(L to R) Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart in Season 4 of ‘Hacks’. Photograph by Courtesy of Max.
‘Hacks,’ which has been a huge, award-winning success for the Max channel, is returning to our screens this month with its fourth season.
The show stars Jean Smart as Deborah Vance, a legendary comedian who has built an empire out of her darkly honest stand-up routines and enjoys a residency at a swanky Las Vegas hotel and casino.
But when her aging material sees her pushed out of her prime slot, Deborah begins to face the realities of modern comedy. Her agent suggests pairing her with younger, slightly neurotic comedy writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), who initially has trouble finding common ground with the pushy, diva-tastic Vance.
Yet they make the odd partnership work, Ava helping to rejuvenate Vance’s following and Vance in turn giving Ava a real grounding in how the business works.
(L to R) Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart in Season 4 of ‘Hacks’. Photograph by Courtesy of Max.
In the latest season, tensions rise as Deborah and Ava endeavor to get their late night show off the ground and make history doing it.
The cast also includes Paul W. Downs as Jimmy, Deborah and Ava’s ambitious but nervous manager and Megan Stalter as Kayla, his chaotic assistant-turned-partner at the management firm they have launched together.
Downs also co-created the show with Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky and together they run the series, with Downs and Aniello also directing some episodes.
Max held a virtual press conference with Smart, Einbinder, Stalter, Downs, Aniello and Statsky. Here are 10 things we learned at that press conference, edited for clarity and length. ‘Hacks’ Season 4 will debut with its first two episodes on Max on April 10th.
1) The fourth season finds Deborah feeling the pressure of launching a late night show
(L to R) Jean Smart and Helen Hunt in Season 4 of ‘Hacks’. Photograph by Courtesy of Max.
Smart’s character starts having unusual crises of confidence in her new role as talk show host.
Jean Smart: She definitely has something. The pressure gets to her. I give credit to the to the writing for that. It continually amazes me that they are able to find more and more for us and, and also keep this dynamic going, because I think that’s a lot of the fun for the audience is this relationship and the fact that they’ve been able to keep that the way they have, because that was my biggest fear after the first season, was that, well now that they’re kind of friendly and working together, is that going to be as much fun for the audience 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!
Some of Deborah’s fears are manifested as coyotes appearing in her dreams or hanging around her Los Angeles home.
Jean Smart: All of her fears have been turned into this creature, who keeps popping up, and living in California, they’re always this specter out in your yard. So I thought it was really a clever idea to have that be symbolic.
2) Einbinder’s character is also seeming different this season
Hannah Einbinder in Season 4 of ‘Hacks’. Photograph by Courtesy of Max.
Building off from Ava essentially blackmailing Deborah into giving her the head writer job on the new show, the season finds her in a fresh dynamic with her mentor.
Hannah Einbinder: I think Ava’s hand has been forced. A lot of people ask me, “has Ava turned bad?” No, I think she has to speak Deborah’s language. She still has her core, she retains that spirit but has to play ball. It’s been really cool to get to play the adversarial thing. Obviously when we have to fight, the director calls cut and we’re just [mimes hugging] “I’m sorry!” But it’s fun to traverse this winding road with the two of them.
3) The house used for Deborah’s Los Angeles residence was lost to the fires
Jean Smart in Season 4 of ‘Hacks’. Photograph by Courtesy of Max.
The production had thankfully finished shooting in the mansion before the wildfires destroyed it.
Jean Smart: The beautiful mansion that was built in 1930, I think. It’s been sitting there and untouched by fire for 100 years almost. And it burned. It was really sad. We had just finished shooting there, I think the week before. To envision those beautiful rooms and that, that beautiful fountain and the yard… The couple that lived there and their dog, they’re safe, thank God. But yeah, that was, that was shocking.
4) Downs, Aniello and Statsky didn’t have to look too far for subject matter this year
(L to R) Hannah Einbinder and Paul W. Downs in Season 4 of ‘Hacks’. Photograph by Courtesy of Max.
Downs explained the creative trio’s writing methods.
