The Comeback is a television series

Television program

A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...

 produced by HBO that stars actress Lisa Kudrow

Lisa Kudrow

Lisa Valerie Kudrow is an American actress, best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the television sitcom Friends, for which she received many accolades including an Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards...

 as sitcom actress Valerie Cherish in modern-day Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

. It was created by Kudrow and Michael Patrick King

Michael Patrick King

Michael Patrick King is an American director, writer and producer for television shows.-Life and career:King was born to an Irish American family in Scranton, Pennsylvania and was raised as a Roman Catholic...

, a former executive producer

Executive producer

An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...

 of Sex and the City

Sex and the City

Sex and the City is an American television comedy-drama series created by Darren Star and produced by HBO. Broadcast from 1998 until 2004, the original run of the show had a total of ninety-four episodes...

. Kudrow and King were also screenwriter

Screenwriter

Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...

s and executive producers of the series, with King also serving as the director

Television director

A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...

 of some episodes. The series premiered on HBO on June 5, 2005 and aired for a single season.

The show, a comedy

Comedy

Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...

, was shot by a two-camera crew, in the style of reality television

Reality television

Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...

. Viewers of The Comeback are actually watching raw footage

Footage

In filmmaking and video production, footage is the raw, unedited material as it had been originally filmed by movie camera or recorded by a video camera which usually must be edited to create a motion picture, video clip, television show or similar completed work...

 shot for the fictional reality show within The Comeback, also called The Comeback.

The series' episode titles (excluding the pilot

Television pilot

A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...

) begin with the main character's first name Valerie... followed the theme of the episode as the main character would have named them, e.g. Valerie Triumphs at the Upfronts.

Despite a coveted time slot after the hit series Entourage

Entourage (TV series)

Entourage is an American comedy-drama television series that premiered on HBO on July 18, 2004 and concluded on September 11, 2011, after eight seasons...

, The Comeback debuted to low ratings and a mixed critical response; despite this, it was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards including Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Kudrow. HBO confirmed on September 21, 2005 that the series was officially canceled after only being on the air for thirteen weeks.

The show placed #79 on Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

's "New TV Classics" list. In 2009, the publication named The Comeback one of the ten best shows of the decade, calling it "the most brilliantly brutal satire of reality TV ever captured on screen."

Plot

Valerie Cherish is a D-grade actress who had it all. From 1989 until 1992, Valerie starred on a sitcom known as I'm It! The show was a hit during its initial run, but fell just three episodes shy of reaching syndication

Television syndication

In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...

 status. Valerie claimed that the show was canceled over a Rodney King

Rodney King

Rodney Glen King is an American best known for his involvement in a police brutality case involving the Los Angeles Police Department on March 3, 1991...

 joke, but in a later episode it is made clear that the quality of the show had declined before that point and that a chimp had been brought onto the show to star as another lawyer at the firm. Since then, the fame and fortune Valerie gained from her success and triumphs has depleted. She has become unemployed, married, and does not get the roles for which she was once famous due to her age and personality. Valerie vows that she will make a comeback, which is the ultimate goal in her career as an actress.

The Comeback is shot in the style of a reality show

Reality television

Reality television is a genre of television programming that presents purportedly unscripted dramatic or humorous situations, documents actual events, and usually features ordinary people instead of professional actors, sometimes in a contest or other situation where a prize is awarded...

 (also called The Comeback). The show-within-a-show follows Valerie through her home life and her career resurgence. It offers behind-the-scenes footage of the other fictional show-within-a-show, Room and Bored, a network

Television network

A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...

 sitcom on which Valerie plays a minor role.

Each episode begins with color bars, over which are superimposed the words "The Comeback: Raw Footage", indicating that viewers to the actual HBO series The Comeback are watching unedited video

Video

Video is the technology of electronically capturing, recording, processing, storing, transmitting, and reconstructing a sequence of still images representing scenes in motion.- History :...

 for the fictional reality show The Comeback.

Kudrow stated in 2010, speaking of where the show may have gone in season two if it were not canceled: "All we really knew for season two was that Paulie G. would end up getting fired, Gigi would end up in charge and the sitcom turns into a huge mess - that and Valerie’s marriage would be on the rocks."

