HBO announced today that “The Comeback,” their short-lived comedy series starring Lisa Kudrow, is making a comeback all its own. Six new episodes are in the works to air this fall, nearly a decade after the original season premiered.
“B level” TV star Valerie Cherish was a pioneer of reality television. Now, it’s ten years later – there’s more TV than ever and she wants back in. Lisa Kudrow (“Friends”) returns as the embattled Valerie Cherish, a fading TV “It Girl” who was once so desperate to stay in the spotlight that she allowed cameras to follow her every move as she appeared on a new sitcom – with disastrous results.
Scheduled to begin production in Los Angeles this month, the show was created by Michael Patrick King (“Sex and the City”) and Kudrow, who will serve as executive producers along with producing partner Dan Bucatinsky (“Scandal”).
“‘The Comeback’ holds a special place in the hearts of its many fans, including many of us here at HBO,” notes Michael Lombardo, president, HBO Programming. “I can’t wait to find out what Valerie’s been up to since we last met.”
“I’m so excited to be working with Valerie Cherish again,” says King. “It’s great to be able to continue her story and I’m thrilled to have ‘The Combeback’ come back to HBO, where it all started.”
“It was almost too fun play Valerie Cherish the first time around,” adds Kudrow. “I look forward to revisiting this resilient and ironically self-unaware character.”
The first season of “The Comeback,” which debuted in 2005 on HBO, explored the madness of television, a Beverly Hills lifestyle, the dual roles of wife and stepmom, the trouble with growing older in Hollywood, and the bravery of a comic-tragic 40-year-old actress who was desperate to look like she was keeping her head above it all. The series was singled out by both TIME and Entertainment Weekly as one of the ten best shows of the decade. In the new episodes, Valerie continues her search to attain the spotlight, but this time around, it illuminates a whole new series of problems when she achieves the visibility she wants.
The new season will be written by King, Kudrow, Amy B. Harris and John Riggi. In addition to Kudrow, the confirmed cast includes Lance Barber, Dan Bucatinsky, Robert Michael Morris, Laura Silverman and Damian Young.
