HBO Max has officially confirmed that The Comeback will return for a third and final season, bringing back Friends star Lisa Kudrow in her beloved role as Valerie Cherish.
The cult comedy first debuted in 2005, making this a full-circle moment for the series nearly two decades later. The new season is expected to premiere in 2026 on HBO and HBO Max, marking Valerie’s last act in television’s ever-changing landscape.
The speculation on the revival had mounted in recent months following news that a tiny writers’ room had been put together earlier this year. Deadlines has now confirmed that production will commence this summer, officially bringing Valerie Cherish back onto screens after over 10 years since she last appeared.
Kudrow co-created The Comeback with Michael Patrick King, and both are set to return as executive producers for the last season along with John Melfi and Dan Bucatinsky. Returning faces from earlier seasons are also coming back, including Bucatinsky again playing Billy Stanton, Laura Silverman playing Jane Benson, and Damian Young playing Mark Berman.
“Valerie Cherish has navigated her way back into today’s television world.”. We’re not shocked she did either,” Kudrow and King said in a statement together. Amy Gravitt, EVP of HBO & Max Comedy Programming, complimented the iconic character, saying, “No matter what the world throws at her, Valerie Cherish is a survivor. On the 20th anniversary of her premiere, Michael Patrick King and Lisa Kudrow have masterfully written her back to HBO, and we can’t wait to see that.
When The Comeback originally aired in 2005, it was Kudrow’s first major television leading role since her legendary stint as Phoebe Buffay on Friends. Even with great reviews, HBO dropped the series after its initial season. While over time, though, The Comeback garnered a cult following that refused to let the show disappear, the fan-initiated revival in 2014 resurrected Valerie at a point when reality TV dominated popular culture, and her self-centered persona was more timely than ever.
The second season of 2014 found Valerie trying to create a pilot for Andy Cohen alongside starring in Seeing Red, an imaginary HBO show based on her age-old adversary, writer Paulie G. The stint solidified The Comeback as television’s most biting satires of Hollywood and its brutal entertainment grind.
Even since the 2014 reboot, viewers always demanded more. Kudrow told Newsweek last year that she and King were “always speculating about what would come next” and said she was thrilled that viewers still remembered Valerie so well.
Two years since her premiere, Valerie Cherish is finally receiving the exit fans have been waiting for. With Kudrow back in the spotlight and King at the creative helm, The Comeback’s final season has promised to provide one of television’s most durable characters with the exit she deserves.
- 3 Members of TLC’s “Meet the Putmans” Family Killed in Tragic Car Accident - September 29, 2025
- Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco Tie the Knot: Inside Their Stunning Wedding Celebration - September 29, 2025
- Friends Star Lisa Kudrow Revives Valerie Cherish, HBO Max Orders Final Run of The Comeback - September 29, 2025