Major characters

• Valerie Cherish (Lisa Kudrow
  Lisa Kudrow
  Lisa Valerie Kudrow is an American actress, best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the television sitcom Friends, for which she received many accolades including an Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards...
  
  ), the central character of The Comeback, was the star of a sexually-charged 1989 sitcom, I'm It!, in which she played a young superstar attorney
  Lawyer
  A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
  
  . Valerie has fallen out of the limelight but receives a call from her former network
  Television network
  A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...
  
   asking her to do a reality show called The Comeback, about an actress attempting to relaunch her flagging career by landing a starring role on the sitcom Room and Bored, a show featuring four sexy singles living in a condominium
  Condominium
  A condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
  
  . The role is originally written as a 40-ish architect who acts as an older, wiser, yet still sexy roommate. Valerie wins the role over former sitcom stars Marilu Henner
  Marilu Henner
  Mary Lucy Denise "Marilu" Henner is an American actress, producer and author. She is best known for her role as Elaine O'Connor Nardo on the sitcom Taxi from 1978 to 1983.-Early life:...
  
   and Kim Fields
  Kim Fields
  Kim Victoria Fields is an American actress and television director. She is known for her roles as Tootie Ramsey on the NBC sitcom The Facts of Life, and as Regine Hunter on the Fox sitcom Living Single...
  
   (who also had reality show cameras following them in case either had received the role), neither of whom seem particularly excited to shoot either the sitcom or the reality show. However, after an early rehearsal, Valerie learns the script has been changed to reduce her character's role to that of a 40-ish landlord named Aunt Sassy, a character much like the Mrs. Roper character from Three's Company
  Three's Company
  Three's Company is an American sitcom that aired from March 15, 1977, to September 18, 1984, on ABC. It is based on the British sitcom, Man About the House....
  
  . Aunt Sassy is a woman who dresses only in pastel
  Pastel
  Pastel is an art medium in the form of a stick, consisting of pure powdered pigment and a binder. The pigments used in pastels are the same as those used to produce all colored art media, including oil paints; the binder is of a neutral hue and low saturation....
  
   jogging suits, lives upstairs, and usually only appears in one scene per episode.

Despite the changed role, Valerie performs well, much to the delight of the audience and the network

Television network

A television network is a telecommunications network for distribution of television program content, whereby a central operation provides programming to many television stations or pay TV providers. Until the mid-1980s, television programming in most countries of the world was dominated by a small...

, and the show is greenlit for a fall season. However, still in denial that her day in the sun has passed, Valerie is obsessed with the direction of Room and Bored. She attempts to use her standing as a veteran sitcom star to persuade the young producers to take her suggestions for the show, despite numerous warnings to "back off." Valerie constantly reminds the crew of her success on I'm It! as a reason to listen to her. Valerie believes it is her duty to explain to her young co-stars what starring on a sitcom entails.

Initially, even with her reduced role, Valerie thinks she is (or should be) the real star of the show, and is very concerned about her image. It is only after a meeting with a cancer

Cancer

Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...

-stricken family friend that Valerie realizes she must learn humility and to make the best of every situation she is presented. In the end, Valerie agrees to return for a second season of her reality show, despite being thoroughly embarrassed (due to some creative editing) during its highly-rated premiere. This serves as proof that she is willing to completely sacrifice her dignity to return to the spotlight.

Entertainment Weekly voted Valerie Cherish on The Comeback as Lisa Kudrow's second best performance.

• Jane (Laura Silverman
  Laura Silverman
  -External links:...
  
