REVIEW: Hacks is Back!

Season Four resets the story. See the spoiler-ish update at the end.

Hacks is back for its fourth season on Max this Thursday. It’s not like the show needs promotion, it won outstanding comedy and Jean Smart has won a best actress Emmy three times along with writing and directing awards.

But, we live in a world with countless streamers and shows get lost in the shuffle. So, if you haven’t watched Hacks now is your chance. You have three great seasons to binge before you get to the new one.

The premise is pretty simple. A legendary Vegas-based comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) is losing he long-running show on the strip. Forced to freshen up her act she brings in Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) a young comedy who is her total opposite other than a love of comedy.

While the Deborah Vance character is an amalgamation of any number of female comedians, there’s not much doubt that there’s quite a bit of Joan Rivers. Like Rivers, Vance’s style of comedy is take no prisoners and decidedly not politically correct. Ava on the other hand is bisexual and epitomizes the woke stereotype.

You get the picture — they obviously clash but you know they’re going to end up being friends. While there’s nothing new with that comedy/drama premise the show does a great job not only making you want for that friendship to happen but throwing in real-world obstacles that keep both characters on their toes.

The writing is witty and sharp throughout and it really is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen that delves into the world of comedy and its creation. From Vegas to touring to the high-pressure world of TV and late-night talk shows it all feels real and the show does a great job putting the fictional Vance in the real world.

Great writing and production aside, this show would live and die on the strength of its two leads. Obviously, they kill it given the critical accolades. Jean Smart made her big break in Designing Women which I watched, but only on occasion. I’ve seen her in lots of things over the years but honestly didn’t take much notice. It’s impossible not to appreciate her talent here. Her Vance is the role of a lifetime and she not only nails the over-the-top aspects of the character but delivers on the subtle and sensitive.

While her character isn’t as iconic, Einbinder is great as Ava. The daughter of original SNL player Laraine Newman she is just as funny in a more droll, self-effacing, quirky way. And while this is a comedy, it’s not a sitcom and there are genuinely touching moments. As the show rolls into the third season some of the supporting characters really start to shine with more developed story lines. It will be fun to watch their growth in season four.

So, if you haven’t watched, get at it. This is a great show that’s well worth your time.

Spoiler update on Season 4: Season 3 ended with a great cliffhanger as Deborah finally clawed her way for the job she’s wanted all her life. It was a a way to reset the series, and while that was pretty obvious, it still worked in the context of the characters.

The first episode of season 4 puts us right back in that cliffhanger moment. Any anger between Ava and Deborah built up over the prior years is back with a vengeance. But, the characters are tied together — forcing them to work together and against each other. It certainly opens up juicy possibilities with Ava attempting to step up against a veteran who has been battling (and beating) people in entertainment for decades.

Deborah’s new gig and her new relationship with Ava blows up the lives of the supporting characters too. I makes for a promising season. It will also be interesting to see how the show puts a critical eye on the late night world like they did with Vegas and stand-up in general.

I’m bot going anywhere.