At the end of the day, the real, core reason [I love Hacks so much] is that it made me laugh. As Deborah herself said, “It doesn’t need to be important, it just needs to be funny.”
Written by Mariane Tremblay
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In May 2021, we were introduced to the series that would quickly become a favourite to so many people, especially amongst the LGBTQIA2S+ community (and it's actually a "must-watch" for the community, according to Federica). But after five years, it is time to say goodbye. And to pay tribute to the beloved show, I decided to ask fans what Hacks means to them and what they love most about it.
Created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky, Hacks follows legendary stand-up comedian, Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), who needs to reinvent her aging act to avoid losing her residency at the Palmetto Casino, and Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), a young comedy writer who is unable to find work because of an insensitive tweet and her reputation for being self-centred and arrogant. Ava's manager, who also happens to be Deborah's manager, sends her to work as Deborah's new head writer, creating a hilarious mentorship between the two women. Their relationship gradually evolves to friendship as they navigate their professional partnership and personal lives within the world of contemporary comedy.
Hacks has been flawless from the very beginning. And when I say flawless, I mean it, because over the past five years, critics have been unanimous, giving the show an overall score of 99% on Rotten Tomatoes and 87% on Metacritic, which is just iconic if you ask me! And with a little over 200 nominations to different award ceremonies, including the Actor Awards, the Astra TV Awards, the Critics' Choice Television Awards, the Golden Globes, and the Primetime Emmy Awards, you can tell everyone applauded its genius.
As the show comes to an end, we all agreed that saying goodbye to Hacks isn't easy, and I feel it's because there are only a few shows that mean so much to so many people nowadays. "Hacks is very special because of the way it was able to gather so many people and create a whole community of its own, which I love being a part of" (Laurine). There is something so special about this show, and just like Cris, I feel like it's hard to put into words how it makes us feel, how it makes me feel, and why it means so much to all of us. But all fans of Hacks, whether they've been following it for five years or one, will understand this feeling. And reading everyone's thoughts on the show has only confirmed it.
When Maria finally watched the first episode, she instantly knew she was witnessing something special and that she had been missing out by not starting to watch it sooner. "It quickly became one of my all-time favourites, which is why it will not be an easy feat to let go of now that it is coming to an end. The show has made me laugh, cry, despair, stress, feel anger, fear, and, most importantly, happiness, and it has brought me [so much] comfort on bad days" (Maria). And according to her, Jen, Paul, and Lucia have crafted [such] a beautiful story about two women coming from two different generations and backgrounds. And she's right. Being able to witness an age-gap friendship like theirs was so fun, emotional, and, actually, so important. And that's something we all agreed on, "I love age gap friendships and relationships because both [people involved] always end up learning so much from the other and from their own experiences, and the way they evolve in an ever-changing society at different stages of life" (Laurine).
But most importantly, Hacks gave us a series with two female leads and "it’s so rare in today’s television landscape to get five full seasons of intense focus on two lead (women) characters" (Cris). And this is part of what we love the most about this show. "In a time when it’s so difficult for older women to book roles more than just the matriarch of a family, Hacks gave us Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), a rich (literally and figuratively), multi-faceted woman over sixty, who breaks the stereotypes placed on older women" (Sydney). And according to Veronica, "the creation of Deborah Vance is ultimately the show's greatest accomplishment, further catapulting Jean Smart into icon status for a whole new generation to discover that she's been brilliant for decades, and has the Emmys to prove it!" Not to mention, Ava Daniels, who is the most relatable character for people in their twenties. So, to all the studios, more female-centred stories, please. People like them, people want them, and they make money.
But there are so many things to love about Hacks: not only is the writing of the show brilliant, but it also manages to poignantly tackle a broad range of issues, such as censorship and generative AI, as well as their negative impact on the arts and the environment. But this is just one of many reasons [this series] was so great and made it stand out from other comedy shows (Maria).
For Val, it's the storyline, how it’s clear that everyone who is a part of the show loves making it, how it is so unapologetically queer (forever grateful for that!). And, of course, because of the characters, an answer that came back more than once in all the blurbs I received. "The thing I love the most about the show, though, is probably the characters. The show would not work half as well if it weren’t for [Deborah and Ava's] partnership turned friendship" (Maria).
