Jun 03, 2005  |  By: Brian Moylan  | COMMENTS     

It was only about a year ago that “Friends” ended, so it’s hard to say whether Lisa Kudrow is making a comeback with her new HBO show “The Comeback,” which debuts on Sunday, June 5, at 9 p.m.

In the show, which she created with “Sex and the City” scribe Michael Patrick King, Kudrow plays Valerie Cherish, an actress who scored a bit of fame (and a People’s Choice Award) for a supporting role on a sitcom and is desperate to come back to TV. She lands a stock role on an inane sitcom called “Room and Bored,” but only because she allows her life and her revival to be filmed for a reality television show.

The show is presented as the unedited footage of the reality show, which often includes Valerie talking to the camera. The producers of the reality show ask Valerie intrusive questions and other awkward situations arise.

Much like HBO’s hit “Curb Your Enthusiasm” this is television about the underside of Hollywood mined for comedy. While many critics love Larry David on “Curb,” many viewers find it horrendously annoying.

“Comeback” might very well have the same problem.

Kudrow does an amazing job portraying this neurotic, flawed, funny, pathetic, lovable woman, but she really is a monster. Especially cringe-worthy is her relationship with Mickey (Robert Michael Morris), her gay hairdresser and makeup artist, who she always keeps around but dumps on whenever she gets the chance.

That said, “The Comeback” is one of the smartest shows out there. It offers an indictment of contemporary culture and celebrity, as well as a heartfelt examination of a complex character.