Dear HBO,
If this letter were an instant message, I’m not certain which emoticon I’d be flashing right now: "tearful" or "hoppin mad." I heard about what you did yesterday, pulling the plug on Lisa Kudrow’s brilliant sitcom The Comeback because you didn’t think you could ”give the show the support it needed.” That’s rich, coming from the people who gave seven seasons to Arli$$, and two to The Mind of the Married Man.
Yeah, I know the early reviews were harsh, and ratings were never terrific, but somewhere around Episode 8 ("Valerie Relaxes in Palm Springs"), a lot of critics and viewers began to take a second look at what Kudrow and co-creator Michael Patrick King were trying to do. Many of us formed an almost unnatural attachment to Kudrow’s heartbreakingly deluded Valerie Cherish. We began guffawing at those laugh track-free punch lines ("Maybe I could jump on a landmine!"). And we learned to revel in the subtle, Emmy-worthy work from Kudrow, Lance Barber (Paulie G), and Damian Young (Mark).
Thanks to your boneheaded decision, though, none of us will get to see all those good things for a second season. And there’s only so much comfort I can derive from visiting the official Comeback site and watching meager clips of the 13 episodes that have already aired. It’s enough to make me want to put on a cupcake suit and punch you till we both blow chunks.
Dejectedly (and ragefully) yours,
Michael Slezak
P.S. Rome is totally confusing. I don’t get it. Hail Cherish!
Comments (1-30) of 40 Add your comment
I totally agree. Great show. The relationship between Paulie G and Valerie was hilarious. Maybe HBO will change its mind
The show might not have failed if it weren’t for awful reviews the show got, in among other places, the pages of EW.
If you don’t like that it got cancelled, blame yourself, not HBO.
Hey Todd, that was kinda harsh bro…this show rocked and there was nothing like it, even by HBO standards.. total bummer “I didn’t need to SEE that!” HBO! Bring it back, I gotta know if Aunt Sassy gets a boyfriend!
i am destroyed. i am heartbroken. this is worse than when brad and jen broke up. hbo. seriously. what are you thinking? the comeback was hysterical. my favorite show of last season. i have never seen anything like it in my life – never felt such complex emotions towards a character. i love her, i hate her, i want to smack her in the face, i want to hold her in my arms and tell her everything is going to be okay. please EW – beg hbo to change their minds. ask for other networks to pick up the show. do something! because that “we can’t give the show the support it needs” is a load of bull. if they can air scooby doo II and the terminal and rome ten times a day, they can certainly make room for 13 episodes of valerie cherish. wait… wait… jane… cut that… jane? micky?
This show really did grow on me, and towards the end, I couldn’t miss an episode. The final show was brilliant, and completely on the mark. Based on that episode alone, I can’t believe HBO is not continuing this series.
I didn’t care for the Comeback, so I’m not sorry to see it go. It was just that noise in the background after Entourage was over.
Sorry Mr. Slezak – I’m afraid you and I are at opposite ends of the universe. I think Rome is a great series. You, on the other hand, choose to do your write ups on shows like “So You Think You Can Dance.” Different strokes for different folks!
The Comeback was dead on in its satire. It was also incredibly painful to watch. So, sorry, I’m with A2K on this one – I am not sorry to see The Comeback go.
And I also love Rome – I think it’s a fantastic series with incredible depth of character, story, acting, etc. Confusing? Well, not to me and all the people I know who watch and love this show. Sorry Mr. Slezak, but I definitely disagree with you on this one.
best show ever. i’ll miss it. here’s hoping for a kudrow emmy/golden globe!
I was a supporter for the Comeback since its first episode…I love that it was orignal, innovative and many ways groundbreaking…shame on people for not “getting it”…just because a sitcom has no laugh track doesn’t mean it can’t be wickedly funny…and the comeback was indeed that…I’m very disappointed that we won’t get a second season…hbo should know better than that
After having free HBO for a week, I caught the first 5 episodes ondemand. It grew on me fast and I even contemplated subscribing to catch season 2. There goes that, HBO.
This bummed me out more than it should have.
Note to self: Cancel my subscription to HBO. I don’t need to see that! The Comeback was hands down the best show this summer.
It took me a while to get on board, but I am/was a fan of the show. I actually watched all of the episodes on HBO on demand – however they don’t offer 2 of the episodes. Hopefully they’ll make them available so that I can see all of them. I’m bummed, however I wasn’t really sure where they were going to go with it.
i loved this show from the getgo..VERY DISAPPOINTED by HBO’s didn’t think it could ”give the show the support it needed.”
there is an hbo number you can call where you get an actual person who will register your complaint about the cancellation. that number is 212-512-1208. PLEASE CALL..THANK YOU.
I’m not ripping the viewers of this show who are now diasppointed, I’m ripping the reviewers who told readers not to bother at the beginning, and then, much later, reversed their opinions and began praising the show.
I’m telling EW to blame themselves for the show’s cancellation. They’re the ones who told me not to bother getting involved in this program, so I didn’t. Now, they’re lamenting its cancellation.
Maybe the original reviewer should get canned, or muzzled….
“Rome” is a terrifically-acted series with complex story-lines, intrigue, three-dimensional characters and terrific historical detail. I fail to see what is confusing about it; but then, I had no trouble following along in history class either. As for “The Comeback”, I find it ridiculous that HBO would say it “couldn’t give the show the support it needed”. “Carnivale”, a show I enjoyed, was low-rated and unappreciated by critics, but it lasted a couple of seasons. As Mr. Slezak mentioned, “Arliss” held on for an inexplicable seven seasons! As others have noted, I can’t help but think that the initial critical derision condemned this show before it had a chance to find its audience. EW, you and other tv reviewers must share the blame for that. You always grouse about shows not being given room to grow or find their groove, yet you also play a role in driving a premature stake through their hearts.
