No jokes here. HBO Max has renewed Hacks — its series starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder about an aging comedian who's fighting to keep what she's got — for a second season.
"I am absolutely thrilled we are picked up for a second season and I told Hannah it’s 'No more Miss Nice Guy; from now on it’s Bette and Joan! And guess who’s BETTE??!!' "
Never mind that Einbinder's character, Ava, in all likelihood probably would have no idea who Jean or her character, Deborah Vance, was referring to. That Odd Couple relationship is what drives Hacks, though. Ava is the daughter Deborah wish she had. Maybe. Probably. (You'll see what we mean in the latter part of the season.) And as Ava discovers, Deborah isn't some washed-up has-been living out the rest of her days with a Las Vegas residency.
Hacks is as touching as it is dark. And just when it starts to make you feel things, it rips that band-aid right off and pours some salt in there. And not in a gentle way.
"We knew immediately that [showrunners] Lucia [Aniello], Paul [W. Downs] and Jen [Statsky] brought us a winner," said Sarah Aubrey, head of original content at HBO Max. "We couldn’t be happier about the tremendous response from our viewers and critics alike, and we salute the executive producers; Jean, Hannah and the rest of the brilliant cast; and our partners at Universal."
The final two episodes of the first season of Hacks drop on June 10. Until then, check out our review of Episodes 7 and 8.
