Are you following Lisa ...
Question: Are you following
Lisa Kudrow's HBO show,
The Comeback? It's almost like we're supposed to laugh at all of the embarrassment that Lisa's character must go through. It's not really funny, but at the same time I don't feel pity for her character, either. What's your take on the show?
Answer: It's one of the weirdest, least satisfying shows I've ever had the bad luck to experience. Kudrow is, as always, terrific, but I find the show painfully obvious (not painful in a good or poignant or hilarious way, as some of the show's defenders seem to argue). I've had friends in the industry tell me they enjoy
The Comeback because the details are so real. That may be true, but again, it doesn't tell me anything new about the soul-crushing world of show business or the insipidity of network sitcoms or the phony world of reality TV. Case in point: When her young costars were upset by the network retooling and the addition of two idiotic new comics to the cast, and they suggested skipping work for a day as protest, I can't imagine anyone watching was surprised when Valerie (Kudrow) turned out to be the only one who stayed home, and that all of those wretched kids forgot to call her and put her in the loop. That was the last straw for me and
The Comeback. I don't need it, and I hope HBO doesn't renew it. (I feel the same way about FX's
Starved. Both shows are well made, but I don't find either one even perversely entertaining.)
[Editor's Note: If you're new to Ask Matt's twice-a-week format and missed Friday's column, you'll find it here.]
