THE COMEBACK episode 16: Lisa Kudrow. photo: Colleen Hayes/HBO
You wouldn’t think of Lisa Kudrow’s HBO comedy “The Comeback” as a searing examination of sexual politics — but it is. A study of the psychological craving for fame, an examination of the mistreatment of women of a certain age, “The Comeback” is a funny half-hour with dark undertones.
A new season begins Sunday on HBO, locally at 8 p.m.
Kudrow’s character Valerie Cherish, an aging former sitcom star still seeking diva status, puts herself in unbearably demeaning circumstances in order to grab another round of showbiz limelight. With a film crew and hairdresser following her every move, she is exposed as a facile, needy, pathetic woman, still coasting on her pretty red hair for fame.
Yet a darker story emerges as Valerie’s home life is exposed, her desperation becomes more obvious. Now she’s in the position of recreating the enmity on the set of her original sitcom in a documentary for HBO–within the sitcom. Kudrow plays Valerie playing Mallory, opposite Seth Rogan as the abusive, heroin-shooting sitcom creator. Comedy!
Gender politics in Hollywood gets a serious look, and stays with you after the laughter dies down.