  ) is the director of Valerie Cherish's reality show, The Comeback. Jane seems very committed to seeing Valerie is comfortable on camera
  Camera
  A camera is a device that records and stores images. These images may be still photographs or moving images such as videos or movies. The term camera comes from the camera obscura , an early mechanism for projecting images...
  
   and is forced to endure the drama
  Drama
  Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
  
   that Valerie creates. Jane is seldom seen on-camera, but her voice is often heard. When she is seen on camera, often she is mortified at what she perceives as Valerie's increasingly pathetic attempts to regain stardom. Jane attempts to limit her communication with Valerie, so as not to sacrifice the "reality" content of the show, but the star constantly seems to be talking to Jane. Valerie will ask her director for advice and "re-shoots" of a particular event, and Jane will usually avoid such communication and deny such requests by repeatedly telling Valerie she is forbidden to interact with her in any way. The relationship between the two comes to a head in the final episode.
• Mark Berman (Damian Young) is Valerie's loving (and extremely patient) husband. They had lived a quiet, lavish lifestyle until camera crews invaded their privacy. Mark is a dedicated businessman with very little understanding of show business
  Show business
  Show business, sometimes shortened to show biz, is a vernacular term for all aspects of entertainment. The word applies to all aspects of the entertainment industry from the business side to the creative element ....
  
  . He doesn't seem to be impressed by Valerie's celebrity
  Celebrity
  A celebrity, also referred to as a celeb in popular culture, is a person who has a prominent profile and commands a great degree of public fascination and influence in day-to-day media...
  
   and is annoyed by the reality show cameras but admits to using cocaine
  Cocaine
  Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine. It is a stimulant of the central nervous system, an appetite suppressant, and a topical anesthetic...
  
   and watching pornography
  Pornography
  Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...
  
   on camera. Valerie refers to Mark most often as "Marky Mark" and also by the nickname "Love Ball".
• Mickey Deane (Robert Michael Morris
  Robert Michael Morris
  Robert Michael Morris is an American actor. He is known for his co-starring role as Mickey Deane in the reality television spoof The Comeback and as Mr. Lunt in the short-lived series Running Wilde. Morris became a professional actor relatively late in life, having been a college theatre professor...
  
  ) has been Valerie Cherish's hairdresser
  Hairdresser
  Hairdresser is a term referring to anyone whose occupation is to cut or style hair in order to change or maintain a person's image. This is achieved using a combination of hair coloring, haircutting, and hair texturing techniques...
  
   and friend since the late 1980s. Between I'm It! and Room and Bored, he only worked for the actress part-time. Mickey agreed to work for Valerie full-time as she was cast on Room and Bored in order to receive health benefits from the studio. Mickey is an effeminate man in his 60s who believes that his obvious homosexuality is a well-kept secret. He came out of the closet
  Coming out
  Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
  
   in the finale.
• Paulie G. (Lance Barber) is the pudgy co-creator and executive producer
  Executive producer
  An executive producer is a producer who is not involved in any technical aspects of the film making or music process, but who is still responsible for the overall production...
  
   of Room and Bored. He is the person who pushed the change in Valerie's character, as he is very unsympathetic to Valerie herself. Paulie G disagreed with Valerie's casting from the beginning, and constantly seeks to reduce her role on the show. Paulie G is resentful of Valerie's efforts to control Room and Bored and attempts to avoid any communication with Valerie, despite her endeavors to butter him up. In one episode, Valerie and her camera crew walk in on Paulie receiving fellatio
  Fellatio
  Fellatio is an act of oral stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner. It involves the stimulation of the penis by the use of the mouth, tongue, or throat. The person who performs fellatio can be referred to as the giving partner, and the other person is the receiving partner...
  
  . Though viewers watching the "raw footage" know Paulie G's true intentions toward Valerie, the editors of The Comeback have polished the finished "reality show" by using the same footage to portray Paulie G as a sympathetic producer and all-around nice guy while Valerie is shown to be the antagonist between the two.
• Tom Peterman (Robert Bagnell) is the co-creator and executive producer of Room and Bored. While he tends to agree with Paulie G that Valerie is too overbearing, he attempts to accommodate her requests and show ideas. Unlike Paulie G, Tom tries to communicate calmly with Valerie and treat her with appropriate respect. Valerie tends to speak to Tom first when approaching the producers.
• Juna Millken (Malin Åkerman
  Malin Akerman
  Malin Maria Åkerman is a Swedish–Canadian actress and model. She was born in Stockholm, Sweden and moved to Canada at the age of two. As a child, she appeared in several television commercials before going on to win a modelling contract at age sixteen...
  
