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Lisa Kudrow and Michael Patrick King's cult comedy gem The Comeback has always been a frighteningly prescient satire of Hollywood.

Season 1, which aired in 2005, was ahead of its time in its portrayal of the manipulative tactics that power reality TV. Season 2, coming almost a decade later in 2014, poked fun at prestige antihero dramedies. Now, The Comeback makes its second (and supposedly final) comeback with a third season that's all about Hollywood's hottest topic: AI.

SEE ALSO: 'The Audacity' tears Silicon Valley a new one: Review

That AI focus lends The Comeback Season 3 an urgency that sets it apart from its prior two outings. Yes, it's still hilarious, cynical, and a remarkable showcase for Kudrow in her best role. But on top of all that, it's also something else: a warning.

What's The Comeback Season 3 about? Zane Philips, Brittany O’Grady, Barry Shabaka Henley, Lisa Kudrow, Tim Bagley, and Matt Cook in "The Comeback." Credit: Erin Simkin / HBO

The warning signs begin early, as The Comeback Season 3 picks up during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.

"AI is coming after all of us," then-SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher (in one of The Comeback's many celebrity cameos) tells a crowd of striking actors and writers.

The Comeback's embattled sitcom star Valerie Cherish (Kudrow) nods along, but in true Valerie fashion, she's more focused on the optics of her presence at the strike than the strike itself. Now trying to master the social media game to stay relevant, she's too busy directing her Gen Z social manager Patience (Ella Stiller) to truly take in the gravity of the situation. (Kudrow is already on Emmy watch for Valerie's posing with the picket sign alone.)

SEE ALSO: 'Margo's Got Money Troubles' review: An alien OnlyFans is the highlight of Apple's family dramedy

Flash forward to 2026: Valerie is struggling to get a podcast (Cherish the Time) off the ground, and she's taking bit roles in the lowest of low budget films. But her luck is set to change when she's offered the lead of new multi-cam sitcom How's That?!. It's everything she's ever wanted, with one huge catch: It's completely written by AI.

The Comeback Season 3 examines the role of AI in show business. John Early and Abbi Jacobson in "The Comeback." Credit: Erin Simkin / HBO

On paper, How's That?!'s showrunners are two humans, Mary and Josh (Abbi Jacobson and John Early). But in reality, their only job is to babysit the AI program that's actually churning out the show's scripts, sending the two of them down a disillusioned spiral.

Part of that comes from the fact that The Comeback initially approaches AI writing as somewhat competent. It churns out tens of alternate lines before Mary and Josh can think of one. Its jokes resonate more with How's That?!'s live studio audience than the one or two gags Mary and Josh manage to sneak in themselves. In terms of speed and sheer writing volume, it's impressive, and Valerie certainly seems to agree. That she has to deal less with difficult writer types like her past antagonist Paulie G. (Lance Barber) also seems to sweeten the deal.

However, as Season 3 continues, How's That?!'s shiny new tool begins to lose its sheen. AI hallucinations turn scripts incomprehensible, and the program's hastily-produced alts prove unsurprising and dull. Of course they would — they're just scraping other writers' work for inspiration.

That's what The Comeback Season 3 hammers home. AI can crank out script after script, but it's completely soulless. It has no sense of what will truly resonate with an audience. That, The Comeback says, can only come from writers pitching in the crucible of production, grinding it out until they find the perfect one-liner.

According to How's That?!'s network's CEO (played to skeezy perfection by Andrew Scott), the use of AI will help cut costs and optimize the show for maximum audience enjoyment. (Or really, just throwing it on in the background.) Ironically, he asks Valerie to keep it a secret from the cast and crew, a process that requires more effort than simply bringing more human writers onboard.

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Valerie has never been great at keeping things to herself, which is why she lets How's That?!'s AI use slip to The Comeback documentarian Jane (Laura Silverman). The slip brings Jane back into the fold for a new documentary project: exploring the making of the first-ever AI-written show.

