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Valerie Cherish previously starred on television sitcom ‘I’m It!,’’ which sparked her nickname of ‘It Girl’ when the show was popular...back in the early ’90s. She rebooted her career 10 years ago when she allowed cameras to trail her around the clock for a reality show called ‘The Comeback,’ a prerequisite for being cast as Aunt Sassy in the pilot of the new series ‘Room and Bored.’ Now, Valerie is returning to the scene -- cameras in tow again, of course -- as she reunites with Paulie G. to star in the HBO dramedy ‘Seeing Red.’

Juna was the beautiful, blonde star of ‘Room and Bored,’ the sitcom Valerie used as her comeback vehicle. The role was the young, sexy woman’s first acting gig and represented all the things that Valerie may once have been -- and would still like to be. Since ‘Room and Bored,’ Juna’s star has far eclipsed Valerie’s, yet the pair remain good friends, with Valerie and hubby Mark always securing an invite to Juna’s legendary, annual pre-Emmys party in the Hollywood Hills.

Esperanza is Valerie and Mark’s often befuddled and put-upon housekeeper. She doesn’t like the reality crews in the house, often just glaring at them as they film Valerie’s latest hijinks.

Tyler is Mark’s nephew, a student at the University of Southern California who Valerie has enlisted as part of the crew for her latest reality show attempt, a “pilot presentation” she is doing on her own. The college student often finds Valerie’s antics ridiculous. Once Jane joins the mix, Tyler begrudgingly functions more as a production assistant.

Tom co-created ‘Room and Bored’ alongside Paulie G., who despises Valerie. Tom often agreed with Paulie G. about issues around Valerie, but he tried to accommodate Valerie and play nice as much as possible. While Paulie G. was outwardly rude, Tom took a calmer, yet sometimes passive-aggressive, approach to dealing with Valerie on the ‘Room’ set.

Paulie G. co-created ‘Room and Bored’ alongside Tom Peterman, where the pair first met Valerie. Paulie G. loves a low-brow style of humor and was responsible for early changes to Valerie’s character Aunt Sassy -- largely because he didn’t like Valerie much. He never wanted to cast Valerie in the role. Paulie G. regularly antagonized Valerie as she tried to control the ‘Room and Bored’ set, and the power struggle between the two eventually came to a dramatic crescendo. Now, Paulie G. encounters Valerie again while working on an HBO show he created, ‘Seeing Red,’ about a monstrous, aging sitcom star who drives a showrunner to madness.

Mikey is Valerie’s hairdresser. Now working together on ‘Seeing Red,’ the pair have been friends since the ‘I’m It!’ days. He was full-time with Valerie on ‘Room and Bored,’ although he only worked part-time in the years after ‘It!’ Mickey loves reality shows and has loved appearing on one. Older and effeminate, Mickey generally believes his homosexuality is a secret.

Jane was the producer of Valerie’s reality show ‘The Comeback’ and endured the drama that the actress created throughout production. Jane was mostly heard only off-camera, giving Valerie directions or asking her questions. Valerie talked almost constantly to Jane while cameras were rolling, although Jane gently attempted to limit communication and repeatedly told Valerie they couldn’t interact, as to preserve the “authenticity” of the show. In the years since ‘The Comeback,’ Jane worked on documentary films, and even won an Oscar. With ‘Seeing Red’ on the horizon, Valerie convinces Jane to returns to film “behind the scenes” footage of her for the new show, as well as a documentary for HBO.

Billy is Valerie’s publicist, charged with securing magazine covers and other press appearances for his attention-hungry client. In reality, Billy runs his own struggling agency, often comes off as inept and tends to be aggressive with anyone who opposes him. During Valerie’s ‘Room and Bored’ days, Billy got her on the cover of a yoga magazine, despite the fact that she rarely practiced.

Cast & Characters

See the full list of cast and characters

Lisa Kudrow

Malin Akerman

Kellan Lutz

Lillian Hurst

Mark L Young

Robert Bagnell

Lance Barber

Robert Michael Morris

Laura Silverman

Dan Bucatinsky

About the Series

The Comeback (HBO)