Common Sense Media Review
By Kari Croop
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Shrewd reality spoof is smart; mature humor.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
The Comeback
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
Valerie Cherish (Lisa Kudrow) was a big sitcom star in the 1990s. Now in her 40s, she's agreed to have a reality show crew document her life in THE COMEBACK while landing a role on a new sitcom, Room and Bored. Valerie is disappointed to discover that she's not playing one of the four hot roommates, but prudish Aunt Sassy. Still, she tries to make the best of it, but the head writer, Paulie G. (the dad on Young Sheldon) seems to want to humiliate her at every turn. In season 2, Valerie is making another stab at celebrity by paying students to film a promo package that she'll send to Bravo in hopes of landing her own reality series. But in the midst of shooting, she stumbles upon a plum role she never expected to play: the lead in a new HBO series penned by her former nemesis that was based on Valerie's experiences—without her permission. Season 3 has Valerie starring in the first multi-camera sitcom written by AI.
Is It Any Good?
This show is funny—not in a side-splitting, "ha-ha" kind of way but more in a slow-burning, "yep" kind of way that makes you wince because it's so painfully true. No one's more aware of this, of course, than Kudrow, who makes great sport of playing an exaggerated version of herself trying to make The Comeback (who's, in turn, playing an exaggerated version of herself, and so on). But she also gets props for resurrecting a series that didn't quite catch on when it first aired but is still surprisingly relevant 10 and 20 years later—perhaps even more so.
The Comeback is seriously clever satire, and there's a lot here to get teens thinking about the business of reality television, the desperation of our fame-obsessed culture, and the toll celebrity can take on a person's fragile ego. But what's less certain is whether kids can connect to Valerie and her 40-60+ problems and take the show's bone-dry humor in the spirit it's intended. So know your teens and the language they can handle, but also know that they might not walk away with the thoughtful takeaways you'd hoped for.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the state of reality television and how closely The Comeback comes to capturing it. How has reality TV evolved from earlier series such as The Real World or Survivor to more recent successes such as The Real Housewives or Keeping Up with the Kardashians? What's changed, and what's stayed the same?
Why do reality series continue to be appealing, even when we know they're far from "real"? What's working, and what isn't, in the reality shows you like the most?
How many different meanings does The Comeback's title have? Does it refer to the character's comeback, the actress herself, or even her show? Or maybe all of the above? What's the point of the series, and what things does it seem to want viewers to think about?
TV Details
- Premiere date : June 5, 2005
- Cast : Lisa Kudrow , Malin Akerman , Robert Michael Morris
- Network : HBO
- Genre : Comedy
- TV rating :
- Award : Emmy - Emmy Award Nominee
- Last updated : March 30, 2026
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate