HBO is officially bringing back The Comeback for its long-awaited third and final season, premiering March 2026. Lisa Kudrow returns as Valerie Cherish, stepping back into the spotlight more than a decade after season 2 wrapped in 2014. This closing chapter finds Valerie landing what she believes is the role she’s been waiting for: the lead in a new sitcom generated by artificial intelligence. It’s a job that throws her right back into an entertainment industry that has evolved without her and has zero interest in slowing down so she can catch up.
The premise is classic Comeback—sharp, awkward, and painfully character-driven. Valerie is once again convinced she’s on the brink of the breakthrough she’s always imagined, even as every sign around her suggests the universe might have other plans.
Valerie Cherish Still Can’t Read the Room
Lisa Kudrow’s character works because she’s sincere, not because she’s striving to be successful. She wants to be liked, respected, and relevant, and she believes effort should count for something. The Comeback season 3 drops her into a version of Hollywood that’s even less patient than before.
The AI-written sitcom isn’t played as a punchline. This is modern; this is now. It’s another reminder that Valerie is replaceable in a system that values speed and efficiency, resorting to robotics to get the job done. She’s grateful for the opportunity and uneasy about it at the same time, which is exactly where the character lives the best.
The Industry Finally Catches Up to the Joke
When The Comeback first aired, it felt awkward because it was early. Reality TV wasn’t ready to be invasive. Season 2 did the same thing with prestige television and ego.
However, The Comeback season 3 turns it attention to automation and branding. Valerie Cherish keeps trying to stay agreeable while the rules change around her. The humor comes from watching her adapting without being fully aware of what she’s adapting to. She’s expected to expect the unexpected, making for comedic, relatable moments.
Lisa Kudrow Hasn’t Missed a Beat
Lisa Kudrow doesn’t adjust Valerie to fit the comeback because the character, and Kudrow’s acting, are perfect as-is. She plays her exactly as she always has. The pauses, forced optimism, and talking past people instead of with them – it’s all still there.
The consistency of Kudrow’s acting is what makes the return work. Valerie hasn’t evolved with the decade, but Hollywood has. And the gap between the two makes for hilarious, cringey antics.
The Comeback Season 3: Familiar Faces, New Power Centers
Some familiar characters return alongside Valerie Cherish, including her publicist, while new figures show up as executives and bigwig decision makers. Andrew Scott’s casting as a studio head signals where the power sits now.
The Comeback season 3 doesn’t need villains, and no one is actively cruel. Valerie just isn’t essential. The show never flinches away from the reality of a disposable actress in a fast-paced star-powered industry.
The Cameras are Still Watching
The mockumentary style is intact for The Comeback season 2. The cameras catch moments Valerie thinks are flattering and the moments when she clearly isn’t. The look may be slightly cleaner, but the discomfort and face-palm reactions are still on point.
Valerie believes she’s the one shaping the narrative. She has main character energy. But the audience can she that she’s not the one in charge.
Why Ending the Series on Season 3 Feels Right
Bringing Valerie Cherish back is closure for an audience that believed they would never see her again. And her return amid AI-powered creativity is intentional. The Comeback has always followed the current industry’s anxieties before they become obvious, and right now, artificial intelligence is dominating the world’s media and creative processes.
The Comeback season 3 doesn’t promise redemption, but it will be honest. Valerie Cherish is still trying, hopeful, and still being filmed while she’s experiencing the ins-and-outs of everyday life.