Lisa Kudrow steps back into the shoes of the desperate Valerie Cherish to take on the uncertain world of artificial intelligence (AI) and once again seek a place in the demanding Hollywood industry in the new season of ‘The Comeback’.
The series, which will premiere March 22 on HBO after an absence of more than a decade, also jumps in space and time to revisit the life of Cherish, a 1990s sitcom actress looking to recapture her glory.
“She’s gotten older, but it feels like a natural aging process,” and while she seems more confident than in previous seasons, she still maintains a desperation to stay relevant, Kudrow said Thursday at a press conference with several media outlets, including EFE.
“We feel like the world may have escalated to the point of desperation that Valerie was in in the first season, not because of the AI, but because of where the world is at, people are desperate to get a job and keep a job,” added Michael Patrick King, creator of the series, for his part.
In a post-pandemic context and in the wake of the massive writer and actor strikes that rocked Hollywood in 2023 that crippled the industry for more than a year, “many of the characters in this season are holding on and still searching for an identity and job recognition,” King adds.
Both the series creator and his leading lady, who is also a producer, Cherish’s return “had to be an idea as an AI thing, as the ultimate battle challenge for Valerie,” they said.
Especially in a world where “everyone is creating their own reality show on social media,” Kudrow said.
“There may be some entertainment with AI that the public audience likes, but (AI) is not going to dominate everything. And comedy comes from fear,” the ‘Friends’ star defended.
While the season 2 finale “was risky” because it showed a Valerie Cherish who could go far as a person on a reality show, this season wanted to go a step further “to make her a little more human or show that side of her,” King said.
“And that was the risk of this season, Valerie without camera awareness,” he said added.
For the American actress, known for playing the genuine Phoebe Buffay in the legendary series ‘Friends’, Cherish “is very dear and important” to her career. “I’m very proud of the work we’ve done on this project, I think it’s the best thing I’ve ever done in my life,” she acknowledged, reported Agencia EFE.
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