What’s the deal with this HBO comedy biz series? We’ll let you know all we know about Hacks, why Jean Smart is a legend, and when we’ll see it in Aotearoa.
UPDATED 27 APRIL
From ’80s comedy show Designing Women and early 2000s crime thriller 24 to recent classics Mare of Easttown and Watchmen, Jean Smart’s left one hell of a legacy. At the age of 70, she may have just reached the height of her powers with HBO comedy biz series Hacks.
Smart plays Deborah Vance, a stone-cold legend in the Las Vegas comedy scene. As the reluctant mentor to entitled 25-year-old Ava (relative newcomer Hannah Einbinder), the pair have to work past the desire to kill each other for their own sake. Vance is losing ticket sales. Ava’s in hot water for a dicey tweet. With their pitch-black comedy powers combined, they can potentially joke their way out of trouble.
If you watched that video above in its entirety, you will not be shocked to learn Smart won an Emmy for her whip-cracking comedic performance. Showrunners Lucia Aniello, Paul W Downs, and Jen Statsky also earned Emmys for their writing and Aniello for her directing. On top of all that, the show got a stack of Emmy nominations including Outstanding Comedy Series as well as acting nods for Einbinder, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, and Jane Adams. No wonder it got a second season.
After a long wait, we’ll finally see Hacks in Aotearoa on TVNZ On Demand from May 12. The first two episodes of Hacks: Season 2 will premiere on that date alongside the entire first season.
