Lisa Kudrow’s Most Underrated Role Is the One HBO Fans Keep Rediscovering

Some shows get one season, disappear, and quietly become cult classics. HBO’s The Comeback did exactly that — and then, almost a decade later, it came back. Now, with Season 3 on the horizon, there’s never been a better time to understand why this series has earned the kind of devoted following that most sitcoms never get close to.

What is confirmed: The Comeback is an HBO sitcom, it is heading into a third season, and it has been described as one of the funniest and darkest comedies the network has ever produced.

That combination — funny and dark, at the same time, without flinching — is rarer than it sounds. And it’s exactly what makes this show worth your weekend.

What Makes The Comeback Different From Every Other Sitcom

HBO has a long track record of comedies that cut deeper than they’re supposed to. What distinguishes the network’s best sitcoms from the competition is a willingness to direct ruthless satire inward — at the entertainment industry, at celebrity culture, at the machinery of fame itself. The Comeback sits at the center of that tradition.

The show stars Lisa Kudrow, who also co-created it alongside Michael Patrick King. Kudrow plays Valerie Cherish, a faded TV actress trying to reclaim her career while being filmed for a reality show. The joke is always on Valerie — but the show is smart enough to make sure it’s also always on everyone around her, and on the industry that chews people up and calls it entertainment.

Season 1 aired in 2005. It was critically admired but not a ratings hit, and HBO cancelled it after one season. Then, in 2014, it returned for Season 2 — and that second season was widely considered even better than the first. It earned Emmy nominations and introduced the show to a whole new generation of viewers who had only heard about it in hushed, reverent tones from people who’d seen the original run.

The Show’s Tone Is Unlike Anything Else on Television

Calling The Comeback a sitcom is technically accurate but slightly misleading. It’s shot in a mockumentary style, following Valerie as cameras trail her through auditions, set visits, red carpets, and the quiet humiliations of a career that never quite recovered from its peak.

The comedy is excruciating in the best possible way. Valerie is delusional, but she’s also sympathetic. She’s vain, but she’s also vulnerable. Kudrow’s performance is one of the most precisely calibrated pieces of acting in modern television — she plays the comedy and the tragedy in the same breath, sometimes in the same sentence.

That tonal balance is what separates the show from simpler celebrity satires. It’s not mean-spirited. It’s something closer to devastating.

Why Season 3 Is Such a Big Deal

The gap between Season 1 and Season 2 was nine years. The fact that Season 3 is now in development — or confirmed to be returning — signals that the show has found an audience durable enough to justify another revival. For a series that was cancelled after its first run, that’s a remarkable trajectory.

It also means the creative team has found something new to say. The Comeback has always been about the specific texture of Hollywood at a particular moment — Season 1 captured the early reality TV era, Season 2 engaged directly with the prestige TV boom and the cultural weight of awards season. A third season arriving in the mid-2020s has no shortage of new material to work with: the streaming wars, the erosion of the traditional TV model, the social media version of celebrity, the way fame now works at every level.

Valerie Cherish in that landscape is almost too rich to imagine. Almost.

Everything You Need to Know Before You Binge

• Both existing seasons are available to stream on Max
• Season 1 has 13 episodes; Season 2 has 8 episodes
• The total binge commitment is under 10 hours — entirely manageable before Season 3 arrives
• Season 2 earned Emmy recognition and is considered a high point in HBO’s comedy catalog

Why This Is the Right Moment to Watch

There’s a particular pleasure in catching up on a show before a new season drops. You get to experience the whole arc, make your own judgments, and arrive at the new episodes with full context rather than foggy half-memories from years ago.

With The Comeback, that experience is genuinely rewarding. The show rewards close attention. Small moments in Season 1 pay off in ways you won’t see coming. The character of Valerie deepens across both seasons in ways that feel earned rather than forced.

And because the total episode count is compact, the binge doesn’t feel like homework. It feels like discovering something that should have been on your radar years ago — and being quietly grateful it wasn’t cancelled for good.

If you’ve been waiting for the right time to start, this is it.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Comeback about?
The Comeback is an HBO mockumentary sitcom following Valerie Cherish, a faded TV actress attempting to revive her career while being filmed for a reality show. It stars and was co-created by Lisa Kudrow.

Who created The Comeback?
The show was co-created by Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King.

How many seasons of The Comeback are there right now?
There are currently two seasons — Season 1 aired in 2005 and Season 2 aired in 2014. Season 3 has been confirmed to be in development or returning.

Where can I watch The Comeback before Season 3?
Both existing seasons are available to stream on Max, HBO’s streaming platform.

Why was there such a long gap between seasons?
Season 1 was cancelled by HBO after its initial run despite critical appreciation. The show was revived nearly a decade later for Season 2, which aired in 2014 to strong critical response.

Is The Comeback worth watching if I’ve never seen it?
Based on its critical reputation and the confirmation of a third season, the show is widely regarded as one of HBO’s best comedies — and with under 10 hours of existing content, it’s one of the easier quality binges available right now.