Paul W. Downs: We have a Magic Eight Ball, and when we have an idea, we ask, “is it good?” [Laughs] No, we have been building this for a long time. We always knew we wanted Deborah to get her white whale, this late-night show. But like with stand-up, we’ve always said that this is a show about the wig-off moments. The behind-the-curtain moments. So there is a lot of behind-the-scenes drama and comedy that happens at a late-night show. It was really fun to explore that, and also to write what you know as writers writing a comedy show. It was easy!
Aniello appreciated the new setting as something to spur creativity.
Lucia Aniello: It was a fun, fresh challenge to be able to write the two of them in an office setting, so whether they’re arguing about coffee makers or about HR or hiring, it just feels fun to put them in that scenario because that’s a scenario the rest of the world knows more than potentially some comedians.
5) While the show is usually shot in Los Angeles, it headed to Vegas for a longer stint this season
Jean Smart in Season 4 of ‘Hacks’. Photograph by Courtesy of Max.
The vast majority of ‘Hacks’ is shot in L.A., but with Deborah’s home base in Vegas, it would often spend a day or two there per season. In the new season, an entire episode was filmed in the city across days.
Jen Statsky: We feel really lucky to have shot in L.A. for four seasons now. It’s a testament to our amazing production team that so many people are, “oh, you moved to Vegas for five months, right?” And we’re, “no, every season we’ve only done one or two days there.” So this season, that third episode was the most time we ever spent in Vegas because, we just felt like it was a really fun setting for a writers’ retreat.
6) But don’t worry if you’re a fan of the Vegas characters in Deborah’s sphere…
(L to R) Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart in Season 4 of ‘Hacks’. Photograph by Courtesy of Max.
Even given the L.A. setting and changed circumstances for some of the characters, fan favorites will still show up.
Downs: This is not a spoiler. We absolutely see DJ [Played by Kaitlin Olsen], Deborah’s daughter, this season. We’ll see Kiki played by Poppy Liu. It’s really important to us to keep our ensemble and the ecosystem that is around Deborah Vance, always there. Obviously, to greater or lesser degree, depending on the story. We really come at it story first and character first. It’s actually very true to the life of someone like Deborah who is this star, that she moves around and her world moves with her.
7) Megan Stalter is loving Jimmy and Kayla’s own new dynamic
(L to R) Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs in Season 4 of ‘Hacks’. Photograph by Courtesy of Max.
With Downs’ Jimmy having proposed the new company to Kayla at the end of season three in a scene that spoofed romantic comedies, the latest episodes find them figuring out the new professional partnership.
Megan Stalter: I really tear up when I think about last season. Jimmy chooses Kayla. She gets her guy. He’s finally, “I can’t do this without you.” It’s romantic. I hope in the next season she gets pregnant. I don’t think that –– I don’t want her to hook up with Jimmy –– I want her to get pregnant, and then Jimmy has to take the role of father, I think I want him to step up as the father. But all that to say is, I think Kayla is living her dream in this season, being able to be in some sort of power and having her guy by her side. She’s on top of the world. I don’t think it’s romantic between them. Again, if he was in love with someone, she would kill them. I think that he doesn’t want them to be together. But she does want to have a family with him.
8) Jean Smart prefers support to tough love, unlike Deborah’s style
(L to R) Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder in Season 4 of ‘Hacks’. Photograph by Courtesy of Max.
Smart related a personal experience to how she prefers directors and others interact with actors, in opposition to Deborah’s more abrasive tactics with Ava.
Smart: I have a 16 year old and he’s in the drama department at his school, and he just finished this weekend playing a part in the school musical. Of course he stole the show. I don’t know where he got that, I can’t imagine! But his teacher can be verbally abusive, and it’s very upsetting as a parent, and I don’t agree with it either. As an actor, I’ve never had that in my experience. I don’t see how you can possibly get good results out of somebody or have someone be able to work in that environment. I guess it’s sort of the cliche of the crazy directors screaming and yelling or the drama teachers saying you need to suffer for your art. It’s, “why? I don’t!” I never got that. Or it’s, “tell us your most private moment. It’ll make you a better actor.” “Really? No, I don’t think so. Just tell me what to say, thank you. It’ll be fine. Just calm down.” I like warm and cozy.
Einbinder has a slightly different take.
Einbinder: I will say like I have a background in athletics, we’ve all had coaches. I think I do like having like that coach dynamic a little at times. But I think that can also exist with support.