It's clear from the start that Jane understands the existential threat AI poses to the entertainment industry. Things are already awful for the majority of workers in the field. Now an Academy Award winner, Jane's main job isn't filmmaking, but rather working as a cashier at Trader Joe's. Crew members on How's That?! have worked on films whose production has been drastically shortened due to AI, robbing them of over 10 weeks of pay. Elsewhere, The Comeback populates entire coffee shops with talented writers who have to pivot because the industry is a mess. As one writer notes in the show, the normalization of AI in TV won't just be an evolution of the form, it'll be "an extinction event."

Yet somehow, Valerie is the rare example of someone in the entertainment industry benefitting from AI. It's given her the job of a lifetime, and in her mind, she's willing to set aside a lot of her misgivings in exchange for a lead role and a shiny executive producer credit. But really, Valerie is the proverbial frog in a slowly boiling pot of water. She doesn't realize that the danger is coming for her too, even as The Comeback works its way up towards a Black Mirror-esque conclusion.

The Comeback Season 3 isn't all AI doom and gloom, though. It's full of standout running gags, including Valerie's obsession with her under-viewed show Mrs. Hatt. (Nobody watched it because it was on Epix, a cutting jab at the sheer amount of streaming shows.) It also provides a touching send-off to Valerie's hair stylists and closest friend Mickey, whose actor Robert Michael Morris passed away in 2017. Trust The Comeback to make me tear up and belly laugh all at once.

Kudrow's performance remains pure comedic excellence, managing to make even Valerie's most selfish moments endearing. That The Comeback plays more loosely with its documentary format helps here as well: We tend to see Valerie through the lens of Jane's camera, Patience's phone, or security footage in her and Mark's (Damian Young) apartment. Often, though, The Comeback Season 3 allows us to see parts of Valerie's life that the cameras don't capture, a tactic that closed out its touching Season 2 finale. In keeping it up, Season 3 offers up the most humanized view of Valerie yet, and Kudrow is spectacular through each high and low.

Of course, much of those lows revolve around AI. The Comeback can occasionally get uncharacteristically heavy-handed about the subject matter, but then again, in a world where entertainment giants like Disney are investing in OpenAI, it's not wrong to sound the alarm about something that could so thoroughly decimate the industry.

In The Comeback's eyes, bringing AI into TV will result in nothing but lowest common denominator "content," and that's about as far from the show's sharp, superb swan song as you can get.

The Comeback Season 3 premieres March 22 at 10:30 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.

If you like playing daily word games like Wordle, then Hurdle is a great game to add to your routine.

There are five rounds to the game. The first round sees you trying to guess the word, with correct, misplaced, and incorrect letters shown in each guess. If you guess the correct answer, it'll take you to the next hurdle, providing the answer to the last hurdle as your first guess. This can give you several clues or none, depending on the words. For the final hurdle, every correct answer from previous hurdles is shown, with correct and misplaced letters clearly shown.

An important note is that the number of times a letter is highlighted from previous guesses does necessarily indicate the number of times that letter appears in the final hurdle.

If you find yourself stuck at any step of today's Hurdle, don't worry! We have you covered.

SEE ALSO: Hurdle: Everything you need to know to find the answers Hurdle Word 1 hint

Parasite.

SEE ALSO: Apple’s new M3 MacBook Air is $300 off at Amazon. And yes, I’m tempted. Hurdle Word 1 answer

LEECH

Hurdle Word 2 hint

A memorial.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for March 22, 2026 Hurdle Word 2 Answer

VIGIL

Hurdle Word 3 hint

To fret.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for March 22 SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 22, 2026 Hurdle Word 3 answer

PANIC

Hurdle Word 4 hint

Came to life.

Hurdle Word 4 answer

AWOKE

Final Hurdle hint

The source.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Games available on Mashable Hurdle Word 5 answer

CAUSE

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

After several nights of near darkness, the Moon is finally illuminated enough that keen sky gazers can start to spot some features on the surface again. Keep reading to find out what you may be able to see tonight.

