After the award-winning Max comedy series Hacks racked up record viewership for the seventh and eighth episodes of its third season — HBO’s streamer raved that both of those episodes hit new overall series highs — the streamer decided to give viewers a surprise in tandem with the season finale that dropped today.
That surprise is that Hacks is getting a fourth season, which is honestly no surprise at all given the near-universal praise for the show and its long slew of accolades from the Golden Globes, AFI, Peabody, Critics Choice, DGA, SAG, WGA, and GLAAD (to name just a few). Moreover, Hacks — starring Jean Smart as a legendary Las Vegas comedian — still has perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes scores for its first two seasons, as well as a near-perfect 97% for its third season, an indication that everyone is still loving the show the longer that it goes on.
That’s something you don’t often see on the small screen; more common is for a show to overstay its welcome.
“We congratulate Hacks’ brilliant cast and crew, and our partners at Universal Television,” Max head of original programming Sarah Aubrey said about the renewal. “Hacks is a masterfully crafted comedy delivering laughs and sharp insights about the vulnerability and joy of sharing a dream. The creative team behind this singular show is not only brilliant but also a joy to work with. We couldn’t be happier to give viewers another season with Deborah, Ava, and the rest of the Hacks family.”
As a viewer who’s been hooked from the get-go, Hacks‘ sharp writing and its mix of both comedic and dramatic elements feels reminiscent to me of the some of the best TV comedies from years past, including everything from You’re the Worst to shows like The Marvelous Ms. Maisel. In terms of what Hacks is about, Smart plays Deborah Vance, a comedy legend who’s struggling to stay relevant in an ever-changing industry.
Deborah’s agent connects her with a young comedy writer named Ava (played by Hannah Einbinder). They clash at first, then form an unlikely bond, and together, they eventually navigate the shared challenges of show business, personal relationships, and more. The third season finds Deborah riding high off the success of her standup a year after parting ways with Ava, who’s pursuing new opportunities in Los Angeles.
Hacks’ exploration of themes like ageism and female friendships in the entertainment industry make it a particularly enjoyable watch, and it’s one that I hope doesn’t end anytime soon.
