where to watch: HBO Max
when to watch: when you’re looking for some GOOD TV.
you should note: a very female-driven show
tl;dr: A veteran Vegas comedian and a young LA writer who cannot agree on anything begin working together.
Hi, I know, yes, it’s been a long time.
But holy SHIT, Hacks is good. Easily my favorite thing I’ve watched this year, and possibly one of my favorite shows of all time. It’s funny, compelling, and extremely well-written.
the premise
An HBO Max original, Hacks is follows the working relationship between a legendary Las Vegas comedian and a young, fresh, entitled comedy writer. After Ava loses her job on a show because of a distasteful tweet, she can’t find any work in LA. Meanwhile, Deborah Vance, a comedian with one of the longest Vegas residencies, is on the verge of being replaced by Pentatonix. Ava and Deborah have the same agent, and he thinks he can kill two birds with one stone by getting them to work together. One problem—neither party is the slightest bit interested. Deborah writes her own material, and Ava thinks she’s too good to work with some ancient Vegas hack.
It’s a classic set-up. The veteran and the newbie, two people who never agree but eventually become friends. But a few things about Hacks makes a basic premise one of the most engaging shows I have watched.
the characters
Surprise, surprise, the first thing that makes this show work so unbelievably well are its two main characters.
Both Deborah and Ava are very specifically sketched out. Ava is a messy, entitled, super ambitious twenty-five year old. Her sensibilities and opinions tread the line between reality and parody of the modern LA millennial/Gen-Zer brilliantly. Hannah Einbinder embodies a special type of self-righteous, performative, filter-less asshole with her cutting, condescending delivery.
Deborah Vance is something else entirely. She has a giant mansion, regularly surpasses her state of Nevada allotted water limit, spends an obscene amount on collecting antiques, and calls her friend who has a helicopter when she gets stuck in the desert with a flat tire. She’s almost offensively rich, and lives like it. Jean Smart is absolutely brilliant in the role.
Both of our leads are…kind of a little horrible. They have messed up relationships with almost everyone in their lives, and both are ruthlessly self-serving. But their shortcomings as human beings is exactly what makes for interesting TV. In some ways, working together is like holding up a mirror–they both realize their own flaws by seeing them in each other. And though they might think only of themselves, they both (especially Deborah) have their reasons for being that way. They’re not bad people.
Beyond the two outstanding leads, Deborah’s favorite croupier Kiki and the loopy assistant Kayla are just two of the standout hilarious side characters. And I would be remiss not to mention Deborah Vance’s wack daughter, Deborah Jr., played by Kaitlin Olson.
The weakest link in the show is the arc with Deborah’s COO, Marcus. He’s a classic workaholic who can’t prioritize anything else above work, and it costs him. It’s a fine arc, but one that has been done before. Still, Marcus has his quirks so even that storyline is engaging enough. When the show as a whole is so good, even the weaker aspects are highly watchable.
the humor and the writing
The humor in Hacks is understated. It isn’t sitcommy, it comes from casual one-liners, either because the person saying the line is an entirely ridiculous human who says ridiculous things, or because, well, it’s a show about two comedians. Usually, it comes from both. The humor is the type that makes you want to pause the show to fully comprehend the full impact of what was just said.
And it all works because even though the characters are kind of ridiculous, no one is trying to be ridiculous. No one is trying to be funny. They just are.
A show like this, in as crazy a setting as Vegas, could easily have leaned into the gaudiness or gone for an over-the-top, loud tone. Instead, the approach of the show to its subjects is very low-key. And not to mention, the comedians are extremely jaded and far from naive.
Take a ridiculous, flashy person like Deborah, in a ridiculous, flashy setting like Las Vegas. Add an ‘edgy’ and decidedly anti-flash young writer. Film the whole thing in a way that feels real and lived in, with as little flash as possible. That is the brilliance of Hacks.
Go watch this, and tell me what you think! There are so many killer lines in this show, and I cannot wait to discuss them.