What is today’s Moon phase?

As of Sunday, March 22, the Moon phase is Waxing Crescent. According to NASA's Daily Moon Guide, 14% of the Moon will be lit up tonight.

Tonight marks the return of enough of the Moon's surface to see some exciting features. For example, without any visual aids NASA tells us you can spot the Mare Fecunditatis and the Mare Crisium. These are situated on the middle right of the moon, or middle left if you're in the Southern Hemisphere.

With binoculars or a telescope, you'll see these and also the Edymion Crater, positioned at the top right, or bottom left.

When is the next Full Moon?

In North America, the next Full Moon is predicted to take place on April 1.

What are Moon phases?

NASA says the Moon takes about 29.5 days to orbit Earth, going through eight different phases. We always see the same side, but the Sun lights up different portions as it moves, which is why it can look full, half, or just a thin sliver. These changing shapes are called the lunar phases, and there are eight in total:

New Moon - The Moon is between Earth and the sun, so the side we see is dark (in other words, it's invisible to the eye).

Waxing Crescent - A small sliver of light appears on the right side (Northern Hemisphere).

First Quarter - Half of the Moon is lit on the right side. It looks like a half-Moon.

Waxing Gibbous - More than half is lit up, but it’s not quite full yet.

Full Moon - The whole face of the Moon is illuminated and fully visible.

Waning Gibbous - The Moon starts losing light on the right side. (Northern Hemisphere)

Third Quarter (or Last Quarter) - Another half-Moon, but now the left side is lit.

Waning Crescent - A thin sliver of light remains on the left side before going dark again.

The NYT Connections puzzle today is not too difficult if you love lifting.

Connections is the one of the most popular New York Times word games that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.

If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for today's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable What is Connections?

The NYT's latest daily word game has become a social media hit. The Times credits associate puzzle editor Wyna Liu with helping to create the new word game and bringing it to the publications' Games section. Connections can be played on both web browsers and mobile devices and require players to group four words that share something in common.

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Each puzzle features 16 words and each grouping of words is split into four categories. These sets could comprise of anything from book titles, software, country names, etc. Even though multiple words will seem like they fit together, there's only one correct answer.

If a player gets all four words in a set correct, those words are removed from the board. Guess wrong and it counts as a mistake—players get up to four mistakes until the game ends.

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Players can also rearrange and shuffle the board to make spotting connections easier. Additionally, each group is color-coded with yellow being the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple. Like Wordle, you can share the results with your friends on social media.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for March 22, 2026 Here's a hint for today's Connections categories

Want a hint about the categories without being told the categories? Then give these a try:

• Yellow: To direct

• Green: To supervise

• Blue: Found in a gym

• Purple: A water sport

Here are today's Connections categories

Need a little extra help? Today's connections fall into the following categories:

• Yellow: Oversee

• Green: Picture taken from a film

• Blue: Components of a weightlifting setup

• Purple: ___ Surf

Looking for Wordle today? Here's the answer to today's Wordle.

Ready for the answers? This is your last chance to turn back and solve today's puzzle before we reveal the solutions.

Drumroll, please!

The solution to today's Connections #1015 is...

What is the answer to Connections today

• Oversee: CHAIR, HEAD, LEAD, RUN

• Picture taken from a film: FRAME, IMAGE, SHOT. STILL

• Components of a weightlifting setup: BAR, BENCH, RACK, WEIGHTS

• ___ Surf: CHANNEL, COUCH, CROWD, KITE

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be new Connections for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints.

SEE ALSO: NYT Connections Sports Edition today: Hints and answers for March 22, 2026

Are you also playing NYT Strands? Get all the Strands hints you need for today's puzzle.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Connections.

Today's NYT Strands hints are easy if you're simple.

