Can you believe that it has been 20 years since the world first met the icon and legend Valerie Cherish? The underrated HBO comedy series The Comeback premiered on June 5, 2005 and a cult classic was born. Although the show earned three Emmy Award nominations right out the gate, HBO opted not to renew the show for a second season, a mistake that was later rectified.
In the series, Emmy Award winner and Friends star Lisa Kudrow plays the ambitious if not a little self unaware former sitcom star Valerie Cherish, who's trying to stage a comeback to the spotlight years after her show went off the air. She's doing so by filming a reality show while starring in a mildly humiliating supporting role in a new sitcom starring a cast of young and famous actors.
The Comeback season 3 could still happen
While The Comeback was canceled shortly after the 13-episode season ended its run in September 2005, HBO ultimately brought Valerie Cherish back on the air nine years later for an eight-episode second season in 2014. The series, which comes from Sex and the City executive producer Michael Patrick King, once again found cult success but more immediate critical acclaim than season 1.
Celebrating the 20th anniversary of The Comeback, Michael Patrick King and Lisa Kudrow caught up with Variety to talk about not only the show's history but its future. The co-creators spoke about how the show was conceived, the fact that it was ahead of the curve for its representation of reality television, and their disappointment about the reception of the show early on.
But when asked about the possibility of a third season coming to fruition, they had less of a concrete answer but didn't shoot down the opportunity. Both King and Kudrow shared their interest to create The Comeback season 3, though it doesn't sound like they're in any rush. (Obviously, since it's been 11 years since season 2 was released.) They're looking for the right idea.
Here's what the pair said to Variety about The Comeback ever coming back:
"It’s really about whether we can find an idea worth going beyond one joke." —Michael Patrick King
"We’re always talking about it and looking for it." —Lisa Kudrow
"She’ll show up at one of those lunches, and I’m laughing as hard as I did 20 years ago. It’s the same vibration. The thing about Valerie — the reason why, if we find an arena, it’s going to be great — is that Valerie will never get everything she wants. It’s thrilling when you have somebody who’s practically a Greek character, going through the underworld to get the golden apple and coming back up like, 'Well, I got it!'" —Michael Patrick King
The Comeback seems to be one of those shows, like HBO's own Curb Your Enthusiasm, that's beyond being renewed or canceled and could return with a new season whenever inspiration strikes. While Larry David officially ended the show in 2024 after 12 seasons, he would often take a year or two or six off from the show and return when he was ready.
As perfect as it would have been for The Comeback to have produced more than 21 episodes and have a steady stream of seasons like a traditional series, a non-traditional storytelling method makes sense. Valerie Cherish isn't your average character. She's reacting to the changes in her industry, changes that are deeply apparent between seasons 1 and 2 and would be between seasons 2 and 3.
Simply put, the world needs more Valerie Cherish. Who knows what she would be up to now in the 2020s? Still aiming for success, not quite going about it in the most graceful way. The Comeback season 3 might not ever happen, and that's okay, too. It's hard to top the two seasons it's already made, and season 3 shouldn't exist just to exist. But let's keep our fingers crossed now after this update!
Watch both seasons of The Comeback on HBO Max.