people want a little bit of show," sings Raab in his new song. And they got it. Especially at the beginning, Raab does what he does best: Stand-up comedy. The fact that he almost shamelessly copies "TV Total" doesn't bother me one bit. After all, he once invented the concept himself, perfected it and played a key role in shaping it. This is his arena. His ring.

Where Raab's new show clearly falls down is in the second part. "Schlag den Raab" worked as a multi-hour event show on Saturday evenings because the unique points system made it unpredictable who would win in the end. Six games lost in a row could be made up for by one or two games won afterwards. Here, on the other hand, one game lost means direct elimination. In theory, that's the bigger drop. But in practice, the tension fizzles out before it can even build up.

One question remains: Do we need the comeback? I'll put it this way: Raab has already missed his timely departure from the TV landscape once. His last few years on "TV Total" were so bad, uninspired and even over-routinised that his TV credentials were tarnished. At RTL, he now gets the chance to put everything right with one last hurrah - provided he doesn't want too much again.