Hacks

“They only gave it a name,” she [Deborah Vance (Jean Smart)] fumes, “after it started happening to powerful men.” The line underscores the particular brilliance of Hacks, created by the Broad City alums Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky—its holistic view of comedy, the way it truly understands all the layers of history that have shaped its central character. .... The show’s analysis of Hollywood dynamics is also rigorous, even down to its guest casting.

“Hacks” returns on a new creative high, one that positions itself to keep going as long as its pins can support it. .... As ever, “Hacks” episodes hum along with a fine-tuned comic cadence, buoyed by the stars’ performances along with that of Downs and Stalter. Season 3 affords Jimmy and Kayla a more extensively developed B-plot, albeit one spun out of sugar and about as substantial.

Hacks’ third season, which drops its first two episodes on Max May 2, is punchy and lithe, bringing beloved comic Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and her socially conscious co-writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder) back for a season that tightens the show’s focus, but keeps its ambitions broad. It’s a major triumph in an increasingly dreary streaming landscape.

Perhaps more than past seasons, these new episodes deftly balance comedic moments with insightful dialogue that explores generational differences in grounded scenes that don’t come off as preachy.

The third season of “Hacks” is funny, unpredictable, and even moving. It’s a show that almost deliberately avoids the traps of its premise, walking up to clichés about age and gender in Hollywood—even cancel culture in a brilliant late-season episode—and then taking a sharp turn away from them.

Ava and Deborah’s easy dynamic returns as the martinis flow. Ava masterfully teases out the dissatisfaction roiling just beneath the surface of Deborah’s success.

“Hacks” excels at giving the audience what they want, even mid-reinvention, and the series continues to exemplify the upsides of excellent episodic structure with half-hours built around Deborah’s roast, a Christmas special and, if you can believe it, a hike in the woods.

“Hacks” remains thoroughly enjoyable. .... Their [Deborah and Ava's] evolved dynamic has helped to make season 3 a joy. The show has a new warmth, and something to root for.

A great buddy comedy that bridges its generation gap with smart show business satire, Hacks' third season finds new purpose in the undying ambitions of its leading lady. .... Nothing about Hacks feels tired. [13 May - 2 Jun 2024, p.4]

Creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky have crafted Hacks’ best season yet, one that allows the characters to grow without killing their spiky, push-pull bond. Smart and Einbinder further elevate that story arc with a rapport that feels more natural and intimate than ever.

The show still resists the impulse to lean purely into aspiration or empowerment, as strong a sign of its longevity as any. Both Deborah and Ava are often unpleasant people. That’s exactly why they’re such a pleasure to watch.

Its third outing strikes a delicate balance between letting its characters grow and evolve while never forgetting what made us fall in love with them in the first place. It’s smarter, funnier, and more moving than ever.

In one episode, Ava and Deborah get lost in the woods—is it, at long last, a metaphor? It feels more like the infamous Christmas episode of "Ted Lasso," aka landfill. Mostly, however, "Hacks" is sublime.

“Hacks” is more or less doing variations on the same story each season, but it’s doing it in interesting ways, and the brass ring of a late-night talk show gig is a juicy arc onto which this toxic pattern can play out once again. Nobody self-sabotages their way to success like these two. Wariness gives way to trust. And then inevitably the entire floor gives way, every time.

The new episodes have that easy-breezy style back, without sacrificing substance. The jokes are funny, but the life isn't. .... But when they turn that pain into humor, well, thank goodness it's gold.

Meticulously plotted and boasting some of the show’s best jokes, Season 3 of Hacks will have you panting for the next series as the final credits roll.

We want to see more of Marcus, whom we think got the short end of the narrative stick in Season 2. But for the most part, if the rest of Season 3 of Hacks is as satisfying as the first episode was, we’ll be pretty happy.

In chronicling Deborah’s quest for her professional holy grail, Hacks finds some interesting and entertaining new dynamics between the duo at the heart of the series. .... The interplay between the characters, and between Smart and Einbinder, remains so strong that it casts a huge shadow over everyone else.

So far, Season Three of Hacks is free of the formulas that make lesser shows so much more hack-y.

While “Hacks” isn’t as ruthless as it was in its infancy, it does have moments where Smart can bear her claws. .... When Deborah gets a guest spot, “Hacks” hits its apex and puts everyone on alert. It’s the season’s best episode and yet another reason Smart is the best female in a comedy series, hands-down.

In its third season, the odd-couple comedy “Hacks” has matured into a deeper, kinder exploration of friendship and creativity while mostly retaining its hilarious edge.