As I tell co-creators Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King on the latest episode of my Deadline video series Behind the Lens, I have conditioned myself to expect a new season of their series starring Kudrow as actress Valerie Cherish every 10 years. That is the way it has worked out from Season 1 in 2005, Season 2 in 2015 and now Season 3 — which they say is absolutely the final one. I only hope they don’t mean that because I am looking forward to another season in 2036. We need this show to laugh now more than ever, and we probably will then too.
Nevertheless, both join me to talk about coming back with The Comeback this time around with an AI theme as Valerie takes on a role as the star of a sitcom written by AI. It is not that far-fetched considering the way the world is going, and this show finds laughs in taking it seriously. Lots of laughs. They felt the timing was right, just as it was to skewer cable TV in Season 2.
We also talk about the popularity of showbiz comedy shows like this one, Hacks and The Studio, something that goes all the way back to I Love Lucy. Show business is ripe for comedy, it seems, and Valerie Cherish is the perfect character for Kudrow, who does admit there is some of Valerie in her.
To watch our conversation and go “behind the lens” with Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King, watch the video above.
Join me every Monday and Friday this season for a new episode of Behind the Lens, and every Tuesday and Thursday for a new The Actor’s Side.