And for Federica, it's the imperfections of its characters that make this series so perfect. And she'd struggle if she had to choose a favourite. "I can’t help but think of Ava and Deborah as two distinct people, but at the same time, as a whole. And they’re undoubtedly my favourite duo, not just of this show, but ever. If I owned an antique shop, and they were salt and pepper shakers, I’d never sell them separately."
It was always obvious that I would get attached to Ava and Deborah easily. On one hand, there’s Ava Daniels, whom I relate to the most, a talented but insecure and silly young aspiring writer, a clumsy girl kisser… She’s trying her best and being really persistent, which is inspirational. On the other hand, we have an established but declining star, Deborah Vance. Loosely influenced by Debbie Reynolds, in my opinion, one of my favourite artists who deserved so much more from this industry… Deborah is a fierce and courageous woman who had to fight and face a lot of difficulties to keep her seat in the business, and her personal life suffered from these choices. It reflects a lot of women's careers, in any field, which is an essential topic to me—the way we need to work so hard and sacrifice so much to get what we want, all while being called bitches because we do not accommodate to men’s expectations (Laurine).
But for others, it's a little clearer who their favourite characters are. For Sydney, it's Deborah because "she’s imperfect and aware of it. She tries to be better, sometimes succeeding and sometimes failing miserably. There are times when I can’t stand her and times when I would lay down my life for her, and it’s what makes her such a great character." To which Maria agrees, saying, "Deborah is one of my favourite fictional personalities, and she has, in my opinion, the best character development out of everyone."
For Andie, someone who started the series as a teenager, it's Ava. "[She] seemed so much older than me, and in many ways I looked up to her (and still do!) as a character who was unapologetic about their morals and identity. Now being in my twenties (like Ava), I not only admire her more, but also feel so seen by her [...] I think she’s one of the first truly great Gen-Z characters on television." And that's something Cris relates to as well, "I’m around the same age as Ava, so there’s been something comforting and poetic about going through my 20’s alongside her, noticing the ways I’ve matured and changed alongside her."
But Hacks wouldn't be Hacks without all of its characters (and its iconic guests). From Marcus (Carl Clemons-Hopkins), Kayla (another of Laurine's favourite characters played by Megan Stalter), Jimmy (Paul W. Downs), Josephina (Rose Abdoo), to Damien (Mark Indelicato), Randhi (Robby Hoffman), Deborah Junior "DJ" (Kaitlin Olson) or even Marty (Christopher McDonald). Each one of them brings their little quirks and something special to this series, making it one of the best ensembles in recent years.
I sincerely hope the entire cast and crew of Hacks will be awarded for their work during their upcoming final award season cycle, especially Kaitlin Olson, who deserves to finally receive her flowers for her performance as Deborah Junior (Maria).
Then, when I asked everyone what their favourite episodes were, A Slippery Slope (4x09) and Montecito (5x07) won hands down. Montecito is personally my favourite for so many reasons. As a queer woman who, like Ava, has a little hyperfixation on older women, this episode had me levitating. Everything about this episode is genius—although they all truly are. But bringing in Cherry Jones and Leslie Bibb as an age-gap lesbian couple was just perfect, and then Ava and Deborah faking to be a couple for a whole weekend? The cherry on top! And this was something Laurine loved a lot, too. "Fake dating is one of my favourite tropes! It’s not always fun being sapphic because it can get lonely, but in these moments… we’re all vibrating at the same time like a beehive." And the kiss between Ava and Deborah. The somewhat "real kiss" between Ava and Deborah that we’ve been waiting for so long (Laurine). I don't remember screaming like that while watching something on television. And seeing all the reactions that night, I know I wasn't the only one.
One thing I love most about Hacks, and something mentioned earlier, is the writing, because everything is just so spot-on. But when the actors decide to ad-lib some lines, it makes everything even better, and to think that some of the best lines in this episode were improvised by Hannah [Einbinder] and Leslie [Bibb]… that's it for me! Not to mention that this episode is, I do believe, the only time Jean Smart struggled to stay in character because of an ass-eating joke. You just can't make this up!
And there's A Slippery Slope. Such an emotional episode. "The speech Deborah gives [...] in support of Ava when they asked her to fire her just shows once again how much they care about each other and the amount of love that grew between them over the years" (Laurine). "Deborah giving up her lifelong dream of hosting her own Late Night Show for Ava in the penultimate episode of season four is the biggest testament to their tenacious bond. It’s one of the most emotional and impactful moments in the entire show and definitely my favourite episode by far" (Maria).