  ) is a beautiful young blonde model
  Model (person)
  A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
  
   and musician
  Musician
  A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
  
  , who (in her first-ever acting role) plays Cassie, the lead character and niece of Aunt Sassy on Room and Bored. Juna and Valerie become fast friends on and off the set. Juna sees Val as her mentor, and Val calls Juna her "baby girl", though Valerie is silently jealous of Juna's stardom.

Minor characters

• Shayne Thomas (Kimberly Kevon Williams
  Kimberly Kevon Williams
  Kimberly Kevon Williams is an American actress who is perhaps best known for her recurring role as Shayne Thomas in the HBO series The Comeback starring Lisa Kudrow.-Career:...
  
  ) plays Dylan, Juna's sexy roommate
  Roommate
  A roommate is a person who shares a living facility such as an apartment or dormitory. Similar terms include suitemate, housemate, flatmate , or sharemate...
  
   on Room and Bored. Shayne is a Christian
  Christian
  A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
  
   who objects to the sexual content of Valerie's reality show, but overlooks the obvious sexual innuendo included within Room and Bored because she is playing a character and is not being "herself".
• Jesse Wood (Jason Olive) plays Stitch, the African-American male roommate
  Roommate
  A roommate is a person who shares a living facility such as an apartment or dormitory. Similar terms include suitemate, housemate, flatmate , or sharemate...
  
   on Room and Bored. He had been turned down for several acting jobs before landing his current role on the show.
• Chris MacNess (Kellan Lutz
  Kellan Lutz
  Kellan Christopher Lutz is an American fashion model, and film and television actor, who is best known for playing Emmett Cullen in the Twilight series.-Early life:...
  
  ) plays Mooner, the surfer-type roommate
  Roommate
  A roommate is a person who shares a living facility such as an apartment or dormitory. Similar terms include suitemate, housemate, flatmate , or sharemate...
  
   on Room and Bored, who is a love interest to Juna's character. As an actor
  Actor
  An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
  
  , he is curious why Valerie is on the show due to her age difference with the younger generation
  Generation
  Generation , also known as procreation in biological sciences, is the act of producing offspring....
  
   of the cast
  Cast member
  A cast member is:* An actor who performs in a theatrical production, motion picture, or television program. The actors who perform in the show are collectively referred to as the cast....
  
  .
• Jimmy Burrows (James Burrows
  James Burrows
  James Edward Burrows is an American television director who has been working in television since the 1970s.-Biography:...
  
  ) plays himself and is the director
  Film director
  A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
  
   of many, but not all, of the Room and Bored episodes. His scenes with Valerie indicate the two have previously worked together. Though Jimmy likes Valerie and genuinely wants to help her succeed, he becomes increasingly annoyed with her antics and her reality crew. His attempts to escape Jane and her cameras are usually futile. Jimmy must sternly remind Valerie quite often that she is not the star of Room and Bored and that her input to the producers is unwelcome. Burrows' real career as a television
  Television
  Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
  
   director enhances the show's believability, as he has won several Emmy awards for his work as producer
  Television producer
  The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...
  
   and director
  Television director
  A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
  
   of such series as Friends
  Friends
  Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
  
  , Cheers
  Cheers
  Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
  
  , Frasier
  Frasier
  Frasier is an American sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for eleven seasons, from September 16, 1993, to May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee in association with Grammnet and Paramount Network Television.A spin-off of Cheers, Frasier stars...
  
  , and Will & Grace
  Will & Grace
  Will & Grace was an American television sitcom that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 21, 1998 to May 18, 2006 for a total of eight seasons. Will & Grace remains the most successful television series with gay principal characters...
  
  .
• Francesca Berman (Vanessa Marano
  Vanessa Marano
  Vanessa Nicole Marano is an American actress. She has appeared on the TV series Without a Trace, Gilmore Girls, Scoundrels and The Young and the Restless, among others. She is currently a main character on Switched at Birth, where she stars as Bay Kennish.-Personal life:Vanessa Marano was born...
  
