"The Comeback"

When you come right down to it, reality television is really about voyeurism, and not nice voyeurism either. Just to get something straight up front - I'm one of the guilty here because I love it, so it's not like I'm accusing anyone. But, folks who watch reality television enjoy the misfortune of others.

Think about it. Most of the reality shows out there are, at their core, about us watching others crash and burn. And crash and burn brilliantly and dramatically. Yeah, that's entertainment. ;-) Here's a show that plays specifically to that viewer factor.

HBO's "The Comeback" is not a reality show but it pretends to be one oh so well. The concept revolves around an aging former sitcom star, Valerie Cherish, played wonderfully and sadly by Lisa Kudrow of "Friends" fame. Cherish is followed constantly and invasively by a reality show camera crew while she's trying to make a comeback to sitcom television. Her attempts to make herself look good are tragic, bittersweet and hapless. You really feel for her in a world she once ruled but now shuns her.

"The Comeback" plays up every angle of network television manipulating everything behind the scenes in both reality and sitcom television, and in short is both a terrific satire and commentary on the industry. Kudrow is at her best when she reveals for very brief moments that she knows what's going on. Great show, definitely check it out.