Special mention to the episode featuring Ava and Deborah's first kiss in a dream sequence for the thrill it brought to the fandom (Laurine), to Mrs. Table (4x06), for giving us some of the best performances seen on TV to this day—the sadness, heartbreak, and anger expressed just by [Ava and Deborah] looking at each other, which only reminds us why they deserve every praise and award they have ever gotten and will get for this spectacular last season (Laurine). And to New Eyes (1x06), Federica's favourite episode. "As obvious and predictable as it may be, I can’t help but love it because it’s the first episode where we actually witness the first walls falling, and when their [Ava and Deborah] bond starts forming and deepening."
There are honestly so many great episodes (all of them), so many incredible people involved in this production, so much to say, so much to talk about, and yet, nothing feels right. I feel like nothing will ever do it justice. I've loved this show so much from the very beginning, and I can't believe it is time to say goodbye—I can't believe we won't get to follow Deborah and Ava on their crazy journeys anymore. It's always hard to say goodbye to a show, and to characters we love so much, especially when we feel so close to them, but somehow, saying goodbye to Hacks feels even more painful.
So it's with heavy hearts and probably teary eyes that we'll watch the very last episodes of Hacks tonight. To finish this piece, and as a good farewell to the series, [Laurine] just wants to applaud and thank the writing team for this gem. The remarkable directing as well. And also Hannah Einbinder, because she’s exactly the kind of person [she] would love to work with. For her talent and everything she represents and supports. [Laurine] admires how she unapologetically uses her privileges and her voice to make sure serious matters are heard [...] [She] will miss this show and the sense of familiarity it gave [her] and so many other fans in just 47 episodes. [She] will miss Ava and Deborah and their constant bickering. [She] will miss the insane acting skills, the wit, the awkwardness, the dumb miscommunication, the drama, the love… [She] will miss whatever magic they brought to the screen. [And] yes, [she] will miss this intense duo and the crazy situations they always find themselves in, so much.
As someone who’s been watching the show since it premiered and before it blew up, [Sydney] doesn’t want to say goodbye—but sometimes, it’s better for things to end before they lose what makes it special, and in Hacks’s case, this is perfect timing, no matter how badly we don’t want to see them go. And like the majority of us, Maria is devastated to see it go, while also being glad the showrunners have stuck to their original plan and haven’t decided to drag on the story for longer than they deem necessary.
Val is extremely sad to see Hacks end after five seasons, but thankful to have such a wonderful show to go back to [...] [and she] hopes the actors and creators know how much the fans appreciate their work. For Andie, it’s hard to believe that Hacks is coming to an end. Even though five seasons may not sound like enough time, [she] truly feels like [she's] grown up alongside this show—it was with [her] through all of university, and during such a tumultuous time, [and] it has given [her] so many moments of both joy and belonging.
The thing [Cris] will miss most about Hacks is the community. [She] knows the show will always be there for [her] to rewatch, but reuniting with the fans each year and communally watching together has always been [her] favourite part. While [she's] mourning never seeing Ava and Deborah again, [she's] also mourning the journey [she's] experienced alongside the other fans. And that is quite befitting what [she] sees as a core message of this show, which is how comedy has the power to bring people together, and laughter serves as its own love language [...] [Hacks] surely is one of the only shows that has been able to bridge generational divides in a way that doesn’t make either side the butt of the joke [...] but at the end of the day, the real, core reason [why she loves this show so much] is that it made [her] laugh.
[Veronica] will miss this show when the spring TV season rolls around next year, but [since] the cast and crew are ending it on their terms, that's the best [she] could ask for. The show has been through so much behind the scenes: beginning production during the height of COVID restrictions, Jean Smart's health scare and the death of her husband, SAG and WGA strikes, and a prominent filming location burning down in last year's wildfires. We've all been through so much in the five years since it premiered, and a smart, clever show with heart can be a real balm. In those darker moments, even if you get busted having an orgy with hockey players on a Zamboni (shoutout Mayor Jo), Hacks will be there to remind you to create art, take some chances, and have a laugh.
It's with tears running down my cheeks that I write the last paragraph of this piece on one of the greatest shows of all time, and that I'm getting ready to say goodbye. Lucia, Paul, and Jen, thank you for Hacks. Thank you for creating a show that felt so familiar and intimate, a show that made us laugh through so much, and that was so relatable on so many levels. And as Federica said, Hacks forever! JPL forever!
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