After more than 11 years away, Lisa Kudrow brought back her iconic character Valerie Cherish on Sunday, March 22, 2026. The third season of The Comeback premiered on HBO at 10:30 p.m. ET, and fans immediately noticed one very important person was missing from Valerie’s life.
The premiere episode, titled “Valerie Gets a New Chapter,” directly addresses what happened to Mickey Deane, Valerie’s loyal hairstylist and closest friend. Robert Michael Morris, the actor who played Mickey, passed away in 2017 at the age of 77. The show’s creators found a way to honor both the character and the actor while moving the story forward.
How The Show Handled Mickey’s Death
The Season 3 premiere does not ignore Mickey’s absence. Early in the episode, Valerie explains what happened to her best friend. “We lost Mickey. He passed away,” she says. “Covid, the first round. Covid OG, I call it.”
The show places Mickey’s death during the early days of the pandemic. This choice connects a real-world tragedy to the character’s story. Valerie shares this news while talking with Tommy Tomlin, played by Jack O’Brien. Tommy is a retired hair stylist who worked on Valerie’s first sitcom years ago. He now comes out of retirement to do Valerie’s hair, filling a role similar to Mickey’s.
Jack O’Brien, who is actually a three-time Tony Award-winning director in real life, told reporters that he “wasn’t being asked to mimic” Morris in his portrayal. The show makes this clear when Tommy tells Valerie directly, “I’m not Mickey.” This line lets the audience know the show understands no one can replace the original character.
The Real Story Behind Robert Michael Morris
Robert Michael Morris died on May 30, 2017, at age 77. Before becoming an actor, he spent years as a high school and college theater teacher. One of his former students was Michael Patrick King, who later became the co-creator of The Comeback with Kudrow. King wrote the part of Mickey specifically for Morris and asked him to audition for the role.
Morris joined the show when it first started in 2005. His character Mickey was the warm, supportive friend who always believed Valerie was a star. During Season 2, which aired in 2014, Morris was already dealing with Stage 4 melanoma. The writers worked his illness into the story. The Season 2 finale showed Valerie missing her Emmy win to be with Mickey in the hospital.
Dan Bucatinsky, who plays Valerie’s manager Billy on the show, spoke about those final days of filming. “He was ill in the shooting of all of Season 2, and we worked it into the storyline of Season 2. Him having the opportunity to shoot Season 2 was so healing for him. He found reserves of energy that he had not had in months to make Season 2. It was a huge gift, to us and to him.”
Why The Show Almost Did Not Come Back
When Morris died in 2017, Kudrow and King thought The Comeback was finished. Kudrow said she “didn’t even consider” doing another season after losing Morris.
“Yeah, that was it. We were done,” Kudrow explained in a recent interview.
King, who had been Morris’s drama student years before creating the show, agreed. “Mickey’s irreplaceable,” Kudrow said. “And we know that’s how everyone would feel.”
The show only returned when the creators found a way to address Mickey’s absence honestly while introducing new characters who could support Valerie in different ways.
Tommy Tomlin Joins Valerie’s World
Instead of trying to replace Mickey, the show brings in Tommy Tomlin as someone who knew Mickey and shares some of his warmth. Tommy is an older gay man who had worked in Hollywood for years. When Valerie runs into him at a retirement home, she asks him to come back to work doing her hair.
King explained their thinking about the new character. “We wanted, in a dark moment, for Valerie to have another person who saw her as a star, based on who she used to be.”
Tommy helps Valerie talk through her feelings about losing Mickey. The show uses these moments to give Valerie—and the audience—a chance to say goodbye to the character in a meaningful way.
Lisa Kudrow’s Tribute to Her Co-Star
When Morris died in 2017, Kudrow shared a message on social media that showed how much he meant to her. “We lost Robert Michael Morris today. He left us with many wonderful gifts. Most importantly, an example of what a truly good soul looks like,” she wrote.
In interviews leading up to the Season 3 premiere, Kudrow spoke about why bringing back the show felt right despite Morris’s absence. The story they wanted to tell—about artificial intelligence taking over Hollywood—felt like the kind of sharp, funny commentary that The Comeback does best.
King said he and Kudrow would have lunch every few weeks and talk about what Valerie might be doing. But they did not move forward until they found the right idea. “Once we came up with the idea of Valerie and AI, it felt like the same energy as Valerie and reality TV 20 years ago,” King said. “And once that happened, Lisa was like, ‘That’s it.’”
What Happens in the Season 3 Premiere
The episode opens in 2023 during the Hollywood strikes. Valerie has booked her first Broadway show, playing Roxie Hart in Chicago. But she is not ready for the fast-paced musical. She struggles with the choreography, keeps stopping to talk to cameras, and faces rude comments from younger cast members. One dancer mocks her by saying, “Because they were up to the Vs?”
Valerie leaves the show and returns to Los Angeles. She ends up on the picket lines during the strikes. Later, she gets a surprising job offer from a struggling network called NuNet. They want her to star in a sitcom called How’s That?! There is one catch—the scripts are written entirely by artificial intelligence. Valerie agrees to the project, setting up the main story for the season.
Also Read:
Cast and Release Details
The third season brings back many familiar faces. Dan Bucatinsky returns as Valerie’s manager Billy. Laura Silverman is back as Jane, the documentary producer who has filmed Valerie for years. Damian Young plays Valerie’s husband Mark. New cast members include Ella Stiller as Patience, Valerie’s young social media assistant, and Andrew Scott as the CEO of NuNet.
The season will have eight episodes total. New episodes air every Sunday on HBO at 10:30 p.m. ET and stream on Max. For viewers outside the US, the show is available on Sky Atlantic and Now in the UK, on Crave in Canada, and on Binge and Foxtel in Australia.
The season finale is scheduled for May 10, 2026.
Also Read: The Faithful: Women of the Bible Review – Should You Watch or Skip Fox’s New Biblical Drama
For more updates on returning TV shows and exclusive recaps, keep visiting VvipTimes for the latest entertainment news you can trust.
