WIWTW: Hacks

Format: Series (3 seasons)

Streaming Service: Max / HBO Max

Genre: comedy with heart 

Length: 25-35 minutes

Release: Two episodes dropping weekly – heading into the finale week already!

Logline: Deborah Vance is a legendary stand up diva with a longstanding Vegas residency in need of fresh material, so her agent sends her Ava Daniels, a 20-something writer who has been blackballed in LA. Ava pushes Deborah creatively and Deborah pushes Ava personally. This season, after the success of Deborah’s self-financed comedy special, Deborah recruits Ava to come help her win the coveted seat of late night talk show host, her dream for decades. 

Key Creatives: If you don’t know them by name, you’ll know the works of the trio that showruns Hacks. Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello met at UCB, and they are partners at home and at work. They collaborated on Broad City, where Paul wrote and acted (as Soulstice gym trainer Trey) and Lucia wrote and directed. Jen Statsky, their third in the boardroom, cut her teeth writing for Park and Rec and The Good Place. The comedy trio has the blessing (and EP input) of Michael Schur, who created The Good Place, co-created Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and wrote and produced The Office.

Stars: Jean Smart, who you know and love from Designing Women or Watchmen (the series), plays Deborah Vance. Hannah Einbinder, who you don’t know yet but should, plays Ava Daniels. Paul is a triple threat: writing, directing, and acting, and his scene partner is Megan Stalter, best known for her comedy bits on Insta and TikTok. 

What to Know: Deborah Vance is loosely based on Joan Rivers.

Thoughts: I love Hacks. It is a lovely blend of heartwarming, heartbreaking, and genuinely funny. I think the secret sauce – besides the chemistry between Deborah and Ava – is that both generations are represented, but also mocked. It’s equal opportunity, and the humor is so specific and accurate. In the most recent episode, Ava learns that Deb is auditioning little people to play singing elves to deliver invitations to her Christmas party, and Ava is horrified. Deb points out all the auditionees are working actors and she pays twice the minimum rate. When she presses Ava on why she is horrified – why she wants to take work away from little people, Ava doesn’t have an answer. (In retrospect, I think it plays into the idea that atypical body types are fantastical in an uncomfortable way, but hey, I’m a younger millennial, sometimes I can’t help but be a drag.) Each season feels fresh – s1 was the Vegas season, s2 took the act on the road, and s3 has been built around the campaign for the late night gig. The creators have said they have five seasons planned, and I am overjoyed at the idea of two more years with DeborAva.