Director Jack O’Brien to Star in Season 3 of HBO's THE COMEBACK

Tony Award-winning director Jack O'Brien is turning to acting, with a confirmed appearance in the upcoming third season of HBO's The Comeback. Details regarding his role have yet to be announced, but he will appear in the Michael Patrick King and Lisa Kudrow series alongside Tim Bagley, Matt Cook, and Ella Stiller. Deadline was the first to report the news. 

The third and final season of The Comeback was announced in June, 20 years after the first season debuted in 2005, and 10 years after season two. Lisa Kudrow, Dan Bucatinsky, Laura Silverman, and Damian Young will all return as series regulars for the new season, which will begin production this summer. Season 3 will debut on HBO and HBO Max in 2026. 

The mockumentary, which centers on sitcom actress Valerie Cherish (Kudrow), is a comedic look at the entertainment and television industries. Featuring found footage and meta in-jokes, the show follows Valerie in her continued efforts to revive her career and has attracted several guest stars, including Andy Cohen, Chelsea Handler, Conan O'Brien, and RuPaul.

The Comeback is created by Michael Patrick King and Lisa Kudrow, who executive produce alongside John Melfi and Dan Bucatinsky.

About Jack O’Brien

Broadway director Jack O’Brien recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 Tony Awards. In 2023, he was recently nominated for a Tony Award for his direction of the new musical, “Shucked.” He previously won three Tony Awards for his direction of “Hairspray,” “Henry IV,” and “The Coast of Utopia.”

Other directoral Broadway credits include Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons,” “Carousel,” “The Front Page,” “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” “It’s Only a Play,” “Macbeth,” “The Nance,” “Dead Accounts,” “Catch Me If You Can,” “Impressionism,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” (Tony Award nomination), “Imaginary Friends,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” “The Invention of Love” (Tony Award nomination and Drama Desk winner), “The Full Monty” (Tony Award nomination), “More to Love,” “Getting Away with Murder,” “The Little Foxes,” “Damn Yankees,” “Two Shakespearean Actors” (Tony Award nomination), and “Porgy and Bess” (Tony Award nomination). 

O’Brien’s off-Broadway credits include Tom Stoppard’s “The Hard Problem,” “Pride’s Crossing,” and “Hapgood” (Lucille Lortel Award). Other productions include “Il Trittico” at the Metropolitan Opera, “Guys and Dolls” at Carnegie Hall, and “Much Ado About Nothing” for The Public’s Shakespeare in the Park. Recent National and International tours include Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “The Sound of Music” and “Hairspray.” In London, “Love Never Dies,” “His Girl Friday,” and “Hairspray” (Olivier nomination), which also saw a revival at London’s West End Coliseum.

Mr. O’Brien was the Artistic Director of The Old Globe Theatre from 1981 to 2007, and directed six programs for PBS’s “American Playhouse.” He is the author of two memoirs, “Jack Be Nimble” and “Jack in the Box, or How to Goddam Direct,” both published by Farrar, Strauss, and Giroux.