If there’s a comeback, there must have been a problem.
At least there was in Valerie Cherish’s life. In the first two seasons of “The Comeback,” she struggled with the rise of reality television and the likely death of scripted shows. Now, more than a decade later, she’s facing the rise of artificial intelligence and scripts written by computers.
Unaware that her new series, “How's That?!,” could be one of the first AI products, she jumps in, then learns the truth.
Laura Silverman, left, and Lisa Kudrow drive around the studio lot in a Season 3 episode of "The Comeback."
The return is a great way to see how something like this could affect an industry. There’s the understaffed writers’ room, the hushed conversations and the probing questions. But Valerie (brilliantly portrayed by Lisa Kudrow, who co-created the series) wants to see the positives of a shift, not the negatives.
Before settling into the AI discussion, “The Comeback” details Valerie’s life since the last visit. Buoyed by an Emmy win (it sits on a pedestal in her new home), she has a podcast and a role in “Chicago” on Broadway.
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She chose the New York route because writers were on strike and nothing was being produced in Los Angeles. Onstage, she can’t catch the beat and doesn’t like the folks who surround her. “I can’t dance. I can’t sing. I’m not a Broadway caliber performer,” she admits.
Lisa Kudrow reprises her role as Valerie Cherish in Season 3 of "The Comeback."
The podcast, however, is right in her wheelhouse. “It’s supposed to be sloppy and unprofessional,” she reasons. “That’s the charm.”
When she invites an old friend for an interview, she gets a connection to her beloved hairdresser, Mickey. There's also a super guest performance by Jack O’Brien. He’s a smart replacement who keeps Valerie grounded.
Kudrow and fellow creator Michael Patrick King manage to hit a variety of targets (from Thom Browne clothes to “The Traitors” contestants) before getting to AI. They still embrace a documentary format but let home cameras handle more intimate discussions.
“The Comeback” has a place in the landscape and a clever way of pruning it. Kudrow still brings the laughs, even when Valerie is afraid to hold the shears. But when she makes a sly reference to “Friends,” there’s a connection that makes you wonder if she’s naïve or the smartest blade in the block.
While “The Comeback” runs only four episodes, it’s worth every minute. Cherish the time together.
