There is Jimmy. And Jimmy. Seth and Steven. And if the world of Hacks were real, Deborah Vance would also be a member of that elite club of the late-night television hosts.
As Season 4 begins on Max, Jean Smart’s Vance has achieved her life-long dream of hosting a network late-night TV show after decades of performing in Las Vegas and on stages around the world. Not to mention the success she’s had with her own line of merchandise on QVC.
But grabbing that brass ring and settling into the job has proven harder than Deborah could ever imagine as a former ally becomes her biggest foe.
Yes, young Ava Daniels, played by Hannah Einbinder has also clawed her way to a top position on the show as head writer. And now the two have claws out for each other, jeopardizing everything they have achieved at large costs for both of them.
During a news conference before the season premiere, Smart talked about the shape-shifting of their relationship, a new tense dynamic in which each seeks to control the other.
“It continually amazes me that the writers are able to find more and more for us because I think that’s a lot of the fun for the audience,” Smart said. “My biggest fear after the first season was that now that they’re kind of friendly and working together, is that going to be as much fun for the audience to sort of see them butting heads? But it’s amazing to me that it continues in the same vein and just gets better and better… and meaner and nastier.”
Deborah hasn’t changed much, although we’ve seen her heart open a bit, but Ava certainly has. She was always rather rebellious yet kind of cowed by Deborah until she took a page straight out of her mentor’s playbook and blackmailed her to get the job that she wanted.
“I think her hand has been kind of forced. And I think she still has her core. I think she still retains that spirit but just kind of has to play ball. And so it’s been really cool to get to play the adversarial thing.” Einbinder said.
Co-creator, showrunner and executive producer Lucia Aniello is also having fun playing in this new sandbox of the Emmy-winning comedy.
“It was a fun, fresh challenge to be able to write the two of them in an office setting whether they’re arguing about coffee makers or whether they’re arguing about HR or hiring,” she said. “And so it just felt like a really fun, fresh place in addition to the actual getting a show off the ground. And then, of course, dealing with the fallout of the blackmail.”
Although the new season is set in Los Angeles – where nearly all of the episodes have been shot– the third episode brings the key players back to Las Vegas, their comedic home.
“We just felt like it was a really fun setting for a writers retreat. And it’s also Deborah, as she’s feeling all this pressure, all the eyeballs, feeling the coyotes coming for her. She would want to retreat a little bit back to her castle where she feels comfortable,” said co-creator, EP and showrunner Jen Statsky.
Paul W. Downs is also aco-creator, EP and showrunner, but audiences know him best as Jimmy, the agent for both Deborah and Ava. He’s proud that from the beginning, Hacks wanted to tell stories of people who have been overlooked.
“We first started talking about the show being about female comedians and female standups who didn’t have the same accolades or the same opportunities that all of their male counterparts had, many of them who got late night shows,” Downs said. “And I think that’s true also of not just older people, but also women and queer people. And I think we want to center stories that haven’t been told. And I think that is central to what the show is about and hopefully why it resonates with people. Because even if you’re not in those demos, but you watch them and you feel for them because they’re portrayed so beautifully by Jean and all the other actors on the show. I just think it makes people feel more connected.”
You can connect with Hacks Thursday nights on Max.
