Hacks (TV series)

Hacks is an American comedy-drama television series created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky that premiered on May 13, 2021, on HBO Max. Starring Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, and Carl Clemons-Hopkins, the series centers on the professional relationship between a young comedy writer and a legendary stand-up comedian. In June 2021, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on May 12, 2022. In June 2022, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on May 2, 2024. In May 2024, the series was renewed for a fourth season.

The series received critical acclaim and won accolades including Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Directing, and for Smart, Outstanding Lead Actress, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy.

Premise
Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas stand-up comedy diva, needs to re-invent her aging act to avoid losing her residency at the Palmetto Casino. Ava Daniels is a young comedy writer who is unable to find work due to an insensitive tweet and her reputation for being self-centered and arrogant. When Ava's agent sends her to work as Deborah's new head writer, the two slowly bond as Ava pushes her new boss to take more risks and Deborah, in turn, helps Ava start to work through her personal problems.

Main

 * Jean Smart as Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas stand-up comedian
 * Hannah Einbinder as Ava Daniels, a down-on-her-luck comedy writer
 * Carl Clemons-Hopkins as Marcus, COO of Deborah's management company and her closest advisor
 * Megan Stalter as Kayla Schaefer, the airhead daughter of Jimmy's boss, who works as his assistant (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2)
 * Paul W. Downs as Jimmy LuSaque Jr., Deborah and Ava's manager (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2)
 * Rose Abdoo as Josefina, Deborah's estate manager (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2)
 * Mark Indelicato as Damien, Deborah's personal assistant (season 3; recurring seasons 1–2)

Recurring

 * Kaitlin Olson as Deborah "DJ" Vance Jr., Deborah's daughter
 * Christopher McDonald as Marty Ghilain, CEO of the Palmetto Casino
 * Poppy Liu as Kiki, Deborah's personal blackjack dealer
 * Johnny Sibilly as Wilson, a water inspector who gets entangled with Marcus
 * Angela Elayne Gibbs as Robin, Marcus' mother
 * Jane Adams as Nina Daniels, Ava's mother
 * Lorenza Izzo as Ruby, an actress and Ava's girlfriend
 * Luenell as Miss Loretta, Robin's best friend
 * Joe Mande as Ray, a hotel clerk for the Palmetto
 * Lauren Weedman as Madam Mayor Pezzimenti, mayor of Las Vegas

Guest
The cast of The View (Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Sara Haines and Alyssa Farah Griffin) made cameo appearances in the season 3 episode "Join the Club".

Production
In May 2020, HBO Max announced that it had picked up the series and that Jean Smart would star. Additional casting was announced in February 2021. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, actors held table reads over Zoom, there were no cast parties during production, and stars Smart and Clemons-Hopkins did not even meet each other in person until minutes before filming began. In June 2021, HBO Max renewed the series for a second season, and the cast added Laurie Metcalf, Martha Kelly, and Ming-Na Wen in recurring roles and Margaret Cho as a guest star.

In June 2022, HBO Max renewed the series for a third season. In September 2022, the showrunners revealed that a time jump would take place between the second and third season. Production began for the third season in November 2022 and production paused near the end of February 2023 for a few weeks before resuming in March due to Jean Smart recovering from a "successful heart procedure". Production shut down in May 2023 due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. For the third season, Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs were promoted to series regulars after having recurring roles since the first season. In February 2024, it was announced Helen Hunt, Christina Hendricks, Christopher Lloyd, Dan Bucatinsky, George Wallace and Tony Goldwyn would guest star in the third season. In March and April 2024, Aristotle Athari and J. Smith-Cameron were respectively announced to guest star in the third season. In May 2024, Max renewed the series for a fourth season.

Release
Hacks premiered on May 13, 2021, with a two-episode release. Two episodes were released on a weekly basis through June 10, 2021, for the remainder of the 10-episode first season. The second season premiered on May 12, 2022, with a two-episode release weekly.

The first season of Hacks premiered on Amazon Prime Video in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2022.

In March 2024, Max confirmed that season three would premiere on May 2, 2024, with two episodes released weekly until its season finale on May 30.

Critical response
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating for the first season of 100% based on 74 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critical consensus states, "A prickling debut that pulls few punches, Hacks deftly balances its sharp critiques of the comedy world with more intimate moments, all the while giving the incomparable Jean Smart a role worthy of her talents – and an excellent partner in Hannah Einbinder." Metacritic calculated a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 based on 24 critics.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the second season also received an approval rating of 100% based on 54 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10. The website's critics consensus states, "Hacks hits the road, but Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder remain very much at home with each other in a sterling sophomore season that finds novel ways to deepen the central pair's lovable friendship." Metacritic calculated a weighted average score of 88 out of 100 based on 24 critics.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the third season received an approval rating of 97% based on 37 critic reviews, with an average rating of 9/10. The website's critics consensus states, "Reuniting never felt so good – Hacks roars back with a fresh set and a persuasive argument for its own longevity." Metacritic calculated a weighted average score of 90 out of 100 based on 22 critics.