Lisa Kudrow’s return is as hilarious as ever: Review

Three and a half stars out of four.

In an era of revivals and reboots, bringing back a beloved character like this can be risky. comebackValerie Cherish (Perfect Lisa Kudrow).

Valerie is a well-intentioned but somewhat incompetent actress who, after reaching a certain age, can’t get out of her own way to revive her career. Audiences met Kudrow in her first filmfriends In 2005, we planned to have a great but little-known season.

Ten years later, the comedy was first resurrected for its long-awaited third season, which was as popular as a warm and fulfilling chat with your long-lost bestie. The world and business have changed a lot in 20 years, but Valerie remains a Hollywood figure with a good heart and we will never stop supporting her.

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Comeback is officially back for Season 3 — but will Malin Akerman reprise her role as Juna Milken? “That’s what I was hoping for,” Akerman, 47, told Us Weekly exclusively while promoting her Netflix series Hunting Wife . “I’ve been texting Lisa (Kudlow) since I found out it was official,” Ackerman said (…)

This season’s plot is particularly timely: Artificial intelligence has arrived in Hollywood, bringing with it morally ambiguous questions about the role the new technology will play in our lives. Valerie is planning another comeback, this time with a sitcom written by artificial intelligence. fear! There are plenty of inside jokes about the prospect of machines taking over an industry, as well as tongue-in-cheek (but true!) jokes about the importance of writers.

guest stars like Andrew Scott (as CEO of an artificial intelligence company) and John Early (as a jaded showrunner) is the perfect addition to Valerie’s wacky world, which also includes returning favorites like Laura Silverman and Dan Bucatinsky as Valerie’s troubled producer and manager respectively.

As always, what works this season is Kudrow’s delicate balance between cringe and sympathy. If you’re not familiar yet, do yourself a favor and enjoy the entire series. Get ready to laugh.

comeback It airs Sundays at 10:30 pm ET on HBO.