{"id":670616,"date":"2026-03-21T03:44:16","date_gmt":"2026-03-21T03:44:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/670616\/"},"modified":"2026-03-21T03:44:16","modified_gmt":"2026-03-21T03:44:16","slug":"hbo-comedy-chief-amy-gravitt-on-the-comeback-rooster-larry-david","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/670616\/","title":{"rendered":"HBO Comedy Chief Amy Gravitt On ‘The Comeback’, ‘Rooster’, Larry David"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tHBO<\/a>\u2018s The Comeback<\/a> is taking the concept of long gaps between seasons to a new level, with its third season premiering Sunday, 11 1\/2 years after Season 2, which, in turn, was released more than nine years after the first season.<\/p>\n

\n\tTackling topics like AI replacing TV writers and the 2023 WGA strike<\/a>, The Comeback, starring Lisa Kudrow as B-level sitcom star Valerie Cherish, is more than another showbiz comedy, Casey Bloys, Chairman and CEO of HBO and HBO Max Content, said on stage at the Season 3 premiere Thursday night.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI think this show says so much about the entertainment business, television, celebrity and culture at large, that when historians look back at the 21st century, I think this show says more about what we\u2019re experiencing in the entertainment business and culture than most dramas, movies, books, articles,\u201d he said, adding, \u201cI know that sounds grandiose, and I mean it to sound grandiose\u201d to a laugh from the audience. <\/p>\n

\n\tIn an interview with Deadline at the premiere, Amy Gravitt<\/a>, EVP, HBO Programming, Head of HBO & Max Comedy Series, spoke about The Comeback\u2019s return with an AI-themed storyline, as well as the broad appeal of Rooster<\/a>, from Bill Lawrence, creator\/co-creator of ABC\u2019s Scrubs and Apple TV\u2019s Ted Lasso, Shrinking and Bad Monkey, and star Steve Carell, and its possible renewal after strong premiere viewership<\/a> and a California tax credit<\/a> for Season 2.<\/p>\n

\n\tShe also addressed the renewals of two writer-performer-driven series that launched last year, Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin\u2019s The Chair Company<\/a> and Rachel Sennott\u2019s I Love LA<\/a> and the Season 3 status of Nathan Fielder\u2019s docu-comedy The Rehearsal. <\/p>\n

\n\tGravitt gave an update on Sharon Horgan\u2019s upcoming series, in which she stars as a 50-year-old divorcee searching for sex and love, and on Kansas City Star<\/a>, headlined by Kaley Cuoco and created by the Hacks trio of Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky.<\/p>\n

\n\tShe also spoke about the HBO Max comedy brand of \u201cmore episodic and evergreen\u201d half-hours and when we can expect the series that exemplifies it, Chuck Lorre\u2019s Big Bang Theory spinoff Stuart Fails to Save the Universe<\/a>. Additionally, Gravitt talked about the upcoming sketch comedy series Larry David<\/a> has with President Barack Obama, Life, Larry & The Pursuit of Unhappiness<\/a>, which marks the United States\u2019 250th anniversary, and whether there is a chance for more Curb Your Enthusiasm.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: Why bring back The Comeback now and why with the AI angle?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tGRAVITT<\/strong>: Well, it\u2019s what they came to us with. I think for all of us, the timing of it just felt \u2014 obviously there is symmetry to having 10 years between seasons. It requires a character with real potency to be able to come back after so much time, and I think Valerie Cherish is one of a few that could do that. <\/p>\n

\n\tBut, like with all of our shows, it really is about the creators having an idea that they\u2019re inspired to write. And the timing of having a story about AI when I think there\u2019s going to be an onslaught of it, and I don\u2019t mean AI \u2014 well, there\u2019s the onslaught of AI \u2014 but there\u2019s also the narratives around it.<\/p>\n

\n\tSo to be able to be the first one in to satirize it with a character like Valerie Cherish, that\u2019s not something you say \u201cno\u201d to.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: This is branded as a final season. Didn\u2019t you want to leave the door open for more?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tGRAVITT<\/strong>: We didn\u2019t. The idea of a trilogy is something that\u2019s very neat. If we follow the timing, that would be 10 years down the road from now, so that just seems like forever away. But it felt like closure for them with the characters, that they are making the points that they want to make. They had a real reason to come back and revisit Valerie and the rest of the cast, and it felt like the time to wrap it up 20+ years later.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: The recent revival of another HBO comedy, Sex and the City, ran on HBO Max. Why did you decide to keep the new The Comeback on HBO and not put it on HBO Max? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tGRAVITT<\/strong>: It\u2019s not a revival, it\u2019s the same show, it\u2019s just a long time between seasons. <\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: The Comeback is being paired with Rooster, both broader comedies with big network stars in Kudrow and Carell. That feels like a bit of a departure from what you have been doing at HBO recently.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tGRAVITT<\/strong>: We\u2019re always looking to balance the slate out. It\u2019s in different ways tonally, it\u2019s with different points of view, and there was something about Rooster that, obviously the combination of Steve and Bill is undeniable. So you have me with that, and then also the idea of setting a show on a campus, but really making it a family show, felt like it fit on our slate in an interesting way. And I think that there\u2019s something about it right now, I love that it\u2019s landing at a moment where people are looking for the comfort of old shows \u2014 not even old shows, but those real TV show formats.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: Maybe because Bill Lawrence does a lot of series for Apple, but someone said that Rooster feels like an Apple show. Are you widening the HBO brand?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tGRAVITT<\/strong>: To me, it feels like an HBO show. I don\u2019t even know it\u2019s necessarily widening the brand. Again, it\u2019s just about keeping our slate balanced. And there\u2019s something to me that it feels like a successor to the tone that we captured on Somebody Somewhere. I really like having the warmth, you can do warm comedies too.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: With the strong premiere viewership and the tax credit, is a Rooster renewal coming?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tGRAVITT<\/strong>: Stay tuned.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: You renewed both of your new writer-performer series, The Chair Company and I Love LA. <\/strong>How do you feel about the way they were received, and what is the status of their second seasons?<\/strong> <\/p>\n

