‘Hacks’: Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder Flawlessly Exit Their Modern Comedy Classic With Great Wit and Heart 

Alci Rengifo

HBO Max’s “Hacks” ends its run as an example of how to flawlessly pull off a comedy series. That may sound a bit hyperbolic, but the material not once lost its stride in five seasons. Credit can of course be given in large part to the great chemistry between stars Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, but the writing itself never abandons its consistency. At its heart, this series has always been about that unique relationship between a mentor and pupil. Such a relationship can be much more complicated than it sounds, because affection and competitiveness suddenly coexist. Season five brings it all home, framing its characters’ journey as one that is ultimately about what friendship truly means.

Fittingly, the final round opens with our heroes in crisis. Comic legend Deborah Vance (Smart) has been blocked from doing TV or online work by media boss Bob Lipka (Tony Goldwyn), who has forced the performer to sign a non-compete clause. Eager to prove she’s not out of the game, Deborah tells her team that includes Jimmy (Paul W. Downs), Kayla (Megan Stalter), and Randi (Robby Hoffman), to secure her an Emmy, Oscar, or Tony award. While this feat is pretty much impossible, it still leads to Jimmy asking Ava to write up a big hit that could become a franchise. Deborah and Ava will need to scheme around Lipka’s enforced conditions, whether by leaking stories to the press about Deborah’s romance with a younger musician (Christopher Briney), to even trying out reality television. The big goal will be to mount a sold out show in Madison Square Garden. The larger challenge is having the friendship survive up to that point.

As tends to happen with the final seasons of most series, “Hacks” winds it down by also nodding a lot to past characters, cameos and storylines. Yet, it works very well because Deborah and Ava have come a long way since first meeting back in that glorious first season in 2021. Ava is now even more self-assured; an episode makes the point of their growing equality by pondering how they would work as a lesbian couple. Deborah will host an endearing 30th birthday party for Ava, complete with every Jack In the Box menu item as part of the buffet, while still sniping with her about each other’s fashion sense. Like Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel, their relationship has matured into a combination of love and tension. The industry is rapidly changing as well, so friendships will matter even more. A subplot involving Jimmy and Kayla struggling to keep their agency going drives the point home. 

Showbiz defines these comedians’ lives but unlike other approaches, “Hacks” successfully makes space for personal quirks and hilarious follies. Ava goes on a date with a Las Vegas sex worker and insists she won’t assume they will sleep together just because of what he does for a living. Marcus (Carl Clemons-Hopkins) gets asked out by a woman who doesn’t realize he’s gay. Deborah meanwhile gets some nice closure with her on-off romance with Marty (Christopher McDonald). The other common, and relevant, themes like ageism are naturally still present. Some of the writing also takes aim at the rise of AI, which is expected at a time when nearly everyone in the industry is grappling with the topic as seen recently in “The Comeback.” What matters in the end is Deborah getting to Madison Square Garden to break records and prove that with a potent talent, age is indeed just a number. Ava meanwhile has become a true master of her form, no doubt thanks to the lessons and thick skin working with a legend can bring. 

The stinging wit of “Hacks” and the devastating showdowns between the leads are the fuel of its great energy, so some fans might be divided over the very heart-tugging nature of the eventual finale. After accomplishing some great feats audiences will enjoy discovering for themselves, Deborah drops some news on Ava that is clearly designed to inspire our eyes to moist. This is not a minus on the writing’s impact because Smart and Einbinder are so sincere in how they play out the material. Ava and Deborah may have journeyed together in the story, but these actors have no doubt built up a whole world of memories and experiences from making such a special show for several years. The final hug of the season feels like a genuine moment between the artists. We feel it too, like when you’re saying goodbye to co-workers you became attached to. “Hacks” says goodbye as one of the great recent comedies, always capable of making us laugh hard and now reach for the tissue as well.

“Hacks” season five begins streaming April 9 on HBO Max.