9) Jean Smart balks at being asked about women getting along on set
(L to R) Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder in Season 4 of ‘Hacks’. Photograph by Courtesy of Max.
Smart rejects the idea that women naturally feud, and is clearly tired of the question being asked a lot.
Smart: I’ve always found it a little bit insulting that people have this idea that women can’t get along, and that men do. I’ve found that strange. I remember a million years ago when I was doing ‘Designing Women‘; people used to ask us that constantly: “Wow. What’s it like on the set with four women? Oh, boy, that must be tough!” I said, “Do you guys ask the ‘Barney Miller’ cast that question?” I find that really bizarre.
10) Smart knows what keeps her tethered even as she wins awards and acclaim.
Jean Smart accepts the Best Actress in a Comedy Series award for ‘Hacks’ onstage during the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards at Fairmont Century Plaza on March 13, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images for Critics Choice Association.
Smart is under no illusions as to how people see her, but she’s just trying to live and work.
Smart: Who said I was grounded? It’s a dreadful thing to say! [Laughs] I used to say, especially when my kids were younger, “I think of myself as a housewife with a really weird job.” But I know certainly that’s naive to say that in a way, I know that the outside world, as we put it, the civilian world, they look at our job as being very exciting and sometimes, God knows it is. But I think we have kids and a house and that keeps you grounded.
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What is the plot of ‘Hacks’ season 4?
In season 4, tensions rise as Deborah (Jean Smart) and Ava (Hannah Einbinder) endeavor to get their late night show off the ground and make history doing it.
The 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards will air Sunday, February 23rd on Netflix. Photo: Netflix.
Preview:
Movie actors Timothée Chalamet and Kieran Culkin won at the 2025 Screen Actors Guild Awards.
On the TV front, ‘Shogun’ did well, taking three awards.
The event was held on Sunday night at the Shrine Auditorium.
This year’s movie awards season is careening towards its conclusion with next weekend’s Oscars, but this Sunday was the turn of the actors, with the Screen Actors Guild Awards, broadcast for the second time on Netflix and hosted once again by Kristen Bell.
With the focus, a little like the Critics Choice before it, on Los Angeles and the incredible impact of the wildfires on the city and its environs this year, there was time for a tribute to the first responders who fought the flames and provided aid.
But actors being actors, this was mostly a chance to celebrate, well, acting, as Bell launched into a monologue –– parodying a song from ‘Frozen,’ which we suppose she’s one of the few people who can still get away with that after this many years –– to look at various actors’ early jobs.
The 31st Screen Actors Guild Awards will air Sunday, February 23rd on Netflix. Photo: Netflix.
Otherwise, it was award show business as usual –– trophies were handed out, speeches read and jokes attempted.
The main movies up for ensemble had their casts out “presenting” each title, and those seemed particularly awkward, with little evidence of rehearsal or prep.
Other presenter duos seemed like they’d been imbibing or were simply nervous, with David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson stumbling through their spiel and even the steps in presenting an award. For reference, it goes read nominees, wait for nominee intro list, read winner.
As for those who claimed awards, there were the predictable ones: Kieran Culkin accepted yet another trophy for ‘A Real Pain’ and if there’s a nailed-on prospect for an Oscar, he’s surely at the top of the list. His rambling speech also began one of the night’s running gags, with several winners (and at least one presenter) referring to how heavy the “actor” award statuette is. Zoe Saldaña added more hardware for her trophy cabinet for ‘Emilia Pérez’, while cast members of ‘Shōgun,’ ‘Baby Reindeer’ and ‘The Penguin’ won more awards.
The nominations for the 31st annual Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards were announced on the morning of Wednesday, January 8, 2025. Initial plans to stream the nominations live with hosts Joey King and Cooper Koch were canceled due to the horrific fires that are ravaging the greater Los Angeles area, with the list of nominees posted online instead.
The nominees on the motion picture side provided a further twist to the impending Oscar race, as ‘Emilia Perez’ – which walked away with four prizes at last Sunday’s Golden Globes ceremony – continued to rack up multiple nominations, including Best Ensemble, Best Female Lead Performance for Karla Sofía Garcón, and Best Female Supporting Performance for Zoe Saldaña.
