Hacks | |
---|---|
Season 1 | |
Starring | |
No. of episodes | 10 |
Release | |
Original network | HBO Max |
Original release | May 13 – June 10, 2021 |
Season chronology |
The first season of American comedy-drama streaming series Hacks debuted on May 13, 2021, on HBO Max. The series was co-created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky. Starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, the season follows two comedians from different generations who forge a working relationship. Season one received critical acclaim and earned accolades including Primetime Emmy Awards for directing, writing, and acting (for Smart).
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "There Is No Line" | Lucia Aniello | Lucia Aniello & Paul W. Downs & Jen Statsky | May 13, 2021 | |
Deborah Vance, a legendary standup comedian with a permanent residency at the Palmetto Casino in Las Vegas, learns that her ex-husband Frank – who left her for her younger sister decades earlier – has died. The day before, Deborah had been informed by Marty, the Palmetto's CEO, that her weekend tour dates are being given to new acts in an attempt to attract younger audiences. An incensed Deborah calls her manager, Jimmy, who suggests she hire a writer. Though Deborah declines, saying that she writes her own jokes, Jimmy offers the job to Ava Daniels, a struggling comic from Los Angeles who has recently lost a lucrative TV deal after making an offensive joke on Twitter. Ava flies to Las Vegas to meet Deborah, who is unaware of her arrival; the meeting quickly turns hostile, with the two women trading barbed yet comedic retorts before Ava leaves, put off by Deborah's arrogant behavior. However, Deborah, impressed with Ava's comic ability, hires her. | ||||||
2 | 2 | "Primm" | Lucia Aniello | Paul W. Downs | May 13, 2021 | |
When Deborah does not use any of the material Ava has written for her, Ava claims it is difficult to write in Deborah's voice without knowing her personally. Deborah suggests that the two take a road trip, which Ava learns is only for Deborah to procure an expensive pepper shaker from an antique dealer who hates her; the dealer refuses to sell the shaker unless Deborah apologizes for outbidding him years earlier on an expensive collection, which she refuses to do. On the way home, Deborah's car suffers a flat tire; she has a friend pick her up in a helicopter, leaving Ava behind. Ava gets a faulty tire replacement and returns to the antique store, where she acquires the pepper shaker by threatening to break one of the other items in the dealer's shop. Deborah is pleasantly surprised that Ava was able to procure the shaker. She later tasks Ava with digitizing her entire archive, comprising 40 years' worth of Deborah's performances. | ||||||
3 | 3 | "A Gig's a Gig" | Lucia Aniello | Lucia Aniello | May 20, 2021 | |
At the opening of a new pizza restaurant, Deborah is asked to do a photo op that references her burning down her ex-husband's house decades earlier. When Ava tells her it is degrading, Deborah feels insulted, and retaliates by going on a tour bus and publicly making fun of Ava for sending nude photos to her ex-girlfriend. While sorting through Deborah's archive, Ava opens a package from Deborah's sister Kathy that she finds in the trash. She discovers old clippings from Deborah's early career, including a Time cover story regarding her upcoming, but ultimately unaired pilot for a late-night talk show (which would have made Deborah the first female late-night host). Ava finds a tape of the unaired show and laughs at Deborah's jokes for the first time while watching the video, becoming emotional when a young Deborah thanks her husband and sister for their support. She is unaware that Deborah is eavesdropping on her, before quietly slipping away. | ||||||
4 | 4 | "D'Jewelry" | Desiree Akhavan | Joanna Calo | May 20, 2021 | |
After Deborah refuses to pitch her daughter DJ's jewelry line to QVC, Ava goes with DJ to a trade show and the two bond over their mutual resentment. Ava learns that DJ pays paparazzi to take unflattering photos of her mother to sell, then discovers that Deborah allows it to happen so DJ can earn a living. Deborah and her manager Marcus go to Marty's daughter's bat mitzvah, where Deborah tries and fails to convince Marty not to cut her dates. Marty and Deborah drink together and nearly kiss, but Marty's young girlfriend Ivy walks in. Deborah flatters her into secretly giving her a tour of Marty's home while taking photos of Marty's art and possessions. Later, Ava calls her mother to finally come clean about having lost her television deal but hangs up when her mother panics about Ava's financial stability. Once Ava returns to the hotel, Deborah calls her to ask about her hotel bills, and they end up watching TV together over the phone and making jokes. | ||||||
5 | 5 | "Falling" | Paul W. Downs | Andrew Law | May 27, 2021 | |
