Before discussing Hacks season five, I would like to give some context into my relationship with the show. Hacks premiered in 2021 as one of the first highly acclaimed MAX (Known as HBO Max at the time) series. Having started watching the show at the time, it became one of my signature pieces of comfort television. The performances of Jean Smart and Hannah Einbender existed in the fantastical entertainment world, but had real humanity and heart. Over this five season journey, Hacks has undoubtedly hit numerous high and low points. Going into season five, Hacks is saddled with bringing this story to a close. The sole question remaining is, can it stick the landing?
Entering season 5 of Hacks, comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and her writer and friend Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) return to Las Vegas after a trip to Singapore at the end of last season. Their mission is to help Deborah cement a career defining legacy. This includes negating reports of Deborah’s death, and numerous trials and tribulations. Along the way, she has to call on friends both new and old to make her dreams a reality. What follows is a season of television that manages to reach a heartfelt, funny, and sincere conclusion. After a lackluster season three and four, that is a welcome return to form with occasional missteps.
What makes season five of Hacks a return to form is actually quite simple. This final season takes things back to basics. Even with the driving force of the plot (cementing Deborah’s legacy), the focus is on the depth of character interactions. It’s easy to see the love creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky have for the characters and this world. With this season being the show’s swan song, our creators (who also direct several episodes) give the cast room to shine. Even with certain story beats that admittedly feel out of left field, This leads to one of my overarching criticisms of this final season. Certain plot points have a sensation of being “wedged in” to the narrative.
Being a final season, closure is very much the overarching theme on display. That closure includes numerous more emotional journeys for the characters. Having spent five seasons with these characters, I would be lying in stating I did not feel the emotion of these moments. What is hard to ignore involves a shaking suspicion that certain twists feel like padding. That sense can be enough for some to become frustrated as the series reaches its conclusion. Like with every season of Hacks, this cast helps keep the experience an entirely pleasurable one. Such pleasures have to start with the best work of Jean Smart’s career as the titular character.
Over these scenes Smart has ridden a fine line with Deborah Vance. In moments, she can be the funniest and most charming person in the room. Whereas in others, she has to be an almost vile and deeply complex character. In season five nothing matters more to Deborah than solidifying her legacy. This drive she exudes pushes the season and her motivations in both dramatic and comedic directions. Such arcs for the character require Smart to walk a tight-rope of tones. She does the same here, taking things to a much more emotionally cathartic level in the process. The season requires Smart to go to heavy places, making for an engaging experience. Much like this season being a swansong, this is very much one for Jean Smart’s work in the series. So much so that her likely fifth Emmy nomination for the series (after being a seven-time career Emmy winner) seems inevitable. She makes Deborah funny, sincere, and complex in a way that’s hard to ignore.
With Hacks very much being a two-hander, Hannah Einbinder’s performance should not be overlooked. Her character Ava has been an admittedly tricky one too “like,” which is exactly the point. The chemistry Einbinder has with Smart is still very much a prickly rapport, but has a genuine earned sweetness. The character’s familiar clashing of old and new school sensibilities has some effective comedic moments. What is the most striking about Einbinder’s performance here is something others may consider a deterrent. The character remains strongly opinionated, but has evolved into a more emotionally rich person.. Her humanity and sympathy shines brightly, perfectly countering the vulnerability Jean Smart conveys.
Einbinder and Smart certainly share the screen time with Paul W. Downs and Megan Stalter. Jimmy (Downs) and Kayla (Stalter) have served as the B-side to the show’s cohesive story. Used primarily as comedic relief, their roles in earlier seasons were effective, but not substantive. In season five, both characters are given depth and a chance at an emotional catharsis. That is not just catharsis for themselves, but for any interaction they have over the season. Saying “catharsis” in describing them makes the proceedings sound dower. Whereas the characters are given moments of sincerity and humor, that element makes a big difference. It makes both characters’ story feel like more than a secondary plot, perfectly counterbalancing both Ava and Deborah.
If there are any other issues with Hacks final season, it involves the supporting cast. To be clear, It is great to see all of these supporting characters get a moment. Every single one manages a laugh. The problem is that there are so many characters, it sometimes feels like some get the short-shrift over others. It’s obvious to tell that the intent was to give everyone a send-off that feels wedged into the narrative. That is what makes highlighting a particular performance of this crop difficult. They are all effective in their intention but unfortunately struggle to be cohesive in the seasons arch.
Hacks season five is a welcome step up from both season three and four. Not only does it course-correct those seasons’ mistakes, but it gives the core cast moments to shine. Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder both deliver comical and comedic turns, with a genuine sense of finality. There is a sense that creators have a deep investment in Ava and Deborah’s story, giving them proper closure. For fans, the season will give them everything they want and then some. While some story elements could have tighter closure, the show allows its heart to shine. Allowing that heart to shine brightly makes Hacks season 5 a worthy conclusion that cements its own legacy.
Hacks Season 5 is now streaming weekly on HBO MAX.
Learn more about the show at the official site for the title.
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