The Comeback Returns to HBO for Final Season

Fans of sharp Hollywood satire and cringe comedy, rejoice. Lisa Kudrow is bringing her legendary character Valerie Cherish back to HBO for a third and final season of The Comeback, and yes, she still needs to be on television. Nearly twenty years after its cult-classic debut, The Comeback is finally returning to give Valerie the send-off she probably thinks she deserves and we all know she kind of does.

This surprise revival has loyal fans buzzing and newer viewers scrambling to figure out how they missed one of the boldest TV comedies of the 2000s. Here’s everything you need to know about The Comeback’s long-awaited return, why it matters, and what you can expect from Valerie Cherish’s last stand in the cruel, chaotic world of showbiz.

The Comeback: A Quick Recap for Newcomers and Forgetful Fans

The Comeback premiered in 2005 on HBO and introduced the world to Valerie Cherish, a washed-up sitcom actress desperate to reclaim her place in the spotlight. Played to uncomfortable perfection by Lisa Kudrow, Valerie agrees to star in a humiliating reality show documenting her attempt at a comeback in a new sitcom where she is cast as Aunt Sassy, a role she believes is beneath her but still takes because... well, she needs to be on television.

The show was ahead of its time, blending reality TV mockumentary style with biting Hollywood satire. Despite being cancelled after one season, The Comeback was revived in 2014 for a second season that proved even more emotionally raw, meta, and critically acclaimed. It picked up years later with Valerie attempting to reinvent herself yet again, this time through prestige TV. Spoiler alert: it was still painfully awkward.

Now, over a decade later, Kudrow and co-creator Michael Patrick King are back to finish what they started.

Why Now? Why Ever? And Why It’s Kind of Perfect Timing

In an era obsessed with reboots and nostalgia, The Comeback’s return feels earned rather than opportunistic. This is not a cash grab. This is a chance to give one of the most tragically funny characters on television a proper ending.

HBO has confirmed that production on season three will begin in summer 2025 with a premiere set for 2026. And yes, Kudrow is back not just in front of the camera but also behind it, co-writing and executive producing the final season alongside King and longtime producer John Melfi.

What makes the timing even more delicious is the current state of Hollywood. With influencers, TikTok stars, streaming service chaos, and canceled shows coming back from the dead, there is no better backdrop for Valerie’s delusions and desperate reinventions. One can only imagine what kind of chaos she will bring to the influencer-industrial complex or a prestige streaming drama with eight showrunners and no budget.

Who’s Coming Back with Valerie Cherish?

Alongside Kudrow, many fan-favorite cast members are set to return including Dan Bucatinsky as loyal hairdresser and assistant Billy, Laura Silverman as the ever-patient reality show producer Jane, and Damian Young as Valerie’s eternally exasperated husband Mark.

Given the show’s mockumentary format, you can also expect a healthy mix of real-life cameos, uncomfortable silences, and the kind of fourth-wall bending storytelling that makes The Comeback feel more relevant now than ever before.

And while HBO has kept most plot details under wraps, one thing is clear — this will be Valerie’s final act. The creators have confirmed that season three is designed with a clear beginning, middle, and end. No loose ends, no sudden cancellations. Just one more painfully hilarious run through the Hollywood meat grinder.

Before there was BoJack Horseman, before Barry, before every second TV show was a dark satire of fame and self-delusion, there was The Comeback. It skewered celebrity culture long before Instagram influencers and made us question why we root for people who are clearly not okay.

Valerie Cherish is not your standard protagonist. She is needy, delusional, insecure, and often completely tone-deaf. But she is also unshakably human. Her desire to be loved and seen, even when it costs her dignity, is both excruciating and weirdly admirable. In a world full of curated perfection, The Comeback dares to showcase failure, awkwardness, and the soul-crushing absurdity of trying to be relevant.

One Last Comeback, One Last Cringe

So here we are, preparing for one last journey with Valerie Cherish. It is been nearly twenty years, two writers’ strikes, three social media platforms, and one global pandemic since we first met her. And yet she feels more timely than ever.

Stay tuned for more updates as production rolls out and get ready to laugh, wince, and possibly cry as The Comeback makes its, well, comeback.

Want more updates on HBO comedies, cult classics, and painfully relatable fictional divas? Follow us for all things awkward, iconic, and Valerie-approved.