Deborah uses the photos of Marty's possessions – which he paid for using company funds – to blackmail him into restoring her weekend tour dates. She then spends the night getting drunk at the casino bar rather than working on her comedy material. Ava meets a man, George, with whom she instantly bonds; the two spend the night taking drugs, exploring Las Vegas, and having sex. They also run into Ava's former writing partners, who inform her no one wants to work with her not because of her offensive tweet, but because she is selfish. George convinces Ava to stop working for Deborah; an intoxicated Ava leaves a voicemail for Deborah announcing she is quitting. The following morning, Ava finds that George committed suicide by jumping from the hotel window; authorities inform her George was escaping elder fraud charges and spent the last of his money in Las Vegas before killing himself. Ava decides to keep her job and frantically rushes to Deborah's home to apologize for the voicemail but learns that Deborah did not use her phone all night. Deborah has Ava join her for a spa retreat. | ||||||
6 | 6 | "New Eyes" | Lucia Aniello | Lucia Aniello & Paul W. Downs & Jen Statsky | May 27, 2021 | |
While Deborah is unconscious from painkillers she receives for cosmetic surgery at the retreat, Ava attempts to unlock her phone to delete the incriminating voicemail. Ava learns that Deborah's phone is unlocked via facial recognition; when the camera fails to recognize Deborah due to her swollen, bandaged face, Ava uses Deborah's wax replica at Madame Tussauds to unlock the phone and delete the voicemail. Upon returning to the spa, Ava takes edibles with Deborah. While high, Deborah admits that Frank fabricated the claim that Deborah burned down his house out of jealousy for cheating on her with Kathy, and that she incorporated the rumor into her comedy routine after the public refused to believe her pleas of innocence. Ava encourages Deborah to update her comedy material by sharing the truth about not just the fire, but who she really is. Ava suffers abdominal pain and winds up in the hospital with a ruptured ovarian cyst. When she awakens, Deborah agrees to slowly make her comedy more reflective of the truth; she and Ava laugh together as Deborah shares other stories. | ||||||
7 | 7 | "Tunnel of Love" | Desiree Akhavan | Katherine Kearns | June 3, 2021 | |
Ava and Deborah attend DJ's birthday party, during which DJ announces her engagement to Aidan, a mixed martial artist she recently met. Things go well until dinner, when all of the guests are invited by DJ to make speeches. After toasting her daughter and admitting her regret over how their relationship has deteriorated, Deborah insists that she sign a prenuptial agreement. DJ refuses, and her mother proceeds to loudly embarrass her in front of all the attending guests. Ava privately consoles DJ by suggesting that she make decisions for herself rather than for her mother's approval. In response, DJ decides to marry Aidan that night, and has Ava drive them to a drive-through chapel to perform the ceremony inside the car. Ava broadcasts the ceremony on her phone so Deborah can witness it. Marty and Deborah dance and share drinks at her house, which results in the two of them having sex. | ||||||
8 | 8 | "1.69 Million" | Paul W. Downs | Pat Regan | June 3, 2021 | |
The morning after sleeping with her, Marty informs Deborah that her residency at the Palmetto is being terminated. An enraged Deborah enlists Ava's help in planning an impromptu show at a local comedy club so they can workshop new material. At the club – which has hosted Deborah since the beginning of her career – Ava is dismayed to learn that its late former owner, Ira, was known for sexually harassing female comics with impunity. When Ava asks Deborah why she never reported the harassment, Deborah is offended at the idea that she did not do enough for female comics in the industry. However, Deborah then notices the club's current owner, Drew, making inappropriate sexual comments towards her warm-up act. During her set, she condemns Drew onstage and offers him $1.69 million if he promises to leave the industry for good. Drew accepts, leading to cheers and applause from the crowd. Ava gets a call from Kayla, Jimmy's assistant at the talent agency, who tells her she has landed Ava a lucrative interview with a high-profile British production company in Los Angeles. | ||||||
9 | 9 | "Interview" | Lucia Aniello | Samantha Riley | June 10, 2021 | |
In the middle of planning Deborah's final show at the Palmetto, Ava leaves to go to her interview with the producers in Los Angeles, lying to Deborah that she has a doctor's appointment. While there, she reconnects with her ex-girlfriend. Marcus finds out through Ava's sublet tenant the real reason why Ava is in Los Angeles; already envious of Ava's relationship with Deborah, he calls Jimmy and lies that Deborah knows about this and is angry with Ava. Jimmy calls Deborah to apologize, inadvertently revealing to her Ava's deception. Ava impresses the two producers interviewing her and is hired on the spot. However, she rejects the offer after learning that the producers want to create a show about a "crazy" woman and are only interested in Ava because they want her to share slanderous stories about Deborah as material. Upon returning to Las Vegas, Ava learns that Deborah cancelled her pre-show, leaving no time to rehearse her performance. | ||||||