Strands, the New York Times' elevated word-search game, requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search. Words can be made from linked letters — up, down, left, right, or diagonal, but words can also change direction, resulting in quirky shapes and patterns. Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer. There's always a theme linking every solution, along with the "spangram," a special, word or phrase that sums up that day's theme, and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable

By providing an opaque hint and not providing the word list, Strands creates a brain-teasing game that takes a little longer to play than its other games, like Wordle and Connections.

If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle, we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferred pace.

SEE ALSO: Wordle today: Answer, hints for March 22, 2026 NYT Strands hint for today’s theme: Trademarked no more

The words are related to common items.

Today’s NYT Strands theme plainly explained

These words describe everyday objects.

NYT Strands spangram hint: Is it vertical or horizontal?

Today's NYT Strands spangram is diagonal.

NYT Strands spangram answer today

Today's spangram is Generic Term.

NYT Strands word list for March 22

• Zipper

• Escalator

• Thermos

• Generic Term

• Aspirin

• Dumpster

Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now!

Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands.

Today's Wordle answer should be easy to solve if you love to garnish your meals.

If you just want to be told today's word, you can jump to the bottom of this article for today's Wordle solution revealed. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, keep reading for some clues, tips, and strategies to assist you.

SEE ALSO: Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more: Play games on Mashable SEE ALSO: NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for March 22, 2026 Where did Wordle come from?

Originally created by engineer Josh Wardle as a gift for his partner, Wordle rapidly spread to become an international phenomenon, with thousands of people around the globe playing every day. Alternate Wordle versions created by fans also sprang up, including battle royale Squabble, music identification game Heardle, and variations like Dordle and Quordle that make you guess multiple words at once. 

Wordle eventually became so popular that it was purchased by the New York Times, and TikTok creators even livestream themselves playing.

What's the best Wordle starting word?

The best Wordle starting word is the one that speaks to you. But if you prefer to be strategic in your approach, we have a few ideas to help you pick a word that might help you find the solution faster. One tip is to select a word that includes at least two different vowels, plus some common consonants like S, T, R, or N.

What happened to the Wordle archive?

The entire archive of past Wordle puzzles was originally available for anyone to enjoy whenever they felt like it, but it was later taken down, with the website's creator stating it was done at the request of the New York Times. However, the New York Times then rolled out its own Wordle Archive, available only to NYT Games subscribers.

Is Wordle getting harder?

It might feel like Wordle is getting harder, but it actually isn't any more difficult than when it first began. You can turn on Wordle's Hard Mode if you're after more of a challenge, though.

SEE ALSO: NYT Pips hints, answers for March 22, 2026 Here's a subtle hint for today's Wordle answer:

An herb.

Does today's Wordle answer have a double letter?

There are no recurring letters.

Today's Wordle is a 5-letter word that starts with...

Today's Wordle starts with the letter B.

SEE ALSO: Wordle-obsessed? These are the best word games to play IRL. The Wordle answer today is...

Get your last guesses in now, because it's your final chance to solve today's Wordle before we reveal the solution.

Drumroll please!

The solution to today's Wordle is...

BASIL

Don't feel down if you didn't manage to guess it this time. There will be a new Wordle for you to stretch your brain with tomorrow, and we'll be back again to guide you with more helpful hints. Are you also playing NYT Strands? See hints and answers for today's Strands.

Reporting by Chance Townsend, Caitlin Welsh, Sam Haysom, Amanda Yeo, Shannon Connellan, Cecily Mauran, Mike Pearl, and Adam Rosenberg contributed to this article.

If you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong, Sudoku, free crossword, and more.

Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Wordle.

My smart home definitely doesn’t need a dedicated dashboard. Even so, I’ll eventually probably throw something together on the cheap, just because I can. But if I had a few grand to spend on something fancy, I’d buy a far less useful but ultimately more beautiful relic of the past instead.

SUVs are everywhere now, from tiny runabouts like the Hyundai Venue to massive family haulers like the Cadillac Escalade ESV. But most people aren’t shopping at the extremes—they want something right in the middle that’s easy to live with, efficient, and still roomy enough for real life.

