‘The Power of Valerie Cherish’ Helped Cast The Comeback

The HBO series The Comeback features Valerie Cherish, a character who struggles for recognition in Hollywood, but in real life, everyone wants to work with actress Lisa Kudrow. A fun part of the show’s third season, co-written by Kudrow and Michael Patrick King, is seeing so many recognizable TV and comedy stars make cameos, clearly thrilled to be on set. These actors appear as various characters – crew members like Benito Skinner and Jack O’Brien, rivals like Andrew Scott’s character, or even themselves, as seen with Jane Fonda and Fran Drescher. Casting director Allison Jones confirms that getting on the show was highly sought after. She says almost everyone in Hollywood wanted a part, and she apologizes to the many talented people they couldn’t accommodate due to limited roles.

As a casting director with decades of experience – seriously, she’s worked on Barbie, The Office, and even a bunch of sitcoms you’ve probably forgotten like How’s That?! and Room and Bored – Jones really knows her stuff. She recently shared some fascinating insights into casting the revival of a show, and specifically, the layers involved in casting a sitcom within a sitcom – a meta-challenge, to say the least. It’s a surprisingly complex process, and she broke down exactly how she built out Valerie’s world for this latest run.

The executive

Chevy Chase recalls that early sitcoms were overseen by incredibly powerful network executives – a role Andrew Scott portrays in a new show. He compares this executive, Brandon Wallick, the creator of How’s That?!, to someone who blends Hollywood polish with a lack of ethics. Chase notes that as an Irish actor, he might not fully understand the pressures Wallick faced within the American TV system, but Scott perfectly captured how these executives can be friendly one moment and completely ruthless the next.

The exhausted and exhausting writers

The show How’s That?! is designed as a test for AI writing, but the story is presented as being written by a married couple of TV showrunners, played by Abbi Jacobson and John Early. Both actors portray versions of TV writers who seem jaded but passionate. According to creator Lance Jones, they had a lot of fun with the project and the unlikely pairing of Jacobson and Early was perfect. Jacobson especially nailed the apathetic attitude, and both actors excelled at improvising during auditions. Jones notes that Early’s playfully grumpy performance was particularly funny. Initially, they considered using lesser-known actors, but realized the show’s complex tone – similar to The Comeback – needed established comedy veterans. The fact that actors of Early and Jacobson’s caliber even agreed to audition shows how attractive the project was, and Jones points out that many other talented actors could have easily starred in the series.

The show within the show

Casting the show How’s That?! felt very familiar to casting director Jones, who has extensive experience with sitcoms – she started on Golden Girls. She explains that in the 1990s, a common challenge was finding attractive actors who weren’t necessarily dynamic. However, The Comeback presented a different hurdle: the actors playing the young, attractive leads – Brittany O’Grady and Zane Phillips – needed to be genuinely funny and relatable as people, not just look the part. Jones had actors read scenes both from within the show and outside of it to assess their range. Phillips immediately stood out due to his striking looks and acting ability, and O’Grady similarly impressed, demonstrating the ability to portray a difficult character on screen while being genuinely sweet off-camera, much like Malin Akerman did previously.

The younger generation

Valerie faces a challenge on the show How’s That?! when she clashes with a young costume designer, played by Benito Skinner from Overcompensating. He keeps trying to dress her in old-fashioned, unflattering clothes reminiscent of the show Maude or even her own series, Mrs. Hatt. Jones auditioned many actors for the part, but felt Skinner was the funniest and most convincing. She explains he perfectly captured the self-centered attitude often seen in younger generations. The scene was so impactful it even sparked a lengthy essay by Hilton Als about the differences between classic and modern Hollywood. Jones also points out the scene is a nod to her and her co-worker’s shared history: they first worked together on a show called The Five Mrs. Buchanans, where women over 50 were often stuck wearing similar outfits.

This season, Jane’s role of following Valerie around and recording her life is now shared with a younger character, Ella Stiller, who plays Patience. Patience is Ben’s daughter and acts as Valerie’s social media consultant. According to director Jones, it’s difficult to portray inaction convincingly on screen, and Stiller excelled at embodying a typical, relaxed Gen-Z presence. The goal wasn’t for Patience to do much, just to authentically be a Gen-Z individual – present but not overly involved. Importantly, Patience needed to appear knowledgeable about creating engaging social media content, even though she seemed uninterested in everything else. Jones felt Stiller’s facial expressions were perfect for the part.

Ben Stiller isn’t the only child of a famous comedian appearing in a new show. Lisa Kudrow’s son, Julian Stern, plays the IT specialist on How’s That?!, and it turns out he’s a talented writer too. While Kudrow initially suggested her son for the role – telling the Hollywood Reporter she simply thought he’d be perfect – showrunner Jones also agreed he was a great fit. Jones noted that sometimes casting family members doesn’t work out, but Stern is naturally funny and very talented.

The theater kids

Before Valerie left the production of Chicago due to the intense pressure, Jones brought in well-known theater professionals to fill out the cast. This included Timothy Hughes, who handled the choreography, and Robbie Fairchild, a famous dancer from Cats, who played a tired assistant director. Jones recalls people in the theater world constantly asking how he managed to get Robbie Fairchild involved, and emphasizes that these performers were enthusiastic about participating and didn’t even need to audition.

A good hype man

Lisa Jones, having observed numerous traditional sitcom tapings, noticed a crucial but increasingly rare role: the warm-up comedian. These performers entertain the audience before filming and between takes. Jones found it surprisingly difficult to find someone skilled for The Comeback. “It’s a really challenging job,” she explains, “and good warm-up comics are hard to come by.” Ultimately, she chose Edgar Blackmon, a former performer at Second City. “It was tough,” Jones says, “because many people his age didn’t understand what a warm-up comic even did. Edgar impressed everyone during a table read, making him the perfect fit.”

The real people

While navigating the Hollywood scene, Valerie frequently encounters famous actors playing themselves – like when she attempts to get a picture with Fran Drescher during a protest or asks Jane Fonda to record a quick video. (Fonda simply looks at the camera and says, “Vote.”). Casting director Michael Patrick specifically envisioned these celebrity cameos, and they were essential to the scenes. Luckily, he and Lisa (another casting director) have a wide network – they both know Jane Fonda, for example. Jones compares this experience to working on Curb Your Enthusiasm, where she also cast many celebrities as themselves, learning to identify those who can playfully exaggerate their public image. She notes that they were able to secure every celebrity they wanted for this project, a testament to Valerie Cherish’s charm and connections.

Jones also points out that the show’s topic – artificial intelligence – generated a lot of initial interest. They weren’t permitted to mention AI during auditions, but some actors guessed the premise from the audition materials. Jones compares this to how they convinced veteran director James Burrows – who he’s worked with on numerous sitcoms and describes as consistently down-to-earth – to direct the pilot of How’s That?! by quietly letting him know AI would be a key element. “That was the exciting detail we were asked to keep under wraps,” Jones explains, “and we managed to maintain the secrecy until the show actually premiered.”

Why not cast Clea DuVall?

In the second-to-last episode of the season, as Hollywood buzzes about the AI used in the show How’s That?!, we finally get a quick look at Jane’s partner, played by acclaimed actress Clea DuVall. According to creator Jones, the team considered using a well-known actress, ultimately realizing that their success comes from their talent and experience.

A fellow casting director

Although Lisa Kudrow wasn’t involved in casting the first season of The Comeback, she’s thrilled to watch veteran casting director Marla Garlin, a longtime friend and collaborator, play the role of Valerie’s sitcom casting director, Sharon Case. Kudrow enjoyed seeing Garlin’s expanded role this season, especially after playfully teasing her about it in previous seasons. “I’d joke with her, ‘You’ve got a lot of lines this year, Marla – you better watch out!’” Kudrow recalls with a laugh. “And she even had a funny fall!”

2026-05-08 21:56