05/15/2026
"I think you have to agree to be humiliated, and I never signed up. I just did the best with what I was given, right? And isn't that what being a human being is, though?"
This past Sunday, The Comeback aired its series finale after 21 years and three seasons. Admittedly, I was watching this last season very slowly. When I binge, I feel like I don't retain the content as well, and I wanted to absorb what was happening. I'm glad I took my time.
It wasn't until these last few months that I really got into The Comeback. I was on the search for something to watch that felt lighter and sillier. How much true crime and middle-of-the-road dramedies can we consume? In all the years past, so many of you mentioned watching The Comeback, so I turned on season 1 and just kept going β slowly and taking my time.
Looking back, season 1 was perfectly aligned with the ushering in of reality television β almost ahead of its time. Season 2 in 2014 hinged on the advent of streaming and what that landscape was going to look like. Now, with the third and final season leaning into AI, it couldn't be more relevant.
The series finale was poignant and timeless and, in my opinion, the best episode of the series. I'll go as far as to say it is one of the best series finales of all time. The finale asks you to feel and teeters on the edge of emotions. Lisa Kudrow knocked it out of the park with Valerie Cherish who, in early seasons, often felt oblivious to what was happening, but now felt fully enlightened and self-aware. In the final minutes of the show, Valerie's personal documentary filmmaker, Jane, says, "I feel like I'm seeing you for the first time." It's with that line that we, the audience, see the resilience of Valerie Cherish.
Photo:
The Comeback
Valerie Cherish
Lisa Kudrow
HBO
Finale