But while the Globes’ other big winner, ‘The Brutalist,’ was represented here by a sole nomination for Adrien Brody in Best Male Lead Performance, the musical fantasy ‘Wicked’ was a SAG favorite, with nominations for Best Ensemble, Best Female Lead Performance for Cynthia Erivo, Best Female Supporting Performance for Ariana Grande, and Best Male Supporting Performance for Jonathan Bailey.
Also a surprise: while Jeremy Strong got the nod in the Best Male Supporting Performance category for his malevolent turn as Roy Cohn in ‘The Apprentice,’ star Sebastian Stan did not land a nomination for either his star turn in that or ‘A Different Man,’ for which he won the Golden Globe on Sunday.
On the television side, ‘Shōgun’ followed its Emmys and Golden Globes winning streak with four nominations, including Best Ensemble in a Drama Series, two Best Male Actor nods, and a Best Female Actor nom. Additional multiple nominees in both the ensemble and individual acting categories included ‘The Bear,’ ‘The Diplomat,’ and ‘Hacks.’
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The 31st annual Screen Actors Guild Awards will stream live globally on Netflix from the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall on Sunday, Feb. 23, 2025, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
Sebastian Stan and Demi Moore were among the winners.
If 2024 represented a stumble for the scandal-prone Golden Globes, this year’s awards ceremony appeared to be much more back on form –– host Nikki Glaser kept things moving, while being funny even when it came to controversial subjects –– and there were some surprises in store for winners.
A big factor this year were indies scoring big –– well, if you can call ‘Emilia Perez’ an “indie” since it was produced by Netflix –– but the likes of ‘The Brutalist,’ ‘I’m Still Here’ and ‘Conclave’ all took home awards.
On the bigger scale, ‘Wicked’ could only conjure one win, while indie animated movie ‘Flow’ overtook the heavier hitters in its category.
Following last year’s shambles of a hosting gig by comedian Jo Koy, this Globes was in much surer hands thanks to Nikki Glaser, who dipped her toe into controversial topics –– the sex scandals of Sean “Diddy” Combs, politics –– but also managed to raise laughs and keep the ceremony moving.
It might not have been the most hilarious or memorable monologue/set, but it was a definite uptick.
When it came to the matter of the election, Glaser was scathing:
“You’re all so famous, so talented, so powerful. I mean, you could really do anything, except tell the country who to vote for.”
The Diddy crack came when she was referring to Zendaya’s role in ‘Challengers’:
“That movie was more sexually charged than Diddy’s credit card. I mean, seriously. Oh no, no, I know, I’m sorry, I’m upset too, the afterparty’s not going to be as good this year, but we have to move on!”
Finally, there was her skit mashing up ‘Wicked’ with ‘Conclave’ for the song ‘Popeular.’ “You’re gonna love this,” she announced, and it seemed to go over well, except perhaps with Elton John (no part of either movie) who didn’t seem to understand what it was all about.
‘The Brutalist’ and ‘Emilia Perez’ Enter the Awards Chat
Despite being 215 minutes, Brady Corbet’s ‘The Brutalist’ was among the big winners, taking home the drama award, Best Director for Corbet and Lead Actor–Drama for star Adrien Brody.
Netflix’s ‘Emilia Pérez,’ meanwhile, won four Globes, including best picture (comedy/musical), supporting actress for Zoe Saldaña, international feature and original song (“El Mal”).
On the acting front, Sebastian Stan was a worthy winner for ‘A Different Man,’ while ‘Wicked,’ which went into the evening with four nominations, only took home the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement gong. ‘Anora,’ which has won trophies from lots of other awards bodies, was shut out.
These wins don’t guarantee success come Oscar night, but they certainly give the movies some momentum.
Possibly the most emotional and celebrated win of the night was Demi Moore finally scoring an award for her lead performance in satirical horror movie ‘The Substance.’
Whether it came because the Globes loves to A) reward a big star and B) can’t resist a comeback story, Moore’s award was nevertheless deserved thanks to her committed, prosthetics-heavy work in Coralie Fargeat’s story of beauty and paranoia.
