New HBO Sitcom: Slice Of 'Friends'

Lisa Kudrow isn't waiting for "Friends" to become a distant memory — she's already signed on for a new sitcom that sounds tailor made for her.

Kudrow will star in and executive produce "The Comeback," which has received a 14-episode order from HBO, the premium cable channel said Tuesday.

She plays a former sitcom star trying to revive her career. Kudrow co-wrote the pilot episode with Michael Patrick King, who also is serving as an executive producer. An airdate was not announced.

King was executive producer for HBO's "Sex and the City." "The Comeback" is the first sitcom picked up by HBO since "Sex and the City" ended its six-year run last spring, leaving a void at the channel.

Kudrow's move mirrors that of her "Friends" co-star, Matt LeBlanc, whose spin-off, "Joey," debuted in 2004.

Kudrow played ditsy Phoebe Buffay in NBC's hit sitcom "Friends," which ended in May after 10 years. Her film roles include "Analyze This," its sequel "Analyze That" and "The Opposite of Sex."

She may be consistently type cast as a "dumb blonde," but Kudrow is anything but. She has a Science degree — in Biology — and is the daughter of a physician. She's also allegedly a slick pool shark.

An estimated 51.1 million people tuned in to watch Ross and Rachel get together on the final episode of "Friends," according to preliminary Nielsen Media Research ratings released Friday.