The Comeback was just plain awful. It’s no Curb Your Emthusiasm.
I think all the fans of the show should write HBO to make them rethink this decision. I’m going to go to the site right now. I’m very upset about this decision b/c I, too, loved the Comeback from the very first show and the finale was absolutely fantastic. Please everyone just take a minute and let HBO know that you like the show. Thanks. Valerie fan 4-ever!!!
Loved the show from the start! Kudrow’s best work ever…so much more subtle and complex than anything else she’s ever done. The best mock reality since British “The Office,” the only one to capture that series’ delicious unease. Big mistake, HBO! Give it 1 more season, please! Latecomers came around…
Yeah, just how did Arliss and Mind of the Married Man stay on for so long when The Comeback got the dis so quickly? At least the Comeback was well written and had good poopoo jokes.
Mr. Slezak, we are going to have to disagree about Rome though. Anyone who has watched Shakespear’s Julious Ceasar or who took high school level European history should be able to follow the show. They have bascically taken the events of Roman history and just put them into a series of vignettes. The rest of the time they give us lots of naked booty and great fights to boot! Long Live Rome!
I have to say that I am surprised that Michael Slezak is having so much trouble following Rome. This is one of the best dramas on tv and I was estatic that it was picked up for another season. The production values are stupendous but not ostentacious. I have thoroughly enjoyed the 3 episodes that have aired so far. So much so that I have suggested it to friends and family.
As to The Comeback, I regret that HBO couldn’t find time to market the show as it should have been. This was just as quirky as Curb Your Enthusiasm.
I think “The Comeback” will go down as one of the most misunderstood and underrated shows. I also didn’t get what was happening until around the half-way point. At first I thought it was a reality-show spoof about an untalented actress. On those fronts, there was surprisingly little going on. Then, I realized it was a look inside the workings of a sitcom, much like Larry Sanders was for talk shows, and that Valerie wasn’t untalented, she was unappreciated, which is why the constant snubbing and ridiculing she suffered was so poignant at times. Kudrow deserves serious props for the risks she took with the character. Can we have this for a second season if we give back Joey? Now that’s what I don’t need to see.
The comeback was pure genius… HBO has no idea of what they’re doing.
One thing I will say about Rome: For being something that took place long ago, their outfits and surroundings are WAAAAY too clean for me.. what’s up with all the armor looking brand new??
Besides that, I find ROME to be completely boring. Do we really need to look that far back to have an insight on corrupt politics? Isn’t our own modern-day back yard enough?
Link Worthy News: ‘The Comeback’ Won’t Be Coming Back
Say goodbye to Valerie Cherish. HBO decided not to renew the Lisa Kudrow sitcom. Very sad. [popwatch]Things are looking up for an Everybody Loves Raymond spinoff with Brad Garrett. [Reuters]The Surreal Life sixth season will receive therapy from Floren…
HBO cuts short Kudrow’s “Comeback”
“I don’t need to see that!”
First Sex and the City and now this! I am going to have to stop watching HBO because they keep pissing me off!
But that’s okay if HBO didn’t think it could “give the show the support it needed”. There are tons other there that can. Perhaps The Comeback needs to come back on another network.
I LOVE VALERIE CHERISH!!! I GUESS HBO IS GOING BACK TO BEING REGULAR TV. HAVE SOME BALLS AND STICK WITH THIS ONE, IT’S BRILLIANT! PEOPLE WILL GET IT IF YOU GIVE THEM ANOTHER SEASON. OR YOU CAN JUST WAIT FOR KUDROW TO WIN AN EMMY AND THEN POUT OVER LOOSING WHAT WAS AT THE TIP OF YOUR FINGERS.
Please sign this petition if you loved the Comeback… lets see if HBO will listen
http://www.petitiononline.com/valerie/petition.html
Who can we write to, to persuade, at HBO? Obviously, The Comeback is a comeback sleeper….
I don’t understand how this creative original show could be cancelled. Paulie G, Mark, Mickie, Jane ,Juna,Francesca and of course Valerie Cherish. I loved the show and I can’t imagine why it was cancelled. Everyone should write to HBO and express their love for the show. It couldn’t hurt.
Yes, I am so disapointed. I really liked how The Comeback was great at putting me to sleep. Please HBO, bring this show back so i can continue using this on-demand instead of sleeping pills.
Seriously, I watched all the episodes. The first 10 were just painful and boring. Let me see, let’s see how pathetic someone can be and laugh at her. Most of the time I felt sorry for her and didn’t think it was at all funny. I guess I just don’t derive pleasure for making fun of someone who is just so sad.
I will admit, the last episode was good because it was nice to see something nice finally happen for her. Great, so what next? I think HBO was correct, this show was going to just be an endless run of “make me feel sorry for her” and then “make me feel happy that she was succeeding.”
As for Rome, its still having growing pains. But at least it’s more HBO worthy….
Why oh why? is all I can say. I really enjoyed that show. I believe that because there are so many shows on T.V most people who couldnt watch The Comeback on its airing date watch it by Tivo and HBO on demand. Did HBO ever consider that? Because thats exactly what I used to do whenever I got busy and had to miss it.