Friends star Lisa Kudrow returns as Valerie Cherish as HBO Max orders final season of The Comeback

HBO Max is officially bringing back The Comeback for a third and final season, Deadline confirmed. Friends star Lisa Kudrow will once again step into the shoes of Valerie Cherish, nearly 20 years after the show first premiered. The new order arrives two decades after the cult comedy launched in 2005 and more than 10 years after HBO revived it for a second run. Speculation had been swirling for weeks about another pickup, with early reports mentioning a mini-writers’ room earlier this year.

Production begins this summer, and the season is set to debut in 2026 on HBO and HBO Max. Also read: Trump and Epstein's ‘Best Friends Forever’ statue removed from National Mall. Here's why

Kudrow and King back at the helm

Kudrow created the series alongside Michael Patrick King, and the two will return as executive producers along with John Melfi and Dan Bucatinsky. Kudrow is not coming alone - Bucatinsky (Billy Stanton), Laura Silverman (Jane Benson), and Damian Young (Mark Berman) will also reprise their roles.

“Valerie Cherish has found her way back to the current television landscape. Neither of us are surprised she did,” Kudrow and King said in a joint statement, reports Deadline.

Amy Gravitt, EVP of HBO & Max Comedy Programming, praised the character’s resilience: “No matter what the industry throws at her, Valerie Cherish is a survivor. On the 20th Anniversary of her debut, Michael Patrick King and Lisa Kudrow have brilliantly scripted her return to HBO, and we can’t wait to see that.”

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From cancellation to cult classic

When The Comeback premiered in 2005, it marked Kudrow’s first lead television role after Friends. Despite strong reviews, HBO pulled the plug after just one season. The show, however, found a dedicated fan base in the years that followed.

That renewed interest led HBO to order a second season in 2014. By then, reality TV had exploded, giving Valerie Cherish’s self-absorbed persona fresh ground to play on. In that season, she tried producing a pilot for Andy Cohen and starred in Seeing Red, a fictional HBO series based on Valerie’s longtime nemesis, writer Paulie G.

Even after the 2014 run, fans never stopped asking about a third season. In an interview with Newsweek last year, Kudrow admitted she and King were “always talking about what would happen next” and were “thrilled” that people still remembered Valerie.

Two decades later, she is getting her last act.

FAQs

When will the new season of The Comeback premiere?

The final season is slated to air in 2026 on HBO and HBO Max.

Who is returning for the cast?

Lisa Kudrow leads the cast with Dan Bucatinsky, Laura Silverman, and Damian Young returning.

Who created The Comeback?

The show was created by Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King.

Why was the show canceled originally?

Despite critical praise, HBO canceled the series in 2005 after just one season.

When was the last season released?

The second season premiered in 2014, nearly a decade after the original run.