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65
Metascore
Generally Favorable
positive
32(60%)
mixed
16(30%)
negative
5(9%)
Showing 53 Critic Reviews
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Metascore
Metascore
Mar 12, 2014
100
The show truly teeters on wonderful. This is probably TV's most poignant half-hour comedy in years, a masterfully modulated combination of shrewd satire and a tender, even tearful, central story. [5 June 2005, p.N01]
Mar 17, 2026
100
“The Comeback” works astoundingly well for a third time. .... She [Kudrow] is just extraordinary in this role, and this victory lap only solidifies Valerie is one of the greatest pieces of full-bodied comedy creation in TV history.
Nov 6, 2014
91
The Comeback is the same as it ever was, and more highly concentrated. It still out-metas anything else on television. The performances remain stellar all around.
Mar 17, 2026
91
“The Comeback” Season 3 regularly achieves what seems unachievable, which includes adding to the legacy of a classic.
Mar 12, 2014
90
Sly as "The Larry Sanders Show," keener than "Fat Actress," more sympathetic than "Curb Your Enthusiasm," this new half-hour comedy hits the bull's-eye in every direction. It's funny, sad, smart and immensely appealing. [5 June 2005, p.11]
Mar 13, 2014
90
The Comeback has its flaws. But this is a moment well beyond the depth of most television comedies. This is the stuff of which plays by David Mamet and Arthur Miller have been writ. This is a sitcom to which some attention should be paid. [4 June 2005, p.1D]
Jun 28, 2013
88
The Comeback is funny, especially when it skewers the tasteless and false in reality TV.
Nov 7, 2014
88
Kudrow imbues Valerie with a humanity that lets us see something of ourselves in her resilience and her dedication, misguided as it may be. Like the show that inspired her, our Valerie is a survivor. Welcome back.
Mar 12, 2014
83
The Comeback is closest in tone to Curb Your Enthusiasm, HBO's vehicle for Mr. David, the creator of Seinfeld. Valerie is not quite as grating, but like Larry she perseveres. Ms. Kudrow makes you sympathize with Valerie, despite her blindness to the costs of fame. Not bad for a former sitcom star in her comeback role. [5 June 2005, p.8G]
Mar 13, 2014
80
She's self-flagellating, but in a nuanced, funny-sad and heartbreaking way, mixing slapstick and pathos with intelligence and the sharpest of comic instincts. [4 June 2005, p.C25]