  ) is Valerie's stepdaughter. Francesca has generally tried to avoid Valerie, but becomes very eager to bond with her stepmother when in front of the reality show cameras. Francesca lives primarily with her birth mother, but on occasion stays with Mark and Valerie at their Beverly Hills
  Beverly Hills, California
  Beverly Hills is an affluent city located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a population of 34,109 at the 2010 census, up from 33,784 as of the 2000 census, it is home to numerous Hollywood celebrities. Beverly Hills and the neighboring city of West Hollywood are together...
  
   home.
• Peter aka "Peter Darling" (Nathan Lee Graham
  Nathan Lee Graham
  Nathan Lee Graham is an American cabaret artist, stage, television and film actor, singer, writer and director. His roles in feature film include Todd in Zoolander, Frederick Montana in Sweet Home Alabama and Geoff in Hitch. He has appeared in independent films like Confessions of an Action Star,...
  
  ) is wardrobe supervisor for "Room and Bored". He famously quipped the line "Do you have a juicy ass?" in response to Valerie's request for Juicy Couture even though the script called for a running suit.
• Gigi (Bayne Gibby), a naive playwright
  Playwright
  A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
  
   from New York City
  New York City
  New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
  
  , is hired as the newest writer for Room and Bored. Valerie becomes fast friends with Gigi, with the ulterior motive of getting Aunt Sassy a greater role on the show, and to attempt to supersede some of the writing decisions of Tom and Paulie G. Sensing Valerie's intentions, the show's creators have forbidden any further fraternization between Valerie and Gigi. Gigi has a difficult time fitting in with the boys' club mentality of the writers' room and puts on a considerable amount of weight as a result.
• Esperanza (Lillian Hurst
  Lillian Hurst
  Lillian Hurst is a Puerto Rican actress and comedienne. Hurst made her debut as a television comedian in the early 1960s. She participated in various Off-Broadway and movie productions in the United States.-Early years:...
  
  ) is Valerie and Mark's Hispanic housekeeper. She is very uncomfortable around the cameras, often simply staring into them with a suspicious glare on her face.
• Billy Stanton (Dan Bucatinsky
  Dan Bucatinsky
  Dan Bucatinsky is an American actor, writer and film producer living in Los Angeles, California. He was born in New York City to Argentine parents, Julio and Myriam...
  
  ) is Valerie's publicist, hired to earn Valerie magazine covers (due mainly to her jealousy of Juna's photo appearing on the cover of Rolling Stone
  Rolling Stone
  Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
  
  ). Billy is a second-rate publicist who is just starting his own agency. He is very aggressive and tends to push and shove anybody who offends or disagrees with him. The first magazine cover he lands Valerie is for a yoga
  Yoga
  Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
  
   magazine, despite Val's ignorance of the yoga culture.
• Kaveen Kahan and Greg Narayan (Maulik Pancholy
  Maulik Pancholy
  Maulik Pancholy is an American actor. He is best known for his recurring role as Sanjay on Weeds from 2005 to present, and his role as Jonathan on 30 Rock, which he has played since the show began in 2006....
  
   and Amir Talai) are a comedy duo brought in by the network to spice up "Room and Bored" as Juna's foreign pen pals.

