As the dust starts to settle on Hacks' latest Emmys — Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series for the show's star, Jean Smart – its growing legions of fans know Hacks season 4 is on the way. It was announced just hours after the season three cliffhanger finale was aired, so answers to all the questions it raised are on the way. But when?
No date has been announced — although, based on previous season launches, May 2025 looks like a good bet — but, in the meantime, Smart's prolific career means there are plenty of chances to enjoy her many different and memorable TV and movie roles, from Frasier Crane's alluring but abrasive childhood crush to Babylon's (2022) waspish gossip columnist whose pen dictates the fate of tinsel town’s biggest stars.
With numerous other awards keeping company with her three Emmys for Hacks (2021, 2022 and 2024) — a Golden Globe and a SAG among them — there's clearly more to her than purely comedy.
Just as much at home with less sympathetic characters, and with an uncanny knack of turning little more than a cameo into something memorable and significant, she does both in the Ben Affleck-led thriller, The Accountant (2016), currently on Netflix in the UK (in the US it's available to rent via various services including Prime Video).
Casting a dark shadow over the action as the steely-eyed executive who hires Affleck's maths savant to examine her company’s finances, she's also frustrated by his constantly impenetrable expression. For a high-flyer, who always has to be in control, it's torture. Smart is part of an impressive supporting ensemble which also includes J K Simmons, John Lithgow and Jeffrey Tambor. Anna Kendrick and Jon Bernthal also star. A sequel to the film, currently known as The Accountant 2, finished shooting in August and, while some of the original cast are back for a second go-round, there’s no sign of Smart.
Perhaps Deborah Vance is keeping her too busy. While she's not confirmed for season four of Hacks, it's hard to imagine the show without her— or, indeed, without Hannah Einbinder as her protégé, Ava. With Vance set to embark on the biggest stage of her career, the future could be very different for Ava and there are other loose ends to be tied up as well. Plus the series’ showrunners have said they planned on a five season run. Stand by for even more surprises.
Hacks is exclusively on Max in the US (meaning you need a subscription to watch) and on Prime Video in the UK.
