The Comeback Season-Premiere Recap: The Old Razzle-Dazzle

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Many TV shows are called “ahead of their time,” but The Comeback truly deserves the label. Over 20 years ago, its first season on HBO remarkably predicted the explosion of reality TV and how celebrities would become central to it. The show followed Valerie Cherish, a former sitcom star played by Lisa Kudrow, as she filmed both a traditional sitcom and a reality show at the same time. In a funny moment, Kim Fields (from Facts of Life and Living Single) makes a cameo and jokes about how no one would want cameras following their every move – ten years later, she joined The Real Housewives of Atlanta! Valerie Cherish was truly ahead of the curve. The show’s second season, in 2014, satirized the world of high-quality, dramatic TV, with Valerie playing a fictionalized version of herself in a gritty HBO drama and even winning an Emmy. Despite realizing she wasn’t suited for The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, she stubbornly insisted on being followed by a documentary crew.

It’s still early days, but the new season of The Comeback, which premiered after a 12-year wait, seems to be tackling relevant issues in the entertainment world, like anxieties about AI and the power of streaming services. The season opens in 2023 with Val preparing to play Roxie Hart in Chicago on Broadway, and as usual, she’s being followed by cameras. Ella Stiller’s character, Patience, is documenting everything for social media, while Jane is reluctantly filming as a favor to Val – a complicated one, stemming from a $25,000 gift Val gave her years ago. Their dynamic is instantly familiar and enjoyable. However, Jane’s comment that this all feels like a repeat of the previous documentary raises a slight concern. The Comeback has always been known for being innovative, so the season needs to offer something new to stay engaging.

Val’s new role in a Broadway musical is a fresh start, but rehearsals are predictably rough. She struggles with the lip-sync in one number, jokingly comparing it to a reality show. The director, played by Broadway veteran Robbie Fairchild, quickly points out it’s a simplified version. While it’s painful to watch Val face criticism, the show’s appeal lies in seeing her push through it. This time, she’s honest about her struggles, even admitting to her husband, Mark, over FaceTime that the experience is “hell” and she regrets agreeing to the role without seeing the show first. She’s also maintained the self-awareness she gained earlier in the series. When she uses a COVID test as an excuse to skip rehearsal, the director tries to undermine her, but Val responds with surprising honesty: she acknowledges her lack of dance and singing ability and questions why she was even asked to participate – a valid point, considering the number of reality stars who’ve taken the stage! True to form, Val also tries to use the writers’ and actors’ strikes as an excuse to leave the show, claiming solidarity, even though it doesn’t make much sense, and no one challenges her.

The biggest surprise in the third season of The Comeback happens quickly: the show abandons its mockumentary style and returns to the traditional filming style used at the end of season two. While Patience continues to film for Val’s social media, the documentarian herself is missing. (Though Silverman, a main cast member, is expected to return next week.) We see a short scene of Val on the picket line, mostly hoping to get a photo with Fran Drescher (playing herself) and desperately seeking approval from writers – a habit stemming from her difficult experience with Paulie G. The episode then jumps forward three years to the present day. My main criticism is that it tries to cover too much; this is HBO, they have time! In 2026, Valerie is recording Cherish the Time, a hilariously accurate parody of celebrity podcasts where the celebrity has nothing of substance to say. (“So, podcast listeners, what have I been up to? Um… I watched a good old movie on TV the other night.”) As expected, given Val’s career and the current entertainment landscape, work is scarce. She starred in a detective series called Mrs. Hatt for two seasons, but nobody watched it (it aired on Epix), and she has a tiny, six-line role in a low-budget indie film that she had to audition for and provide her own clothes for.

Valerie has moved into a new apartment in Sierra Towers, but doesn’t seem very happy about it. While she’s a talented actress, she struggles to sound enthusiastic when telling her manager, Billy, about Mark and Valerie’s “new chapter.” Fortunately, Billy has good news: the streaming service NuNet is offering her a leading role in a new multi-camera sitcom. Valerie jokes about the return of sitcoms, and in a classic moment, looks directly at the camera and says, “People need a laugh… now more than ever.” However, the sitcom will be written entirely by AI, which gives her pause. Later, she tells Mark she’s hesitant to even meet about the project, explaining she needs to feel a connection with the writers, and the recent strike was all about that. Mark, who has witnessed his wife’s difficult experiences with TV writers, doesn’t think she owes them anything. It’s unclear if Valerie will pass up this opportunity over her principles. The show’s narrator prefers when Mark is the voice of reason, but acknowledges he’s currently the star of his own reality show, Finance Dudes, so that might be asking too much.

The next day on set, Val discovered she’d made a big mistake about the movie. She thought it was set in the 1980s, but it was actually about people in their 80s – and she was playing a fitness instructor stuck in the past, which felt particularly relevant as she was upset about being a small part in the film. The one bright spot was meeting Tommy Tomlin, a hair stylist who’d worked on her old show, I’m It!, and occasionally filled in for a colleague who had passed away in 2017. Tommy now essentially filled that colleague’s role, and he reminded Val of both her past successes and the preciousness of life. He showered her with praise, telling her how funny she’d been on I’m It!, which boosted her confidence. Tommy’s reminder that “we’re lucky to be alive” really resonated, especially when an extra on set had a medical emergency during filming. This shocking event spurred Val into action – she realized she needed to seize the moment and attend the NuNet meeting she’d been considering.

Give Her Another Take:

Mickey’s absence was really noticeable in this episode. Seeing his photo in her dressing room was a bit emotional, wasn’t it? While Tommy hasn’t had much screen time, it feels like the show is just trying to fill Mickey’s role with him, and that doesn’t quite work.

Matthew O’Brien, a celebrated Tony Award-winning theater director, is making his first appearance in a film, and at 86 years old, he appears completely at ease in front of the camera.

I enjoyed the running gag about Patience’s health problems, although it felt a little like an easy joke about Gen Z being physically weak.

This episode features some delightful cameos from Broadway performers. Besides Fairchild, Timothy Hughes – known as the tall actor from Hadestown – plays Val’s Billy Flynn. Another Broadway actor, Nick Adams, receives a sharp-tongued response from Val when she playfully questions why he was cast in Chicago, with her quipping, “Guess they were up to the V’s.”

Having heard so many appeals at the end of Broadway shows for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, I couldn’t help but laugh when Valerie pointed out that, despite all the talk and merchandise, Broadway doesn’t actually seem to care.

Val recently joked about how quickly language changes, saying she might accidentally end up on a show about sex workers—the preferred term these days—if she doesn’t have a script. It’s a lighthearted comment that shows she’s trying to be respectful and aware.

While she’s generally kind, there’s a limit to her patience. I especially liked when she explained to Mark how long she’d actually been protesting, saying she’d spent the entire day ‘in the heat, marching with those writers, connecting with them.’

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2026-03-23 06:58