Her speech was heartfelt and pointed all at once:
“Thirty years ago I had a producer tell me I was a popcorn actress and at that time I made that mean that I wasn’t allowed to have this, that I could do movies that were successful and made a lot of money but that I wouldn’t be acknowledged, and I bought in and I believed that. A few years ago I thought that this was it, maybe I’ve done what I was supposed to do and then I had this magical bold courageous out of the box absolutely bonkers script come across my desk called ‘The Substance’ and the universe told me you’re not done.”
Moore’s family –– including daughter Rumer Willis –– erupted with joy while watching at home, which you can see below via Instagram.
It wouldn’t be the Golden Globes –– or indeed any awards ceremony –– without a few clunkers on the presentation front. This year’s ceremony included an odd camera angle (which Seth Rogen commented on).
Falling somewhere between funny and entirely awkward (as always) on the presentation side was Vin Diesel, handing out the Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement award –– somewhat fitting given his leadership of the wildly successful ‘Fast & Furious’ franchise.
Diesel took the stage and immediately referenced Dwayne Johnson, with whom he’s famously been in a feud (though it seems to have thawed in recent times). “Hey Dwayne…”
The Rock gave no response save his megawatt smile (he’d previously scored a big laugh introducing the first award of the night and referring to how they used some of his chest hair for Timothée Chalamet’s ‘A Complete Unknown,’) but the level of tension certainly revved up a touch.
Fernanda Torres was a somewhat surprising (yet worthy) winner for the non-English language Brazilian drama ‘I’m Still Here.’
Taking the stage to collect Lead Actress in a Drama, Torres referenced her mother, who was nominated for the same trophy for her role in ‘Central Station’ more than two decades ago.
“She was here 25 years ago, and this is proof that art can endure through life, even in difficult moments like this. ‘I’m Still Here’ is a film that can help us to think how to survive in tough times.”
‘Matlock’s Kathy Bates, nominated in the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Series – Drama, ultimately lost to Anna Sawai of ‘Shōgun.’
The veteran actor was naturally supportive of Sawai and applauded her win, and has Sawai took the stage, Bates was glimpsed tearing up her now-unnecessary acceptance speech, albeit with more good humor.
Bates needn’t worry –– since ‘Matlock’ has already been renewed for Season 2, she’ll have other chances. And it’s not like she doesn’t already have an Oscar on her mantle.
With some hefty competition, including this year’s most successful box office release, ‘Inside Out 2,’ ‘Flow’ was the slightly surprising winner in the Animated Film category.
Not because it isn’t good –– it certainly is –– but because it hadn’t enjoyed quite the exposure of, say, Disney’s behemoth or DreamWorks’ ‘The Wild Robot.’
Writer/director (and various other tasks) Gints Zilbalodis paid tribute to his collaborators:
“This film is made by a very small, young but passionate team in a place where there isn’t a big film industry. This is the first time that a film from Latvia has been here, so this is huge for us. This is a very personal story for me because I used to work alone. I made all my films myself but this time I worked with a team and just like the cat in ‘Flow,’ I had to learn how to trust others, how to collaborate, how to overcome our differences and I think it’s very important to remember this nowadays, more than ever.”
‘Shōgun’ was also triumphant once again, nabbing three awards, while ‘Hacks’ was similarly rewarded with two, including Jean Smart once again.
Such was the lack of surprise at ‘The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White taking Best Performance in a Male Actor –– Musical or Comedy that Allen wasn’t even present to collect his trophy (though that might have something to do with his filming commitments to Bruce Springsteen biopic ‘Deliver Me from Nowhere.’)
It was certainly a better night for the Globes than 2024, though while the success of winners such as ‘The Brutalist,’ ‘Emilia Perez’ and actors including Moore and Stan don’t necessarily point to potential Oscar chances (the Globes traditionally don’t have a great track record of predicting the bigger awards), it was at least less embarrassing.
There remains a whiff of unfortunate corporate influence and some questions over the validity of the voting process, but this was by all reasonable metrics, a success.
‘The Brutalist’ and ‘Emilia Perez’ were the big winners at the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards, winning Best Motion Picture in both their categories in addition to other major prizes.
Comebacks and upsets were the theme of the evening, as Demi Moore won her first award ever and surprise winners captured other categories.
