Lisa Kudrow is closing the book on The Comeback for good. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter tied to the show’s May 10 series finale, the actress got candid about saying farewell to her fading-star character Valerie Cherish after the comedy’s third and final season.
The new season, which premiered March 22 on HBO Max, wrapped up this week—marking the end of a show that first aired in 2005. This time around, The Comeback takes aim at how much the TV industry has changed, including a storyline about AI-written scripts for Cherish’s new sitcom How’s That?! Kudrow found the final day of filming emotional. She needed to step away from set for a few minutes to pull herself together after shooting her last scene.
Why Now?
At 62, Kudrow decided it was time to end the show on her own terms. She called Season 3 the “third and final” season, framing the whole run as a trilogy spanning 2005, 2014, and 2026. “Let’s be done,” she said when asked if she’d consider returning in another decade or so.
Co-creator Michael Patrick King seemed to agree. He reflected on how the show was nearly dead on arrival—it got canceled after Season 1 back in 2005 despite their faith in its quirky humor.
From Cult Hit to Comeback Story
What started as a low-rated HBO comedy got a second life in 2014, and now it’s wrapping after two decades of chronicling how television has evolved. The final season brings back familiar faces like Dan Bucatinsky, Laura Silverman, and Tim Bagley, while welcoming newcomers including Abbi Jacobson, Andrew Scott, and Kudrow’s own son, Julian Stern.
All three seasons are streaming on HBO Max, along with a new podcast featuring cast members discussing the show.