Season 1: 2005

Episode	Title	Writer	Director	Overview (taken from official website)	Original Airdate
1	"The Comeback" (Pilot Television pilot A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an... )	Lisa Kudrow & Michael Patrick King	Michael Patrick King	Valerie Cherish starts a new chapter in her TV career as she agrees to allow cameras to trail her around the clock for a reality show called "The Comeback", a prerequisite for being cast in the pilot of the new series "Room and Bored."	June 5, 2005 (HBO)
2	"Valerie Triumphs at the Upfronts"	Lisa Kudrow & Michael Patrick King	Michael Patrick King	Valerie, Mickey and the cast of "Room and Bored" travel to New York for a traditional network event where new shows are unveiled to the media.	June 12, 2005 (HBO)
3	"Valerie Bonds with the Cast"	Michael Patrick King	Michael Lehmann Michael Lehmann Michael Stephen Lehmann is an American film and television director.Lehmann attended Columbia University. His first job in the film industry was answering phones at Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope film company. Later he supervised cameras on films that included 1983's The Outsiders...	After a table read for "the first official episode", Valerie invites her co-stars to a "bonding lunch", but Juna doesn't show up. The two make up later with a one-on-one lunch, where Valerie learns why Juna is such a paparazzi favorite. At home, Valerie is touched when Francesca appears to reach out to her at long last.	June 19, 2005 (HBO)
4	"Valerie Stands Up for Aunt Sassy"	John Riggi John Riggi John Riggi is an American television writer, producer, director, and actor who has worked on various television shows.He has worked as a writer on the NBC comedy series 30 Rock...	Michael Lehmann Michael Lehmann Michael Stephen Lehmann is an American film and television director.Lehmann attended Columbia University. His first job in the film industry was answering phones at Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope film company. Later he supervised cameras on films that included 1983's The Outsiders...	Concerned that Paulie G. has written an unflattering line that will turn audiences against her character, Valerie enlists a new writer, Gigi, to help pitch a less-offensive one. Meanwhile, Valerie rethinks her impulsive decision to adopt a puppy.	June 26, 2005 (HBO)
5	"Valerie Demands Dignity"	Linda Wallem Linda Wallem -Background:Wallem was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and raised in Rockford, Illinois. She is also the sister of actor Stephen Wallem - who co-stars on her show Nurse Jackie, as a male nurse named Thor.-Early career:...	Greg Mottola Greg Mottola Gregory J. "Greg" Mottola is an American filmmaker, screenwriter and television director. Mottola wrote and directed the 1996 independent film The Daytrippers, then concentrated for several years on directing in television for series such as Undeclared and Arrested Development...	Valerie worries that her comeback storyline isn't "enough", as the network tries to spice up her reality show by cross-breeding it with another one, and by pulling a highway prank that nearly sabotages Valerie's lunch with a TV Guide editor; at home, Mark is increasingly frustrated by the restraints the ubiquitous cameras have imposed on their sex life.	July 10, 2005 (HBO)
6	"Valerie Saves the Show"	Michael Schur Michael Schur Michael Herbert Schur is an American television producer and writer, best known for his work on the NBC comedy series The Office and Parks and Recreation, the latter of which he co-created along with Greg Daniels...	Greg Mottola Greg Mottola Gregory J. "Greg" Mottola is an American filmmaker, screenwriter and television director. Mottola wrote and directed the 1996 independent film The Daytrippers, then concentrated for several years on directing in television for series such as Undeclared and Arrested Development...	With the cast in a funk after a lackluster premiere, Valerie tries to boost morale with a late-night cookie delivery that gives new meaning to her trademark line, "I don't want to see that!"; Mickey accuses Valerie of sharing details about his private life with Juna; and Valerie tries to persuade Shayne to see her reality show in a different "light."	July 17, 2005 (HBO)
7	"Valerie Gets a Special Episode"	John Riggi John Riggi John Riggi is an American television writer, producer, director, and actor who has worked on various television shows.He has worked as a writer on the NBC comedy series 30 Rock...	Michael Lehmann Michael Lehmann Michael Stephen Lehmann is an American film and television director.Lehmann attended Columbia University. His first job in the film industry was answering phones at Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope film company. Later he supervised cameras on films that included 1983's The Outsiders...	Excited about a "Room and Bored" episode dedicated to her character, Valerie pulls some strings to get a "name" actor to play Aunt Sassy's romantic interest; and Mark's behavior at the Viper Room brings to light intimacy issues that are ultimately too hot for the camera.	July 24, 2005 (HBO)
8	"Valerie Relaxes in Palm Springs"	Linda Wallem Linda Wallem -Background:Wallem was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and raised in Rockford, Illinois. She is also the sister of actor Stephen Wallem - who co-stars on her show Nurse Jackie, as a male nurse named Thor.-Early career:...  and Michael Patrick King	Michael Lehmann Michael Lehmann Michael Stephen Lehmann is an American film and television director.Lehmann attended Columbia University. His first job in the film industry was answering phones at Francis Ford Coppola's American Zoetrope film company. Later he supervised cameras on films that included 1983's The Outsiders...	Valerie and Mark head to the desert for a long weekend at a Palm Springs resort, with strings attached; and while Mark draws the line with Jane's crew on the golf course, Valerie finds a new mentor in an old acquaintance.	July 31, 2005 (HBO)
9	"Valerie Hangs With the Cool Kids"	Michael Schur Michael Schur Michael Herbert Schur is an American television producer and writer, best known for his work on the NBC comedy series The Office and Parks and Recreation, the latter of which he co-created along with Greg Daniels...	J. Clark Mathis	At the insistence of the network, "Room and Bored" gets a makeover and adds two new cast members, Greg and Kaveen, spurring talk of a coup by the "original five." Meanwhile, Francesca's new friend Kalla shakes up the status quo at home.	August 7, 2005 (HBO)
10	"Valerie Gets a Magazine Cover"	Amy B. Harris Amy B. Harris Amy B. Harris is an American producer and writer for television and film. She is also referred to as Amy Harris.Harris was a co-producer for the television series Sex and the City, for which she also wrote two episodes. She was also a producer for the television series The Comeback and wrote one...	David Steinberg David Steinberg David Steinberg is a Canadian comedian, actor, writer, director, and author. At the height of his popularity, during the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was one of the best-known stand-up comics in the United States...	With Juna getting all the hype and most of the magazine covers, Valerie enlists a new publicist, Billy Stanton, to land a cover of her own. Billy obliges by scoring a shoot for Be Yoga magazine, forcing Valerie to remodel her fitness room and take a yoga crash course.	August 15, 2005 (HBO)
11	"Valerie Stands Out on the Red Carpet"	Michael Patrick King	Michael Patrick King	When Room and Bored gets nominated for a People's Choice Award, Valerie gets a new dress and a new look.	August 21, 2005 (HBO)
12	"Valerie Shines Under Stress"	Heather Morgan Heather Morgan Heather Morgan is an American actor and comedian. She was a cast member and writer on The Dana Carvey Show, writing and performing such notable skits as and , the latter being called "one of the two or three funniest things on the show" by writer and producer Robert Smigel...	David Steinberg David Steinberg David Steinberg is a Canadian comedian, actor, writer, director, and author. At the height of his popularity, during the late 1960s and early 1970s, he was one of the best-known stand-up comics in the United States...	Jane pulls rank on Tom and Paulie G to get Valerie more lines on Room and Bored. A stalker threat forces extra security on the set, exposing Valerie's old back problems as she's prepping for a big pratfall scene.	August 28, 2005 (HBO)
13	"Valerie Does Another Classic Leno"	Michael Patrick King	Michael Patrick King	After hosting a memorable coming-out party for the premiere of The Comeback, Valerie makes an even more memorable guest appearance on The Tonight Show.	September 4, 2005 (HBO)