Following last year’s disastrous hosting gig by Jo Koy, stand-up comic Nikki Glaser steadied the ship with a smooth, funny, if unspectacular performance as emcee.
‘The Brutalist’ and ‘Emilia Perez’ were the biggest movie winners at the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards on Sunday, January 5, with the international journalists of the Golden Globe Foundation bestowing some of their biggest prizes on two of the more anti-commercial films of the season. A number of other highly hyped favorites like ‘Anora’ and ‘Wicked’ were largely shut out, while other major prizes went to a variety of smaller independent releases.
‘The Brutalist’ walked away with Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Director for Brady Corbet, and Best Male Actor – Drama for Adrien Brody, while ‘Emilia Perez’ snagged Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Supporting Actor – Female for Zoe Saldana, Best Original Song for ‘El Mal,’ and Best International Motion Picture.
Neither film is what one might first think of as popular cineplex fare. ‘The Brutalist’ is a 3 ½ hour period epic about a brilliant architect and Holocaust survivor who struggles to find his place after landing in America following World War II, while ‘Emilia Perez’ is a musical about a Mexican cartel boss who transitions into a woman. ‘The Brutalist’ is just finding its way into theaters now, while ‘Emilia Perez’ has been streaming on Netflix since November. “We were told the film was undistributable, that no one would go see it,” said Corbet as he accepted Best Motion Picture. “No one was asking for 3 ½ hour film about a designer on 70mm. But it works.”
Moore, winning her first award of any kind in her long career, gave an impassioned and emotional speech in which she all but admitted that she never thought her work would receive any sort of acknowledgement beyond her ability to sell tickets:
“In those moments when we don’t think we are smart enough or pretty enough, or skinny enough or successful enough or basically just not enough, I had a woman say to me just know you will never be enough you can know the measure of your work if you just put down the measuring stick.”
She also revealed that she thought her best days as an actor might be behind her, a fear echoed by Adrien Brody in his equally emotional acceptance speech. “There was a time when I thought this would not be afforded to me again,” said the actor, who won an Oscar two decades ago for his portrayal of another Holocaust survivor in “The Pianist.”
Rousing speeches were among the highlights of the night, with Stan also acknowledging the difficulty of making films like ‘A Different Man’ and the Donald Trump biopic ‘The Apprentice,’ for which the Marvel star was also nominated for his portrayal of the convicted felon and once-and-future president. Meanwhile, director Jon M. Chu, accepting the Globes’ award for Best Cinematic and Box Office Achievement – most popular movie, in other words – for ‘Wicked,’ insisted on “how important making this stuff is, when pessimism and cynicism rule the planet right now.”
Aside from that award, ‘Wicked’ was shut out of other major prizes, as were Oscar favorites like ‘Anora,’ ‘Nickel Boys,’ and ‘A Complete Unknown,’ all of which went home empty-handed. ‘Conclave’ earned the screenplay prize, while ‘Challengers’ composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross won for Best Score and Kieran Culkin earned Best Supporting Actor for ‘A Real Pain,’ the latter one of the few awards of the night which seemingly has a lock on an Oscar win as well.
On the TV side, ‘Shogun’ was the behemoth of the evening, walking away with three acting prizes as well as Best TV Series – Drama, while ‘Hacks’ won for Best TV Series – Comedy or Musical and ‘Baby Reindeer’ earned the trophy for Best Limited Series. The latter beat out ‘The Penguin’ in that category, although Colin Farrell, as widely expected, did earn the award for Best Male Actor – Limited Series for his portrayal of the title Gotham City crime boss.
As for the Golden Globes show itself, host and stand-up comic Nikki Glaser was a largely smooth and entertaining remedy for last year’s disastrous stint by stand-up Jo Koy, although Glaser did pull back on her usual raunchier fare with a succession of funny, if somewhat predictable, jokes about various members of the star-studded audience. But she proved herself more than capable of working what can be an often tough and raucous room.
Seemingly having weathered the various scandals that have plagued the organization and the voting body of the awards, the Golden Globe Awards are back to some measure of their former luster, and back in the business of rewarding what they see as the best of this past movie and TV season.
