The comeback's return: a hilariously unhinged look at hollywood
Lisa Kudrow’s Valerie Cherish is back, and the descent into Hollywood madness is just as captivating—and unsettling—as we remember. After a three-year gap, The Comeback has returned to Max, and the premiere episode serves as a bracing shot of cynical brilliance, a reminder of why this series remains one of the sharpest satires of the entertainment industry ever created.
A familiar descent into chaos
The first episode picks up with Valerie, now attempting a Broadway run in Chicago—a development that, predictably, spirals into a chaotic mess. It's a world where ambition and delusion collide, and Kudrow, as always, embodies both with unsettling accuracy. The show’s strength lies in its ability to find humor in the darkest corners of celebrity culture, skewering the performative nature of fame and the relentless pursuit of relevance. The early references to the WGA/SAG strike, interwoven with Valerie’s oblivious maneuvering, are particularly biting—a reminder that even in moments of industry upheaval, the ego of a fading star persists.
One can’t help but notice the unsettling timeliness of the narrative. Valerie’s disgust at the notion of someone being 23 in 2026 speaks volumes about our own anxieties surrounding aging and obsolescence in a rapidly changing world. And the podcast, “Cherish the Time,” feels almost eerily prescient, a perfect encapsulation of the desperate attempts to cling to relevance in the digital age.
The return also brings back beloved (and wonderfully bizarre) supporting characters, including Marky-Mark (Darryl) and Jane, whose aversion to social media is, as the show reminds us, a testament to her artistic integrity—she won an Oscar for a documentary about lesbians in the Holocaust, after all. The cameo by Fran Drescher felt less like a guest appearance and more like a knowing nod to the shared absurdity of navigating the Hollywood landscape.
But the true genius of The Comeback isn't just in its satire; it's in its unsettling realism. The show doesn’t shy away from portraying the ugliness of ambition, the desperation of fading stars, and the inherent superficiality of the entertainment industry. It's a mirror held up to Hollywood, and what we see reflected back isn’t always pretty. The depiction of Mickey’s death from COVID is particularly jarring, a stark reminder of the fragility of life and the lingering impact of the pandemic.
The inclusion of AI-generated writing for the sitcom Valerie is attempting is a stroke of genius, satirizing both the increasing prevalence of artificial intelligence and the inherent lack of creativity in much of modern television. Valerie’s declaration, “I’ll do an AI series next year! When everyone else is,” is a perfect distillation of her narcissism and her uncanny ability to anticipate—and exploit—trends.
Ultimately, The Comeback remains a darkly hilarious and deeply unsettling exploration of Hollywood's underbelly. It’s a show that doesn't offer easy answers or comforting resolutions, but instead forces us to confront the uncomfortable truths about fame, ambition, and the relentless pursuit of validation. The continued relevance of this series, even after all these years, speaks to its enduring power and its unflinching gaze.