“Well, reality TV has had quite the evolution.” If you’re a fan of The Comeback but not Bravo, here’s what you might have missed in the long-awaited return of the HBO comedy.
John P. Johnson / HBO
Reality television has come a long way since the first (and, for years, only) season of The Comeback savagely satirized the genre in 2005. The Season 2 premiere, which aired Nov. 9, is about playing catch-up with Valerie Cherish (Lisa Kudrow), but also with the type of series The Comeback mocks. For those who aren't as up on real reality shows, here's a guide to all the references in the first episode that you might have missed.
Bethenny Frankel
Valerie is excited to show off her infomercial because it reflects her as an entrepreneur like Bethenny Frankel, once and future Real Housewives of New York cast member. (Frankel will be rejoining the series for its seventh season.) More to the point, Frankel is the brains behind Skinnygirl cocktails, which Valerie misidentifies as "Skinny Margarita Gal."
Bravo / Via realitytvgifs.tumblr.com
Andy Cohen
"Who's Andy Cohen again?" Mark naively asks. "He's the Bravo guy," Val explains. Cohen is indeed "the Bravo guy": Specifically, he was head of programming until November 2013 and now serves as executive producer of the Real Housewives franchise. (And host of Watch What Happens: Live, of course.)
Bravo / Via realitytvgifs.tumblr.com
