Legendary comedian Deborah Vance is finally gracing us with her presence again after a year-long sabbatical.
The fifth and final season of Hacks (2021) started airing on April 9, 2026. Naturally, I’m writing this piece as a way to convince you to start watching this brilliant show and catch up, so we can enjoy this last season together.
Simply put, Hacks is a show about comedy, ego, and relevance. It’s one of the sharpest comedies out there. I’d say it’s like the lovechild of The Other Two (2019) and Veep (2012); it’s got the industry satire of The Other Two and the biting dialogue of Veep, with both shows being unafraid to make fun of themselves and the context they’re in. But Hacks has a stronger emotional core; it taps into the main characters’ emotional depths and paints them as complex people.
Hacks tells the story of Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), a veteran stand-up comedian whose relevance is waning, who works with Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbeinder), a young writer desperate for a job after being canceled online. These two opposites have to work together to save their own careers, forced to work through their differences and eventual dependency on each other.
So, here are five reasons why you should binge Hacks ASAP:
1. A Hall-of-Fame Duo(s) in the Making
Opposites-attract duo might be the most foolproof combination yet. Deborah is a disciplined go-getter whose time in the entertainment industry has made her cutthroat and selfish, while Ava is a fresh, talented writer with idealistic, better-than-thou tendencies.
Smart has a commanding presence and physical performance worthy of Deborah’s tenure. Yet her performance is still imbued with the vulnerability of someone who’s had to sacrifice and claw their way to the top. While Einbeinder brings that naive but know-it-all energy typical of an idealistic 20-something-year-old, she perfectly represents the Gen Z character, who still grapples with insecurity and moral conundrums, without the cringe apparent in other shows.
These two, on their own, are great, but together they are electric. They can make any scene or mood work. Their comedic and dramatic performances complement each other so well; it’s such a joy to watch them together.
While our main duo is Deborah and Ava, I also have to talk about Jimmy LuSaque Jr. (Paul W. Downs) and Kayla Schaeffer (Megan Stalter). Jimmy is Deborah’s and Ava’s manager, who is stuck with Kayla, a nepo baby who struggles to be a good assistant. They bring a ludicrous energy to the show that makes them impossible to ignore, while still fitting into the broader story and cast.
2. Comedy as Art and Survival
Hacks is able to show the iceberg that is comedy. It’s not only jokes and laughter; it’s someone’s livelihood, identity, and legacy. The show starts with Deborah and Ava at a crossroads in their careers: either they pivot and work together to keep their careers afloat, or they continue on their own paths, potentially ending their comedic journey. Despite Deborah’s tenure as a stand-up, she still has to play by Hollywood’s rules and the internet’s relevance cycles, which forces her to reinvent her bit and allows Ava into her creative process.
Each character’s humor reveals something about themselves and their background. We can infer how different Deborah’s and Ava’s upbringings and the world they grew up in are through the way they joke around. The show also treats comedy seriously without glorification or becoming self-important. They’re not scared to point out and make fun of the flaws in the industry and the people in it, and to show how absurd the pursuit of relevance and comedy can be. It truly is interesting to see the underbelly of the comedy world.
3. Holding Space for Complex Female Characters
Throughout the years, we’ve seen everyone change and grow, learning from each other, from comedy, and from the trials and tribulations of the industry, yet they never lose the essence of who they are. Despite the plenty of improvements in their personal lives and relationships, they remain flawed.
Deborah doesn’t get “nicer,” we witness her become less stuck in her ways and unafraid to be vulnerable. Ava doesn’t get “wiser,” just more aware and understanding of the gray areas in life. But as it is with growth, it’s sometimes regressive. We see moments in later seasons where Deborah does something cunning, or Ava takes “just a means to an end” too far. There is always tension in their power dynamics, playing out in the space between codependency and creative ambition. How they give and take in a certain situation might surprise you, but will never be out of character. These complex women are allowed to exist without aiming toward redemption arcs.
4. It Looks as Good as It Sounds
Deborah is a very rich and classy lady, with a dash of a wild side, of course. We see this not only in her actions and reactions but also in how she lives. The set design for her homes, well, mansions, is fantastic. Both her Las Vegas and Los Angeles homes are quintessentially Deborah. They are old-school glamor, everything feeling opulent, like her antique salt-and-pepper collection, but with an added Deborah Vance touch, like a leopard print here and there and a soda machine in the kitchen.
We can also understand Deborah’s interior and exterior selves through her costume design. She is always sequined up on the stage, paired with a wig that looks done up and signals an old-school, refined era. But when she’s home, alone, or with the people she trusts, she wears flowy clothing sans wigs. What’s consistent is how great she looks!
5. Saying It, Without Sounding Preachy
There are a few key themes that Hacks highlights throughout the seasons. It tackles aging, especially for women in entertainment. The core of the show is Deborah’s career and her drive to leave a legacy worth celebrating. Both Deborah and Ava have to fight against the system for the space they deserve.
Consequently, this show also tackles creative ownership and the loneliness behind success. Deborah, having worked with a talent agency, a casino, and a TV network, has had to answer to someone regarding her work and how much say she has in her shows.
Her new collaboration with Ava not only sheds light on this issue but also explores power dynamics among employer and employee, between women, and among friends. Their somewhat toxic, codependent yet deeply genuine relationship is defined by blurred boundaries, making it a fertile ground for exploration.
When critiquing the industry or exploring these themes, it was never romanticized or overly cynical. They never tried to solve it at a macro level, but they’re able to talk about it and offer their perspective, which remains within the show’s realm and context, approaching it with the right balance of heart and comedy.
Sadly, It’s Ending
We’ve gone through ups and downs, fantastic wins and major losses, in the past four seasons. But the stakes have never been higher. Without spoiling anything, this season, we will see Deborah fight tooth and nail to get that cherry on top of her legacy sundae and topple those who try to silence her, requiring all hands on deck.
Smart has said it took her some time to fully accept the ending. From other shows’ final seasons, it’s quite hard for me to take this as a good thing. But I’d assume, coming from a show that doesn’t romanticize or tie things up neatly for the sake of a happy ending, it will probably be a bitter yet meaningful ending.
We can expect Deborah and Ava to be tested as individuals. How will Ava define herself outside of Deborah and build a career on her own? Can Deborah maintain control and go out on top? But one thing is for sure, it’ll be one hack of a ride.