If anything, this year’s batch of movie nominees feel weighted towards the indie side of things, albeit several produced by the indie arm of big studios. Still, there were the big titles –– ‘Wicked,’ ‘Dune: Part Two’ present as always.
Despite its later arrival on the awards scene compared to some of the other nominees, ‘A Complete Unknown’ –– which stars Timothée Chalamet as Bob Dylan, scored some notable attention.
And even though it boasts a seemingly brutal (pun entirely intended) three hours and 45 minute running time (including an intermission!), Brady Corbet’s latest, ‘The Brutalist,’ also landed several nominations.
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The new category this year was “Cinematic and Box Office Achievement” which, (deep breath) is defined as “a gross box office receipt total of at least $150 million, of which $100 million must come from the U.S. domestic box office, and/or obtain commensurate digital streaming viewership according to recognized trusted industry sources within the qualifying year.”
Oh, and movies released after November 22nd get in based on projected box office and streaming views. Just in case you were wondering…
‘Gladiator II,’ meanwhile had to make do with showing up on the aforementioned Cinematic and Box Office Achievement list and, as could have been predicted, a Best Supporting Actor nod for Denzel Washington’s scene-stealing role.
The 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards is set to air live from the Beverly Hilton on CBS and stream on Paramount+ on Sunday, January 5th.
On the TV side of the nominees, it was business as usual also as some heavy hitters (‘Abbott Elementary‘ and ‘Only Murders in the Building‘) saw plenty of potential trophies added to the list.
Among the newcomers, ‘Shōgun’ was well represented, as was fellow awards darling ‘Baby Reindeer.’ ‘The Day of the Jackal’ was perhaps the most surprising new arrival, though it’s not all that shocking given the success of that show.
The Globes are also the place where network TV gets more of a look in, with ‘Matlock’ among those up for awards.
Full list of TV nominations:
Best Television Series – Drama
Eddie Redmayne as the Jackal in ‘The Day of the Jackal’. Photo: Marcell Piti/Carnival Film and Television Limited.
The 2024 Emmy Awards will air on ABC Sunday, Sept. 15th.
Preview:
‘The Bear,’ ‘Shogun’ and ‘Baby Reindeer were among the big winners at the 2024 Emmys
‘Hacks’ was a surprise winner.
Dan and Eugene Levy hosted the night.
It might have been the second Emmys of 2024 (thanks to the strike-delayed first landing in January of this year), but otherwise it was business as usual for the TV Academy’s awards show.
Though there was the standard bout of repetition (‘The Bear’ won 11 awards, breaking its own record), while Billy Crudup and Jean Smart won more awards (for ‘The Morning Show’ and ‘Hacks respectively), there was still room for some surprises –– Lamorne Morris triumphed in the Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie category for ‘Fargo’ over Robert Downey Jr. for ‘The Sympathizer,’ while talking of ‘Hacks,’ it was the somewhat shocking (if welcome) winner in the Comedy Series arena over ‘The Bear.’
The other big winners were in the limited series category (even if one of them is in early development on its second season) as ‘Shogun’ and ‘Baby Reindeer’ nabbed multiple trophies. Jodie Foster won the first Emmy of her career for ‘True Detective: Night Country.’
(L to R) Annie Murphy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara and Daniel Levy in ‘Schitt’s Creek’. Photo: CBC Television.
Eugene and Dan Levy, the stars (and in Dan’s case, creator) of ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ hosted the evening, kicking off with a monologue that touched on the controversy of a constantly dramatic show like ‘The Bear’ dominating the comedy categories and the growing presence of big movie stars on TV thanks to the lesser episodic demands of streaming shows.
And the big watchword for the show could be “nostalgia,” since various categories were handed out by stars of former TV shows such as ‘The West Wing’ and ‘Happy Days’ or those who played particular types of characters such as cops or lawyers.
There was an impassioned, funny speech from John Leguizamo about representation on television and a welcome award for TV super-producer Greg Berlanti. More confusing additions? Having Jelly Roll perform the In Memoriam song.
Here, then, is the full list of winners for the evening:
(L to R) Sandra Diaz-Twine, Trishelle Cannatella, Chris ‘C.T.’ Tamburello, Alan Cumming, Kate Chastain, Mercedes “MJ” Javid in ‘The Traitors’. Photo by: Euan Cherry/Peacock.
