No one saw thatHacksSeason 4 twist coming, not even the showrunners. Creators Lucia Aniello, Jen Statsky, and Paul W. Downs sat down for the official Max (soon to change its name back to HBO Max again… no, we’re not kidding)breakdown of Season 4, Episode 9. In it, they talk about Deborah’s self-serving tendencies, and how, because of that, they debated what they were going to have her do regarding — and massive spoilers ahead — the ultimatum she was issued to either fire Ava, or get kicked off the air.
Deborah and Ava have always been at each other’s throats, something which has arguably been the most reliable source of conflict (and comedy) on the show. So, fans were well within their rights to expect Deborah to do what she has always done and prioritize her bottom line over her writing partner. But she didn’t!She chose to sacrifice her lifelong dream of hosting a late-night talk show to preserve her relationship with Ava. Let’s get into why Lucia, Jen, and Paul decided to reform “this narcissist,” and how decreased tension between the duo could affectHacksmoving forward into a possible 5th (and final!) season.
How Far We’ve Come Since ‘Hacks’ Season 3
If you traveled back in time to May of last year and toldHacksviewers that Deborah would put her entire career on the line for Ava next season, they would never have believed you. To recap, Deborah had just demoted Ava to a lower-ranking position on her writing staff, afraid of making waves with the executives who’d offered much more established Head Writer picks. This caused a devastated Ava to make an uncharacteristically shark-y move and blackmail Deborah for the job. WhileHackswas always more “dramedy” than straight comedy, thishinted at a markedly darker,Veep-like tonefor the show’s future.
‘Hacks’ Season 4 Is as Brassy & Brilliant as Ever
Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder are at their finest this season, which tracks comedy legend Deborah Vance’s foray into late-night.
For much of Season 4, the two’s relationship was at a fraught fever pitch, just as the previous season had foreshadowed. For five episodes, fans watched as the typical banter between the pair devolved into bitter, even cruel, fighting. So when they finally made up in Season 4, Episode 6, fans were cautiously optimistic. Fans had been jerked around so much that they had no reason to believe that this time would be different from all the other times thetoxic (pseudo) couplegot back together. That is, until the penultimate episode of the season.
Deborah, confidently and yet surrendering with humility, proclaimed, “This was the dream. But the dream changed, and so did I,” on national television. Deborah dismantled everything she ever worked for in one fell swoop, and in her characteristically subversive fashion, this time for the greater good. Here’s how the showrunners decided on this twist:
Jen: “We wanted the audience in Ava’s head, asking, ‘Has she really changed? Or is she always going to be this narcissist who looks out for number one…”
Lucia: “She made an emotional choice. Which is so unlike her.”
Jen: “It is kind of the inverse of the emotional choice in (Episode) 309 because she’s acting out of fear, and now she’s acting out of a different emotion.”
Paul: “It’s love. The way we thought about the industry when we were down for the (WGA) strike really impacted Season 4. Letting the feelings come out through Deborah was a really cathartic thing.”
‘Hacks’ Will End With Season 5
It’s official.Hackshas just been renewed for a new season, which means the dynamic duo will be back to deliver more laughs, more tears, and more commentary on what it is to be an artist in an industry that increasingly values metrics over creativity, and optics over authenticity. The showrunners always planned for five seasons, according to Jean Smart in an interview withDeadline. “They said they had five seasons of this in their heads, but that was it,” said Smart.
It makes sense. In the season finale, we saw a brutal, yet arguably fair, conversation between Deborah and Ava, wherein Deborah reminded Ava that she had spent the better part of her 20s working for her. She should dedicate her time to making friends her own age. However, Deborah is quickly confronted with her legacy in the form of a misprinted obituary. So, she keeps Ava on the hook for one final chapter of their story. But where can it go, given the restrictions of Deborah’s non-compete clause with the late-night network?
If You’re Not Excited About Robby Hoffman in ‘Hacks’ Season 4, You’re Not Paying Attention
‘Hacks’ is back, and Season 4 is filled with hilarious guest stars and comedic cameos.
Well, we know from Season 4, Episode 9 and Season 4, Episode 10 that Deborah was all but silenced for 18 months. One option is that she finds another contractual loophole, the very one that led to her biding her time telling jokes through a translator in Singapore. Another is that she leverages the fact that she slept with head-of-network Bob Lipka and blackmails him. Sure, it wouldn’t be a good look for her either, but maybe she’ll take a page from Nora Ephron’s book, like she told her friend Mayor Jo to do, andmake it her joke. The last is thatHacksdoesa time jump, showing her hatching a new plan over the course of, say, 12 months, which she eventually unveils in the series finale. Discover which direction they take asHacksis streaming onMax.
