Spoiler Alert: This story contains details about “The Comeback” Season 3, Episode 4, available now on HBO Max.
Billy Stanton, Valerie Cherish’s longtime publicist turned manager turned Comeback producer, is ready to give him his close-up.
In episode 4, Billy, played by Dan Bucatinski, is photographed in the fictitious Variety 50 Over 50 issue. When Valerie (Lisa Kudrow) interrupts filming, Billy begs her to leave. “I want to kill myself for some solo press,” says Billy.
“We had those lines engraved on glasses that we gave everyone as wrap gifts and signed them ‘Billy Stanton,'” said Bucatinski, who also co-created and executive produced the three-season HBO series. “I can’t believe that line tells me everything I need to know. And that line encapsulates so much of Hollywood. That line says it all.”
When “The Comeback” premiered in 2005, Billy was a publicist at the legendary PR firm PMK. By the time Season 3 rolls around 21 years later, he’s been asked to be a producer on Valerie’s new sitcom, “How’s That?!”, which is being secretly written by an AI.
“I’m an EP. I get a parking spot and I get to wear the coolest clothes,” Bucatinski says of Billie, who spends most of Season 3 wearing Thom Browne skirts. “We meet Billy as he finally gets all the perks and bells and whistles that come with an EP. He’s trying to take advantage of whatever he can get, whether it’s a gift bag or being in the 50+ on a variety show.”
But is Billy finally happy? “I have to say no,” Bucatinski says. “I don’t think there’s any love in his life. The devotion and attention obsession that Billy has cultivated over the past 20 years, like any drug addict, is a misguided journey toward what he believes will bring him happiness, and it’s an instant topic. But what do you do when you wake up in the morning and there’s no one in your bed? I don’t think Billy feels happy — yet. When we see the end of this season, I think Billy will find a sense of purpose.” ”
Although “The Comeback” is clearly a comedy, its emotional and dramatic twists give viewers a glimpse into the reality of how Hollywood is currently struggling. With budgets cut across the studio system and fears that AI will take jobs away, it can sometimes feel like Hollywood is on the brink of collapse.
In one scene in episode 4, Valerie asks, “How’s it going?!” Screenwriter Mary Abrams (Abbi Jacobson) is not satisfied with the AI-generated version, so she asks him to revise the script. Mary lashes out at Valerie, telling her that she has no interest in the show and that her only goal is to make enough money to move herself and her children as far away from Los Angeles as possible.
“I don’t care that Rome is burning,” Mary says flatly.
Still, Bucatinski insists that Comeback isn’t about taking sides in the AI debate.
“We’re representing Valerie’s perspective of, ‘I want to work no matter what,’ and the writer’s perspective of, ‘This is not how we’re going to play this game,'” he explains. “You’re just showing humans, the human experience, and you’re not thoroughly discussing whatever the issue is. In other words, you’re not preaching.”
“The Comeback” certainly felt like the number of real studios was tight. Season 1 had about 10 writers in the writers’ room, but the eight-episode third season only has three. “It was out of necessity and budget,” Bucatinski says. “If we had done episodes 10, 12, 13, we would have needed more writers, but the budget for episode 8 wasn’t as big. We’re not Euphoria.” It doesn’t get the audience that Euphoria did. So everything had to be done on a tight budget, including writing the episode, which was all drafted by Lisa and Michael (Michael Patrick King). It was an economic issue. ”
With that knowledge in mind, an already very meta show becomes even more meta as viewers watch Valerie hard at work creating “How’s That?!” work.
“I always thought of Valerie as a heroic figure,” Bucatinski says. “She can flip the switch. No matter what happens, she can flip the narrative in a positive direction. Yes, there are fewer jobs now, and yes, they are written by AI, but look at the 200, 300 people we employ. She can adapt, pivot, and find a way to be happy, no matter what happens.”