\n\tGRAVITT<\/strong>: I\u2019m feeling great about all of these shows, to be honest. They were both absolute no-brainers to pick up. I think both Tim and Zach got to make the exact show that they wanted to make, and are excited to do more. And I think it was so well received. And likewise for I Love LA.<\/p>\n

\n\tIt\u2019s such a nice time for HBO comedy. Having Chair Company Season 2, we\u2019re just starting to get outlines in for that, and likewise, for I Love LA, they\u2019re in the room on both shows. Also, again, feeling good about Rooster and The Comeback. We\u2019ve got a pretty full slate that\u2019s really landing well, which is all you can ask for.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: How is the Sharon Horgan series coming? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tGRAVITT<\/strong>: They\u2019re in the middle of it. I\u2019m flying to London to go to the second batch of table reads for that. So we\u2019re well underway; we\u2019re in the middle of production for that one. I\u2019ve been wanting to work with Sharon and have developed with her going way, way back, almost as far back as The Comeback. This is definitely one of those collaborations that has been a long time coming, and it\u2019s really fun to be examining this chapter of her life. She\u2019s brilliant. <\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: What is in the pipeline behind that? Is Kansas City Star from the Hacks creators still happening?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tGRAVITT<\/strong>: As soon as we can get them focused on writing that script. Yes, that\u2019s out on the horizon.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: Can Kaley Cuoco do both this and the HBO Max drama How To Live Without Me<\/a> if that pilot goes to series?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tGRAVITT<\/strong>: I\u2019m sure there is way to make that happen. People are doing multiple things all the time, it\u2019s the new era in television.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\"L-R<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tL-R: Lauren Lapkus, Kevin Sussman, John Ross Bowie and Brian Posehn<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJohn Ross Bowie Instagram<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: HBO Max\u2019 only current comedy series, Hacks, is coming to an end. Coming up, there is the Big Bang Theory spinoff, Stuart Fails To Save the Universe. What\u2019s its status; we haven\u2019t heard anything lately. It should\u2019ve wrapped production.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tGRAVITT<\/strong>: We\u2019re just starting to see cuts, it will be out later this year. It\u2019s a really fun show. It\u2019s been fantastic to see Chuck be able to play with these characters, but also, at the same time, play with genre. We\u2019re actually really excited about it. It\u2019s fun and cinematic and exactly what you would want from a spinoff.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: You said last year<\/a> that the Big Bang spinoff is a \u201creally good example of what a Max comedy should be.\u201d Does it mean IP-based shows? Would you do multi-camera sitcoms? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tGRAVITT<\/strong>: I imagine it would be a combination of the two. Obviously the Big Bang spinoff is exactly in that vein. But also, if we were to develop multi-cams and find the right one that made sense, that would be, I think, the perfect Max comedy, or anything that just feels a little bit more episodic and evergreen that distinguishes itself from an HBO show.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: What is the latest on Nathan Fielder and The Rehearsal Season 3?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tGRAVITT<\/strong>: He is off, noodling.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE<\/strong>: Still noodling?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tGRAVITT<\/strong>: It\u2019s post-noodling; I\u2019ll give you post-noodling, how about that? He\u2019s working on an idea for the third season. <\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: It\u2019s been a year since the end of The Righteous Gemstones. Danny McBride produces It\u2019s Florida, Man but do you have something new in the works with him as a creator? <\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tGRAVITT<\/strong>: He has a project that he is shepherding for us that we\u2019re starting to talk about, so I\u2019m excited to be having those conversations with him. It\u2019s not fully together yet.<\/p>\n

\n\tDADLINE: Curb\u2019s Larry David is back with a sketch show\u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tGRAVITT<\/strong>: I was just at South By where we did a launch for Larry, and then had a panel for Rooster, and a panel for The Comeback. He was able to share a sketch<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n\tHe is happier than ever. As much as he used to take time between seasons, he clearly loves to be working. And it\u2019s really funny. And I think it\u2019s gonna be the perfect idea for this holiday. <\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: This feels like a stunt but can it continue as an anthology with different themes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tGRAVITT<\/strong>: I think it\u2019s pretty specific to the semiquincentennial.<\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: What about Curb? Is there a possibility for more?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tGRAVITT<\/strong>: I don\u2019t think so. No more Curb. <\/p>\n

\n\tDEADLINE: What about your late-night fare under EVP Nina Rosenstein with shows like It\u2019s Florida Man and Neighbors?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\tGRAVITT<\/strong>: I think we\u2019re lucky to hand off between late-night and scripted series, and sometimes we have some overlap \u2014 we work with a lot of the same talent, and hopefully it feels like a coherent HBO comedy brand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"HBO\u2018s The Comeback is taking the concept of long gaps between seasons to a new level, with its…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":670617,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[30],"tags":[283095,171,5560,104013,40717,32921,269742,84980,104022,18456,173,67,132,68],"class_list":["post-670616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-amy-gravitt","tag-entertainment","tag-hbo","tag-i-love-la","tag-larry-david","tag-qa","tag-rooster","tag-stuart-fails-to-save-the-universe","tag-the-chair-company","tag-the-comeback","tag-tv","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116265108664175702","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=670616"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670616\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/670617"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=670616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=670616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=670616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}