Plug-in hybrid SUVs promise the best of both worlds—electric-only driving for short trips and gasoline backup for longer journeys—but they often come with a steep price premium. In 2026, however, one model stands out for delivering that versatility without compromising on value. The Toyota RAV4 PHEV combines strong efficiency, impressive performance, and everyday practicality in a way that makes it one of the most compelling options in its class.

Home Assistant has many features and functions that can be easy to overlook. Something I hadn’t done until recently was group similar devices together in order to control multiple things at once. This solved a problem I was having with my smart home.

It is a well-known fact that Chuck Norris never needed a garage; he simply parked his vehicles wherever he wanted, and the Earth would manifest a structure around. However, the world is currently mourning the man behind the myth and the man who inspired countless witty one-liners and analogies that are forever cemented into online lore.

If there's one thing I love about Netflix, it is the platform's offering of short yet gripping shows. Be it a limited or a miniseries, compact shows make for amazing weekend watches, especially when the plot is thick with intrigue.

It's a big week to be a Minecraft fan. Merlin Entertainments and Mojang Studios announced Minecraft World, a £50 million ($66.7 million) themed land opening at Chessington World of Adventures outside London in 2027. It will be the first fully immersive Minecraft theme park experience ever built. Given that Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all time, it's a little surprising it took this long.

SEE ALSO: 'Pokémon Pokopia' is 'Minecraft' for Pokémon, and fans will lose hundreds of hours to it

The land will include a world-first Minecraft roller coaster, interactive attractions, block-built play areas, and themed dining and retail. According to the press release from Merlin, Minecraft World is one of its most ambitious theme park developments in recent years, built in close collaboration with Mojang to make sure everything feels authentically Minecraft. A selection of notable Minecraft creators are also involved in bringing the universe to life.

Chessington is about 35 minutes from London Waterloo by direct train, if you're already mentally planning the trip.

On the game side, Mojang used its Minecraft Live March 2026 presentation to announce two upcoming updates. The first, Tiny Takeover, drops March 24 and gives nearly every baby mob a visual and audio overhaul — new models, fresh sound effects, and individual "sound personalities" for farm animals. A new item called the Golden Dandelion lets players keep any mob in its baby form permanently.

Later in 2026, Chaos Cubed introduces sulfur caves — toxic underground biomes with gas particles that inflict a noxious effect — plus a new mob called the sulfur cube, which absorbs surrounding materials and evolves its properties accordingly.

For years, American enthusiasts have watched from afar as one of Europe’s most exciting lightweight sports cars remained out of reach. Designed with a clear focus on balance, agility, and driver engagement, this French coupe has earned widespread praise as a true rival to the Porsche 718 Cayman. Despite growing interest, however, it has never officially been offered in the U.S. market.

Backblaze is one of the largest cloud storage companies in the world and the publisher of an annual HDD stats report it has been providing since 2013. The company recently published its 2025 report, so let’s dive into the data and see which drives were the most reliable, and which earned the dubious honor of being the least reliable.

TVs are often set up to look great in the store, but they don't always look so good when you get them home. They have gimmicky features that are designed to make your experience better but often have the opposite effect.

Minivans are back in style, and the Chrysler Pacifica has been leading the pack as America’s top-selling model. It’s consistently at the top for both sales and value, making it a reliable pick for families.

Some people treat self-hosted apps as permanent infrastructure. Once installed, they leave them running forever, waiting to be used, even if in reality many apps are only actually needed for a few hours a week.

Smart home devices with cloud-based features can feel surprisingly affordable and convenient when you first buy them. However, the ongoing costs and potential risks aren't always obvious until further down the line. The real cost isn't just what you pay up front, but what happens when the company changes the rules.

I grew tired of paying for Google One storage just to use Google Photos. Plus, I wanted more privacy and security over my stored pictures. What did I do? I built my own server to replace Google Photos, and you can too.