“The Comeback” has become a cultural staple. Once a show that faced swift cancellation on HBO after its 2005 debut season, this creation by comic actor Lisa Kudrow and veteran TV writer Michael Patrick King of “Sex and the City” fame, has grown in influence and perhaps predictive power as the years have passed. The mockumentary, which follows the journey of aging sitcom star Valerie Cherish attempting to regain fame, anticipated the mockumentary format’s prominence in American comedy. It has influenced shows ranging from the American adaptation of “The Office” to newer series like “The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins.” Valerie’s desperation and the show’s biting cynicism resonate in later showbiz satires like “BoJack Horseman,” where Kudrow lent her voice to a love interest, and “The Other Two.” The rise of social media further underscores this, as we all now star in our own “Comeback”-like reality shows, trading personal revelations for a shot at fame.
“The Comeback” itself mirrors this widespread influence in its third and final season, released 12 years after its second season aired in 2014. Valerie is not alone with a camera crew; her husband, Mark, portrayed by Damian Young, loses his long-time job and joins the cast of “Finance Guys.” Meanwhile, Valerie’s publicist turned manager, Billy (played by Dan Bucatinsky), tires of suppressing his ego and creates his own project. As the eight-episode season shifts focus from Valerie’s career to the broader challenges of Hollywood in 2026, it conveys a clear message: everyone has become a version of Valerie Cherish, embracing the self-abasement that follows. Valerie increasingly emerges as the mature figure amidst this chaos.
With its conclusion, Kudrow and King offer a swan song not just for a character originating from Kudrow’s days at Los Angeles’ The Groundlings, but for the entertainment industry where they and Valerie carved their paths. The heartfelt intent sometimes contrasts with the show’s traditionally sharp satire, often exaggerating facts to express concerns about artificial intelligence. Valerie’s journey to a hero’s ending slightly deviates from the otherwise grim portrait “The Comeback” paints. Despite these inconsistencies, Season 3 can be seen as a deserved victory lap. Kudrow, co-writing with King, remains a master, perfectly capturing Valerie’s need for validation through every forced smile and stammered “you know.” It feels just that Valerie gets to exist in a world that finally understands her, allowing her to exit on her terms.
Season 3 begins in 2023 amidst an actors and writers strike, with Valerie accepting a role as Roxie Hart on Broadway to kill time. She leaves before previews, opting for Hollywood’s faux smiles over the theater’s open criticisms. The series then jumps to an alternate present where neither writers nor actors guilds secured significant AI protections. Valerie’s new role is in “How’s That?,” a multi-cam sitcom mainly written by a chatbot, with human creators John Early and Abbi Jacobson serving as reluctant fronts.
Unlike “Room and Bored” from Season 1 or “Seeing Red” from Season 2, “How’s That?” is more speculative, not grounded in current TV trends. While AI might revive actors like Val Kilmer, it has yet to manage shows under a WGA contract. This forces “The Comeback” to expand beyond its usual specificity, though some of that charm remains. By 2026, Valerie has a podcast, fitting for any microcelebrity, and has competed on “The Traitors,” similar to her stint on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.”
The shift from the original detailed spoof, both of scripted shows and reality TV’s early boom, finds a visual counterpart. Season 3 moves away from its trademark framing device, using non-diegetic footage—scenes not shot by in-story producers but by an unseen camera. This was initially used in Season 2’s closing scene when Valerie visits her sick hairdresser Mickey (Robert Michael Morris) in the hospital. While then it was a deliberate break, now it feels inconsistent and sometimes confusing, switching modes mid-scene. Like King’s other HBO project “And Just Like That,” seeing Valerie in high-definition feels off. She belongs in the shaky, energetic style, just as Carrie Bradshaw fits the soft, pre-4K glow.
Yet, “The Comeback” grappling with modernity feels appropriate, just as Valerie and her peers do. The smartphone now replaces documentarian Jane’s (Laura Silverman) camera. Though the show experiments with first-person views from Valerie’s social media assistant, Patience (played by Ella Stiller, Ben’s daughter), using an iPhone, an entire season like this would be unwatchable. Valerie humorously calls Patience’s role “S and M.” Using more non-diegetic scenes lets “The Comeback” explore more settings with fewer plot twists.
These settings include a chance meeting at Soho House with casting director Sharon (Marla Garlin), who, despite dining with Jane Fonda, is so eager for work she pleads with Valerie for a chance. As an executive producer on “How’s That?,” Valerie has real, though shared, power. This offers rich material for “The Comeback,” especially as Valerie surprisingly uses her influence wisely: managing staff disputes, giving pep talks, and advocating for her team to the cold-hearted, AI-focused network head (Andrew Scott). With the industry now at Valerie’s level of scraping by, she’s ideally suited to inspire.
By the end of Season 3, “The Comeback” risks undermining its message by overly praising Valerie through various characters. While Kudrow shines when subtly portraying Valerie’s consuming anxieties, the show excels by demonstrating, not stating, Valerie’s potential when given a chance. For much of Season 3, it successfully does this. Ultimately, Kudrow and King can’t be faulted for wanting a happy ending for their creation, even after showing how unrealistic such an optimistic conclusion for Valerie might be. “The Comeback” resembles a reality show but at its core, it’s a Hollywood fantasy aware of its fragile existence. How’s that?
“The Comeback” Season 3 premieres March 22 on HBO and HBO Max at 10:30 pm ET, with remaining episodes airing weekly on Sundays.
