By Lucas Hill-Paul
Friends star Lisa Kudrow will return to one of her most beloved roles – but it鈥檚 not Phoebe Buffay. Best known for her 10-year stint on the beloved NBC sitcom as well as recent roles in Time Bandits and Netflix 鈥檚 No Good Deed, Kudrow is reprising one of her first projects after Friends鈥 conclusion in 2004. HBO has officially confirmed their hit comedy series The Comeback will return for a third and final season. In this sharp satirical look at the glitzy world of showbiz, Kudrow portrays Valerie Cherish, a B-list television actress who briefly found fame with her sitcom I’m It! in the late 80s and early 90s. The Comeback originally aired in 2005 with its first season following Valerie after she鈥檚 cast in a new network sitcom called Room and Bored and agrees to record her return to acting in a companion documentary series. Almost 10 years later, a second season aired in 2014 and featured Valerie鈥檚 career taking a darker turn. This time, she鈥檚 cast as a fictionalised version of herself in Seeing Red, an HBO drama about the abuse she suffered from Room and Bored鈥檚 producer Paulie G (Lance Barber). Seth Rogen portrays himself in the series as he鈥檚 cast as Mitch in Seeing Red, the character based on Paulie, and often comes to Valerie鈥檚 aid when the real Paulie shows his true colours. A teaser trailer was released by HBO featuring Kudrow in character as Valerie confirming she鈥檚 returning for a new show, but maintains this will be 鈥渢he last time鈥. Created by Michael Patrick King, writer of Sex and the City and the creator of its sequel series And Just Like That鈥, The Comeback鈥檚 final season will head into production this summer for a 2026 release date on HBO and HBO Max. Alongside Kudrow, season regulars Dan Bucatinsky, Laura Silverman, and Damian Young will also all return. Other cast from the previous seasons include Robert Michael Morris, Malin 脜kerman and Robert Bagnell, though they are not confirmed to be involved. Executive Vice President of HBO & Max Comedy Programming, Amy Gravitt said in a statement: 鈥淣o matter what the industry throws at her, Valerie Cherish is a survivor. 鈥淥n the 20th Anniversary of her debut, Michael Patrick King and Lisa Kudrow have brilliantly scripted her return to HBO and we can鈥檛 wait to see that.鈥 And Kudrow and King added: 鈥淰alerie Cherish has found her way back to the current television landscape. Neither of us are surprised she did.鈥 The Comeback season 3 will premiere in 2026 on HBO and HBO Max.