The entertainment industry’s love-hate relationship with artificial intelligence takes center stage in the latest episode of HBO’s “The Comeback.” Lisa Kudrow returns as Valerie Cherish, the determined former sitcom star who finds herself caught between keeping her dream job and standing up for real human writers.
Episode 4, titled “Valerie Does It All,” aired on April 12, 2026, and shows Valerie’s world falling apart piece by piece. The episode dives deep into what happens when a TV show relies too much on technology instead of talent.
The Pilot Taping Brings First Signs of Trouble
The episode begins with Valerie asking her on-again-off-again partner Mark Berman (Damian Young) to attend her pilot taping. She sees Mark as her good luck charm. But Mark says no. He feels uncomfortable going alone after his former assistant Greg fired him through a simple email.
Valerie then heads to the pilot taping of her new sitcom “How’s That?!” The live audience waits as cameras roll. Everything seems fine until Valerie delivers a joke written by the show’s AI program. The joke falls flat. Valerie immediately asks writer Josh to change it. But Josh defends the joke, saying it fits her character Beth’s emotional state.
Jimmy, another team member, steps in. He pulls up AI-generated joke options on his phone. He picks one and asks for a reshoot. This time, when Valerie delivers the new joke, the crowd laughs loudly. Josh looks crushed. His work got replaced by a machine in seconds.
Jimmy Walks Away From the AI Experiment
After the taping wraps, Valerie thanks everyone for their hard work. But when she reaches Jimmy, he drops a bombshell. He tells her he will not continue with the show after this episode. His reason is simple and painful.
“I don’t want to continue, as the show does not have actual writers with good jokes. I don’t want to rely on AI for the jokes.” – Jimmy
Valerie tries to convince him that Mary and Josh are real writers. But Jimmy mentions his “fun clause” in his contract. If he is not having fun, he is out. And working with AI-generated material is not fun for him.
The Second Episode Script Makes No Sense
The problems get much worse. Valerie reads the script for the second episode. She hates it. The jokes do not work. The story does not flow. Nothing feels right.
At the script reading the next day, Josh looks angry. Many team members seem upset. Valerie tries to talk to Josh, but he walks out before she can say a word.
She then finds the new director, Bryan Frasier. She tells him the script should be for a later episode, not episode two. Bryan looks confused. He was only hired two hours ago. He has no idea what is going on.
Mary Abrams Finally Speaks the Truth
Valerie tracks down writer Mary Abrams (Abbi Jacobson) to ask for help. She wants Mary to write a new script. But Mary refuses. What she says next cuts deep.
“I’m just here to babysit the AI program.” – Mary Abrams
Mary tells Valerie she will not teach artificial intelligence how to write. She believes that will destroy her career. Mary makes it clear she does not care about the show’s success. Her only goal is to earn enough money to move herself and her kids far away from Los Angeles.
Dan Bucatinsky, who plays Valerie’s publicist Billy Stanton and serves as co-creator, spoke to Variety about this scene. He explained that Mary’s reaction shows how real writers feel about AI taking their jobs.
“I don’t care that Rome is burning,” Mary snaps at Valerie during their heated exchange.
Bucatinsky told Variety that “The Comeback” does not pick sides in the AI debate. He said the show simply shows different human experiences. Valerie wants to work no matter what. Writers like Mary refuse to play the game the way the industry wants them to.
Valerie Takes Matters Into Her Own Hands
Completely frustrated, Valerie decides to fix things herself. She finds Billy in the middle of a photoshoot for a fake “Variety 50 Over 50” issue. She interrupts and tells him about the script disaster.
Billy asks Valerie to speak into his phone so he can record her notes. But instead of writing down her ideas properly, he sends the voice recording directly to NuNet, the company behind the AI program. Nothing gets fixed.
The episode ends with Billy giving Valerie more bad news. Mark is getting fired again. Valerie’s life continues to fall apart as the truth about the writers being replaced by machines becomes impossible to ignore.
Why This Episode Hits Close to Home
“The Comeback” has always been a show about Hollywood’s ugly side. But Season 3 takes on a very real issue. Artificial intelligence is changing how television shows get made. Writers rooms are getting smaller. Budgets are getting tighter.
Bucatinsky shared some behind-the-scenes truth with Variety. He said Season 3 only had three writers compared to ten in Season 1. The budget simply was not there for more people.
“We’re not ‘Euphoria.’ We don’t get the audience that ‘Euphoria’ gets. So we had to do everything on a budget, including the writing of those episodes that Lisa and Michael cranked out every single draft of. It was an economics thing,” Bucatinsky explained.
The episode shows a heroic side of Valerie that fans have loved for 20 years. Even when everything goes wrong, she keeps trying. She looks for solutions. She fights for her show and the people working on it.
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Where to Watch and What Comes Next
The Comeback Season 3 airs every Sunday on HBO at 10:30 PM Eastern Time. New episodes also stream on Max (formerly HBO Max) at the same time they air.
For viewers outside the United States, the show is available on Max in multiple regions including the UK, Canada, Australia, and India. Check local listings for exact availability.
The season has eight episodes total. Episode 5 will air on April 19, 2026. The series finale is scheduled for May 10, 2026.
Fans can also watch The Comeback Official HBO Companion Video Podcast after each episode. Host Evan Ross Katz talks with Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King about the storylines and how the show came together.
Also Read: Euphoria Season 3 Episode 2 Release Date, Time, Streaming Details And More
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