The Comeback (TV series)

Did You Know?

• The character Valerie Cherish was an extension of a recurring character Kudrow invented while doing improvisational comedy with The Groundlings.
• Kudrow cited The Office as an influence on the show's found-footage documentary format.
• On July 21, 2020, the cast reunited on the live streamed web series Stars in the House to raise money for the Actors Fund of America.

Plot

The series initially follows Valerie Cherish, a veteran B-list sitcom actress who found fame on the sitcom I'm It! from 1989 to 1993. After more than a decade out of the spotlight, she is cast as Aunt Sassy on a new network sitcom called Room and Bored in 2005. As part of landing the role, she agrees to chronicle her return to television on a reality series also called The Comeback. She struggles with being an aging performer in a youthful Hollywood while her every move is documented.

In 2014, Valerie attempts to produce her own reality pilot for producer Andy Cohen. After being cast as a fictionalized version of herself on an HBO series called Seeing Red, the footage is repurposed as a documentary film capturing her second career resurgence. The season ends with Valerie abandoning her film crew in favor of personal relationships. In 2026, Valerie returns after a sabbatical during the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes.

She is cast in a new sitcom at her former network, only to discover it is written entirely by AI. The season follows her struggle with the technology's impact on her craft and personal life, presented as a mix of single-camera scenes and found footage.

Cast and characters

Lisa Kudrow portrays Valerie Cherish, the focus of the series and onetime star of I'm It! (1989–1993). After a decade out of the limelight, she is cast as Aunt Sassy on Room and Bored and agrees to chronicle her return on a reality series. In the second season, she plays a fictionalized version of herself on Seeing Red. In the third season, she is lead star and executive producer of How's That?!, conflicted by its use of AI writing.

Damian Young plays Mark Berman, Valerie's patient husband. Robert Michael Morris appears as Mickey Deane (seasons 1–2), Valerie's hairdresser and closest friend. Laura Silverman plays Jane Benson, producer of Valerie's reality projects. Malin Åkerman plays Juna Millken (season 1; recurring season 2; guest season 3), a young musician playing Cassie on Room and Bored.

Lance Barber plays Paulie G (seasons 1–2; recurring season 3), Valerie's main antagonist and co-creator of Room and Bored, who later creates Seeing Red. Robert Bagnell plays Tom Peterman (season 1; guest season 2), the other co-creator. Dan Bucatinsky plays Billy Stanton (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2), Valerie's publicist and later manager. Jack O'Brien plays Tommy Tomlin (season 3), a hairdresser who reconnects with Valerie after Mickey's death.

James Burrows appears as himself, directing early episodes. Bayne Gibby plays Gigi Alexander (season 1; guest season 2), a naive playwright hired to write for Room and Bored.

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes reported a 65% approval rating for the first season based on 20 critic reviews, with a consensus that the show was intriguingly cynical but lacked sharp insight and sympathetic characters. Metacritic calculated a score of 58 out of 100 based on 25 critics. Despite airing after Entourage, the series debuted to low ratings and received mixed critical response, though it earned three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Kudrow.

HBO canceled the series after 13 weeks in 2005. Retrospectively, the show was lauded. Entertainment Weekly placed it at number 79 on its New TV Classics list, named it one of the 10 best shows of the decade in 2009, and listed it at number 8 in the 25 Best Cult TV Shows from the Past 25 Years in 2012. The New York Times gave a lukewarm review, calling it interesting but less entertaining than Entourage.

In 2012, The Guardian praised its bittersweet comedy and Kudrow's ego-free acting, questioning if the show was too far ahead of its time.

Home media

The first season of The Comeback hit Region 1 DVD on August 1, 2006, followed by a Region 2 release on September 18, 2006. The two-disc set contains all thirteen aired episodes, plus audio commentaries on episodes 1, 2, 3, 9, 12, and 13. Special features also include the 8-minute epilogue "Valerie: After the Laughter" and the 6-minute "Valerie Backstage at Dancing with the Stars," along with an episode index on both discs. Season 2 arrived on DVD on August 4, 2015, as part of a combo-pack with Season 1 titled "The Comeback: Limited Series," which includes all 21 episodes. As of May 2026, the entire series streams on HBO Max.