Series Description

The Comeback was a 30 minute comedy series on HBO starring Lisa Kudrow on HBO about a forty-something actress who tried to restart her career, twenty years after her days as a superstar on a hit TV series. Many of the much younger people she worked with had little respect for her long-past fame and generally treated her as if she was a "has-been". She tried her best to "grin and bear" the contempt, but found it emotionally exhausting.

The Comeback Cast

Lisa Kudrow .... Valerie Cherish
Malin Akerman .... Juna Millken
Robert Bagnell .... Tom Peterman
Lance Barber .... Paulie G
Robert Michael Morris .... Mickey Deane
Laura Silverman .... Jane
Damian Young .... Mark Berman

Comeback Trivia

At the same time that The Comeback showed Valerie Cherish's attempt to star in a new sitcom, she was also filming a reality show about her attempted comeback. During that part of the episodes, she would really point out how she was not getting the respect that her reputation deserved.

The Comeback's plot line was a bit eerie to watch! Here was a show about an actress that was a star on a hit series who would never see her glory days again! You couldn't help but think, "That is very possibly the same experience that Lisa Kudrow will have!" We can hope that won't be true as fans, but that plus the reality show segments did seem to make The Comeback seem almost like real life! You can bet that was the intention and, from that perspective at least, The Comeback was an artistic success!

Lisa Kudrow, of "Friends (1994)" fame, was a medical researcher when Jon Lovitz ("Saturday Night Live (1975)"/ "News Radio (1995)") convinced her to give up the job and become a full time actress!

Both Lisa Kudrow and her "Friends" co-star Jennifer Aniston auditioned for "Saturday Night Live" before landing starring roles on "Friends".

Lisa's role on "Friends" as "Phoebe Buffay" actually started when she played the role of Phoebe's identical twin sister, "Ursula" on 23 episodes of the series, "Mad About You (1992)". She also played both characters on a few episodes of "Friends".

Lisa gave birth to her son Julian on the very night that the final episodes of "Friends" were broadcast (2-Part Finale)! She later won the "Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy" Emmy for her performance in those episodes!