10 | 10 | "I Think She Will" | Lucia Aniello | Ariel Karlin & Jen Statsky | June 10, 2021 | |
While preparing for her final show, Deborah confronts Ava over taking the Los Angeles interview and says she is eschewing the new material in favor of her usual routine. The two argue; when Deborah slaps Ava for calling her a "hack", Ava quits her job. Ava later calls Kayla asking for the email address of the producers she met with in Los Angeles so she can sell them information on Deborah. Deborah promotes Marcus to CEO of her business. Before going onstage, she unwraps a gift Ava left for her: a framed magazine cover titled "Will Deborah Vance Make History?" with a handwritten note from Ava reading "I think she will." Moved by the gesture, Deborah decides to perform the new material onstage. Ava, meanwhile, flies to her parents' home in Boston for her father Dennis's funeral. Deborah suddenly appears and livens up the eulogy with humor, helping the guests reminisce about Dennis. Later, back at home, Ava apologizes to Deborah, who informs her that although her final Las Vegas show was a failure, she sees potential in the material and wants to go on tour with Ava to improve it. Ava happily accepts, but receives a call from Jimmy while boarding her flight asking why she sent an email slandering Deborah to the production company. |
Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky developed the idea for Hacks on a road trip in 2015. [1] The three worked together previously on Broad City , and Aniello and Downs are romantic partners. [1]
HBO Max ordered the pilot for Hacks, a single-camera comedy series, from co-creators Aniello, Downs, and Statsky in January 2020, [2] and then picked it up for a 10-episode order in May 2020. [3] The series is co-executive produced with Michael Schur (Fremulon), and David Miner and Morgan Sackett (3 Arts Entertainment). Hacks is produced by Universal Television. [3]
On February 8, 2021, Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder were announced as the two lead cast members and Carl Clemons-Hopkins was announced as a main cast member. [3] Additional recurring cast members were also announced: Kaitlin Olson, Christopher McDonald, co-creator Paul W. Downs, Mark Indelicato, Poppy Liu, Johnny Sibilly, Meg Stalter, and Rose Abdoo. [3]
The series premiered on May 13, 2021, with the release of episodes one and two. [4]
The first season received critical acclaim. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an 100% approval rating based on 74 critics’ reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critics consensus states, "A prickling debut that pulls few punches, Hacks deftly balances its sharp critiques of the comedy world with more intimate moments, all the while giving the incomparable Jean Smart a role worthy of her talents – and an excellent partner in Hannah Einbinder." [5] Metacritic calculated a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 based on 24 critics. [6]
Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
American Cinema Editors Awards | 2022 | Best Edited Comedy Series | Susan Vaill (for "1.69 Million") | Won | [7] |
American Society of Cinematographers Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in an Episode of a Half-Hour Television Series | Adam Bricker (for "There Is No Line") | Nominated | [8] |
Art Directors Guild Awards | 2022 | Excellence in Production Design for a Half Hour Single-Camera Television Series | Jon Carlos (for "Primm") | Nominated | [9] |
Costume Designers Guild Awards | 2022 | Excellence in Contemporary Television | Kathleen Felix-Hager (for "There is No Line") | Nominated | [10] |
Critics' Choice Television Awards | 2022 | Best Comedy Series | Hacks | Nominated | [11] |
Best Actress in a Comedy Series | Jean Smart | Won | |||
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Hannah Einbinder | Nominated | |||
Directors Guild of America Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series | Lucia Aniello (for "There Is No Line") | Won | [12] |
GLAAD Media Awards | 2022 | Outstanding New TV Series | Hacks | Won | [13] |
Golden Globe Awards | 2022 | Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy | Hacks | Won | [14] |
Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy | Hannah Einbinder | Nominated | |||
Jean Smart | Won | ||||
Golden Reel Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – 1/2 Hour – Comedy or Drama | Brett Hinton, Marc Glassman, Ryne Gierke, Samuel Munoz, Noel Vought, Jason Tregoe Newman (for "There Is No Line") | Nominated | [15] |
Gotham Awards | 2021 | Breakthrough Series – Short Format | Hacks | Nominated | [16] |
