The Comeback Season 3 Review: Valerie Cherish’s Final Chapter

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The third season of The Comeback premieres this Sunday, March 22nd at 8 p.m. EDT on HBO, and it’s arguably the show’s strongest season yet. While Lisa Kudrow is consistently funny as Valerie Cherish, the show’s final season gives her character a new depth and allows us to see a different side of her.

Over the past two decades, The Comeback has changed quite a bit with each of its three seasons, leaving viewers unsure what to expect. The show originally premiered on HBO in 2005, focusing on the early days of reality television and a Hollywood that wasn’t quite ready for it. However, it stood out thanks to its heart, particularly through the character of Valerie, who simply wanted to continue her career.

The first season of The Comeback brilliantly combined a deeply compelling portrayal of a character unraveling with the story of Valerie’s sudden rise to fame, establishing the awkward and uncomfortable humor that defines the show. The second season, which aired in 2014, took a surprising turn, placing a more ambitious Valerie in a world already crowded with reality TV personalities.

As Valerie’s unique and unconventional lifestyle became more accepted, she struggled to stay interesting and faced the risk of losing the people she cared about. Her relationships with her husband, Mark, and her close friend and hairdresser, Micky, were seriously threatened.

The season 2 finale of The Comeback is a standout moment in television. Moving away from its mockumentary style, the episode brings Valerie face-to-face with a more challenging and realistic situation. Watching her hear her name called at the Emmys while holding the hands of both Mickey and Mark is a particularly powerful and revealing scene.

To be honest, I didn’t think the show could get any better. Like many of you, I was worried that The Comeback wouldn’t live up to its previous quality. I was especially concerned that focusing on AI might change the show’s funny, observational style into something preachy or scolding, which the first two seasons did so well to avoid.

I worried that Valerie, having been off-screen for a decade and making her first appearance in twenty years, might seem out of touch or awkward for a modern audience in 2026. I was also anxious about how the show would work without Mickey, as his actor, Morris, sadly passed away in 2017 after a fight with cancer.

Although I initially had some concerns, The Comeback quickly eased my worries and delivered its strongest season so far.

Valerie Cherish’s Blissful Ignorance Sets The Comeback Season 3‘s Tone

Valerie Cherish has always been the emotional core of The Comeback. Now nearing 60 and feeling a bit lost, she’s still the one who makes the show work, even as she navigates new opportunities that seem to have come from her previous successes. Season 3 continues this trend, despite Valerie’s past achievements, and while figures like TV director James Burrows have served as moral compasses in her world, it’s Valerie’s presence that truly drives the series.

In the season 2 premiere of The Comeback, Valerie pursued a romantic relationship, but a brief flashback to 2023 reveals a different situation. After abandoning her Broadway role in Chicago: The Musical and publicly framing it as support for the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, Valerie discovers it’s difficult to stay relevant when things change so rapidly.

I’m really enjoying watching Valerie’s journey this season. Kudrow is fantastic, bringing that familiar energy – she’s always been someone who thinks she’s in control, even when she isn’t. But what’s so compelling is seeing Valerie finally forced to actually take control. It’s a fascinating turning point, and honestly, watching Kudrow navigate all of Valerie’s choices is just endlessly entertaining. It’s a great season because of that shift.

The Comeback Season 3 Has Learned From Past Season’s Limitations

WB Press Room

The show The Comeback, filmed as if it were a real documentary, has changed a lot over time. The first season looked very rough, with a shaky camera and a disclaimer before each episode emphasizing that it was unedited – a style that felt right for the moment. As the show evolved, the second season found a better balance, suggesting a ‘found footage’ feel without constantly pointing it out to the audience.

As a huge fan of The Comeback, I was really struck by the season 2 finale. It was brave to finally let Valerie operate outside of the documentary crew’s control. Seeing her essentially on her own, without cameras constantly following her, was a powerful moment – the show even switched to a single-camera style to reflect that. It felt like everything had come full circle, and it was a really impressive creative choice. Thankfully, the showrunners clearly remembered what worked in the past, and season 3 really built on that foundation.

The show still cleverly uses the ‘found footage’ technique, but Valerie’s character didn’t quite fit a reality TV or social media-focused format. So, Courteney Cox and her co-creator decided to mix things up, switching between the ‘found footage’ style and traditional single-camera filming. This allows the audience to easily follow Valerie’s story and see things from her perspective. By moving beyond a simple mockumentary style, each episode of ‘The Comeback’ feels like a complete and well-made show.

A Heightened Return To Form Makes The Comeback A Near-Perfect Satire

Image via HBO

Right from the start of season 3 of The Comeback, it’s clear Valerie is facing huge challenges. One of the show’s strengths is how naturally it follows Valerie’s journey, which is especially important as the series explores complex issues. We see this in everything from her considering a partnership with an AI company – and dealing with its strangely detached executive, played by Andrew Scott – to her instructions for her new social media manager, Patience (Ella Stiller, who perfectly captures a Gen-Z attitude), to film her using products she loves in hopes of landing sponsorships. The show is clearly confident in its direction.

What makes The Comeback so great – and has always made it great – is that it doesn’t need the audience to guide the story. It confidently takes viewers along for an unforgettable journey, simply asking them to enjoy the ride. Kudrow shines in this final season, delivering a powerful performance as Valerie Cherish and showing us that she never truly needed a comeback – she’s been a star all along.

Season 3 of The Comeback begins on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, March 22nd at 10 p.m. Eastern. New episodes will be released every week until May 10th.

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2026-03-21 01:29