The idea of the show came during a friendly lunch between Series Creators Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King. Both of them were not looking to work on a new show, but then Lisa came up with an idea, of which she had been thinking, about an actress that is phony, and so desperate to get back to the spotlight, that she agrees to be in a reality show called "The Comeback". Michael thought the idea was brilliant, and the lunch became a four hour meeting. According to Lisa, after that, the entire show was practically done.
In April 2014, it was officially announced by HBO, that The Comeback will return for a eight-episode season, after nine years since its first season.
Although rumor has it, that the show was cancelled because of low ratings, on several interviews (EmmyTVledgends.org, The Writers Guild Foundation and Kevin Pollack's Chat Show), Michael Patrick King and Lisa Kudrow have stated that they never knew the real reasons.
In the years between the show's first and second seasons, Robert Michael Morris had been diagnosed with stage IV melanoma, and was still battling the cancer during production of the show's second season. Despite being deemed uninsurable, Michael Patrick King and Lisa Kudrow convinced HBO that Morris would be able to complete the project, which he did.
Michael Patrick King stated that after making a second season of the show after nine years since the first, one of the freakiest things was that they could get back the real house used as the filming location for Valerie's (Lisa Kudrow's) house.