Reception

The New York Times gave the show a lukewarm review, dubbing it "interesting", but also complaining about a lack of originality in the concept and finding The Comeback ultimately less entertaining than its fellow HBO series Entourage.

Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly

Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...

put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Starring the superb Lisa Kudrow as a washed-up sitcom actress, this comedy may have lasted only 13 episodes, but it's the most brilliantly brutal satire of reality TV ever captured on screen."

Reruns now air on The Sundance channel.

DVD

"The Comeback - The Complete Only Season" was released on Region 1 DVD

DVD region code

DVD region codes are a digital-rights management technique designed to allow film distributors to control aspects of a release, including content, release date, and price, according to the region...

on August 1, 2006, with the Region 2 version released on September 18, 2006. The discs include all thirteen aired episodes as well as the following special features:

- Audiocomentary on Episode 1 by Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King

- Audiocomentary on Episode 2 by Valerie Cherish

- Audiocomentary on Episode 3 by Micheal Patrick King

- Audiocomentary on Episode 9 by Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King

- Audiocomentary on Episode 12 by Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King

- Audiocomentary on Episode 13 by Micheal Patrick King

- Valerie After the Laughter (8:47) is like an epilogue for Ms. Cherish as she tries to explain what she'll be doing now that Room and Bored and The Comeback have been put on hiatus.

- Valerie Backstage at Dancing with the Stars (6:12) is the sitcom/reality star backstage at Dancing with the Stars

- Both discs also offer an episode index

External links

• The Movie Network- The Comeback site