Outstanding Performance in a New Series | Jean Smart | Nominated | |||
Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | 2021 | Best Streaming Series, Comedy | Hacks | Nominated | [17] |
Best Actress in a Streaming Series, Comedy | Jean Smart | Won | |||
Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Series, Comedy | Hannah Einbinder | Won | |||
Kaitlin Olson | Nominated | ||||
Peabody Awards | 2021 | Entertainment | Hacks | Won | [18] |
Primetime Emmy Awards | 2021 | Outstanding Comedy Series | Jen Statsky, Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, Michael Schur, David Miner, Morgan Sackett, Joanna Calo, Andrew Law and David Hyman | Nominated | [19] [20] |
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Jean Smart (for "1.69 Million") | Won | |||
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Carl Clemons-Hopkins (for "New Eyes") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Hannah Einbinder (for "I Think She Will") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series | Lucia Aniello (for "There Is No Line") | Won | |||
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series | Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky (for "There Is No Line") | Won | |||
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | 2021 | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Jane Adams (for "I Think She Will") | Nominated | [19] |
Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series | Jeanne McCarthy and Nicole Abellera Hallman | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour) | Adam Bricker (for "Primm") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Contemporary Costumes | Kathleen Felix-Hager and Karen Bellamy (for "There Is No Line") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series | Susan Vaill (for "Primm") | Nominated | |||
Jessica Brunetto (for "There Is No Line") | Nominated | ||||
Ali Greer (for "Tunnel of Love") | Nominated | ||||
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour) | Jon Carlos, James Bolenbaugh and Ellen Reede Dorros (for "Primm") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation | John W. Cook II, Ben Wilkins and Jim Lakin (for "Falling") | Nominated | |||
Producers Guild of America Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Comedy | Jen Statsky, Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, Michael Schur, David Miner, Morgan Sackett, Joanna Calo, Andrew Law, David Hyman, Joe Mande, and Jessica Chaffin | Nominated | [21] |
Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Rose Abdoo, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Paul W. Downs, Hannah Einbinder, Mark Indelicato, Poppy Liu, Christopher McDonald, Jean Smart, and Megan Stalter | Nominated | [22] |
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Jean Smart | Won | |||
Set Decorators Society of America Awards | 2021 | Best Achievement in Decor/Design of a Half-Hour Single-Camera Series | Ellen Reede Dorros and Jonathan Carlos | Won | [23] |
Television Critics Association Awards | 2021 | Program of the Year | Hacks | Nominated | [24] |
Outstanding Achievement in Comedy | Nominated | ||||
Outstanding New Program | Nominated | ||||
Individual Achievement in Comedy | Jean Smart | Won | |||
Writers Guild of America Awards | 2022 | Comedy Series | Lucia Aniello, Joanna Calo, Jessica Chaffin, Paul W. Downs, Cole Escola, Janis E. Hirsch, Ariel Karlin, Katherine Kearns, Andrew Law, Joe Mande, Pat Regan, Samantha Riley, Michael Schur, Jen Statsky | Won | [25] |
New Series | Lucia Aniello, Joanna Calo, Jessica Chaffin, Paul W. Downs, Cole Escola, Janis E. Hirsch, Ariel Karlin, Katherine Kearns, Andrew Law, Joe Mande, Pat Regan, Samantha Riley, Michael Schur, Jen Statsky | Won |
Jean Elizabeth Smart is an American actress. Her work includes both comedy and drama, and her accolades include six Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and nominations for a Tony Award and a Grammy Award.
The TCA Award for Program of the Year is an award given by the Television Critics Association. It was first presented in 1985 with British television serial The Jewel in the Crown being the first recipient of the award. The category includes both drama and comedy television series as well as limited series.
Paul W. Downs is an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is the co-creator, co-showrunner and one of the stars of the critically acclaimed HBO Max series Hacks, for which he has received a Golden Globe, Peabody Award, and three Primetime Emmy Awards, among others. Downs first gained attention for his role in the Comedy Central series Broad City, which ran for five seasons and for which he was also a writer, director and executive producer.
Jen Statsky is an American television writer and comedian known for her work on Hacks, The Good Place, Parks and Recreation, and Broad City. She is the co-creator and co-showrunner of the critically-acclaimed HBO Max series Hacks, for which she has received a Primetime Emmy, Peabody Award, and multiple WGA Awards, among others.
Lucia Aniello is an Italian-born American director, writer, and producer best known for her work on Hacks, for which she won multiple Emmy Awards, and Broad City. She has directed and written episodes of both shows, as well as the miniseries Time Traveling Bong and the 2017 film Rough Night.
Mare of Easttown is an American crime drama television miniseries created and written by Brad Ingelsby for HBO. Directed by Craig Zobel, the series premiered on April 18, 2021, and concluded on May 30, 2021, consisting of seven episodes. It stars Kate Winslet in the title role, who investigates a murder in a small town outside Philadelphia. Julianne Nicholson, Jean Smart, Angourie Rice, Evan Peters, Sosie Bacon, David Denman, Neal Huff, James McArdle, Guy Pearce, Cailee Spaeny, John Douglas Thompson, and Joe Tippett appear in supporting roles.
Station Eleven is an American post-apocalyptic dystopian fiction television miniseries created by Patrick Somerville based on the 2014 novel of the same name by Emily St. John Mandel. The miniseries premiered on HBO Max on December 16, 2021, and ran for ten episodes until January 13, 2022.
Johnny Sibilly is an American actor and producer. His work includes roles in Pose, The Deuce, Hacks and the Queer as Folk reboot on Peacock.
The Staircase is an American biographical crime drama television miniseries created by Antonio Campos, based on the 2004 true crime docuseries of the same name created by Jean-Xavier de Lestrade. The series stars Colin Firth as Michael Peterson, a writer convicted of murdering his wife Kathleen Peterson, who was found dead at the bottom of the staircase in their home. The series premiered on HBO Max on May 5, 2022.
Minx is an American comedy television series created and written by Ellen Rapoport and starring Ophelia Lovibond and Jake Johnson for HBO Max and later Starz. It aired from March 17, 2022 to September 8, 2023.
Hacks is an American comedy-drama television series created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky that premiered on May 13, 2021, on HBO Max. Starring Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, and Carl Clemons-Hopkins, the series centers on the professional relationship between a young comedy writer and a legendary stand-up comedian. In June 2021, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on May 12, 2022. In June 2022, the series was renewed for a third season, which premiered on May 2, 2024. In May 2024, the series was renewed for a fourth season.
Hannah Einbinder is an American comedian, actress, and writer known for starring in the Max series Hacks, for which she received nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards.
Carl Clemons-Hopkins is an American actor, best known for portraying Marcus on the Max comedy-drama series Hacks (2021–present). They were nominated for the 2021 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for the role.
"There Is No Line" is the pilot episode of the American comedy-drama television series Hacks. It was directed by Lucia Aniello and co-written with Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky. The episode establishes the plot of the series, which centers on comediennes from different generations who are thrust into a working relationship after separate circumstances threaten their careers. The episode premiered on streaming network HBO Max on May 13, 2021 with an approximate running time of 29 minutes.
"New Eyes" is the sixth episode of the first season of HBO Max comedy-drama series Hacks. It was directed by Lucia Aniello and co-written with Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky. The story follows Ava and Deborah working on new stand-up material at the luxury spa where Deborah recuperates after an eye lift. The episode has an approximate running time of 32 minutes and was released on May 27, 2021.
"1.69 Million" is the eighth episode of the first season of HBO Max comedy-drama series Hacks. It was directed by Paul W. Downs and written by Pat Regan. The plot follows Deborah Vance's stand-up appearance at a legendary Sacramento nightclub where she cut her teeth in her early career and Ava's dismay at the casual sexism that Deborah experienced but never challenged. The episode guest stars Anna Maria Horsford as another veteran comedian. It was released on June 3, 2021, and has an approximate runtime of 31 minutes.
The second season of the HBO Max streaming comedy-drama television series Hacks debuted on May 12, 2022, and concluded on June 2, 2022. It consists of eight episodes, each with approximate runtime of 30–35 minutes. The season centers Deborah Vance perfecting material for her new stand-up show, in which she shares previously unrevealed information about her personal life. In an effort to become a better person, Ava gets a "dumb phone" and swears off alcohol. The season received critical acclaim. Jean Smart won her second successive Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.
"The Click" is the sixth episode of the second season of American comedy-drama television series Hacks and the sixteenth overall. It was co-written by Aisha Muharrar and Joe Mande and directed by series co-creator Paul W. Downs. In the episode, Deborah has a one night stand with a much younger man that helps her perfect her new stand-up show. "The Click" was released on May 26, 2022 on HBO Max and has an approximate running time of 34 minutes.