The 2024 Emmy nominees were announced this morning.
‘Shogun’ leads the pack with 25 nominations.
Other big favorites include ‘The Bear’ and ‘The Crown’.
The 2024 Emmy Award nominees were announced this morning by ‘Veep’ veteran Tony Hale, ‘Abbott Elementary’ regular Sheryl Lee Ralph and Television Academy chair Cris Abrego in a ceremony at Los Angeles’ El Capitan Theatre in a ceremony that was also livestreamed.
And, as is typical for the Television Academy, it represents a scattering of returning big-hitters (‘The Bear’ and ‘The Crown’), but particularly, now the likes of ‘Succession’ have left our screens, the nominees list is dominated by popular newcomers, including ‘Shōgun’ and TV’s other buzziest series, the Netflix stalker drama ‘Baby Reindeer’.
The overwhelming presence of new shows can be chalked up one-two punch of writers and actors’ strikes, which delayed work on many potential big series –– the likes of ‘House of the Dragon’, ‘The White Lotus’ ‘Yellowjackets’ and ‘The Last of Us’ will all have to wait until 2025’s Emmy season.
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It was a very good day for cable channel FX, which scored the most nominations for its well-respected novel adaptation ‘Shōgun’.
Perhaps more surprising (though welcome) is the inclusion of series such as ‘Fallout’ –– who would have expected last year that a series boasting a post-apocalyptic blend of comedy, violence and gore would have made such an impact? And Apple’s spy series ‘Slow Horses’, which broke into the Emmy race with a handful of nominations, including for star Gary Oldman.
Among the biggest stories of this year’s nominees was Nava Mau, who became the first Latina trans nominee, scoring that for her supporting role in ‘Baby Reindeer’. Indeed, the Netflix limited series did about as well as expected, landing 11 total nominations including Best Limited Series.
On a more tragic emotional note is the nomination for the late Treat Williams, who died in a motorcycle accident in June last year. He’s posthumously nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series for his role in ‘Feud: Capote vs. The Swans.’
Here are the main categories. Who are you hoping takes home a trophy on September 15th, when the awards are handed out?
(L to R) Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart in ‘Hacks’ Season 3. Photograph: Beth Dubber/Max.
Debuting on HBO and Max with the first two episodes of its third season on May 2nd, ‘Hacks’ returns to our screens with more outrageousness from Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance and more conflicted, panicky support from Hannah Einbinder’s Ava.
While Smart continues to be the focus, Einbinder still proves she’s right there with her on the acting side of things, while the wider ensemble also brings fun elements to the story.
Jean Smart in ‘Hacks’ Season 3. Photograph: Hilary Bronwyn Gayle/Max.
If you were worried that ‘Hacks’ might be going off the boil in this third season, the new run of episodes (we’ve seen the whole season) proves that the creative team and cast still has what it takes to deliver consistent comedy.
Though one or two storylines might be getting a little more tired at this point, the vast majority of the narrative is still great, with Smart in particular able to deliver the killer lines she’s handed with all the attitude she has brought previously. Deborah Vance remains a fascinating creation –– ferociously funny, but also overbearing and, at times, monstrous. This season, the story explores more of her human side and vulnerability.
Hannah Einbinder’s Ava, meanwhile, continues to walk the line between sympathetic and annoying, her rekindled relationship with her ex-girlfriend a combination of grounded and frustrating.
‘Hacks’ Season 3: Script and Direction
(L to R) Jean Smart, Megan Stalter, and Paul W. Downs in ‘Hacks’ Season 3. Photograph: Jake Giles Netter/Max.
Created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs (who also appears on screen as Deborah’s embattled manager trying to start his own company) and Jen Statsky, ‘Hacks’ third season maintains the quality level we’ve come to expect from this series, carefully basing its comedy on human reactions while also continuing a solid line in prodding at celebrity excess.
This year’s major throughline includes a brand new potential opportunity for Deborah (one that we won’t spoil here), which allows her to show that even at her level, there are some things even she must truly fight for, especially as a female performer.
There are also some fun moments featuring yet more chaos from her daughter, DJ (Kaitlin Olson), who has her own revelation to drop on her mother, another fertile source for both comedy and drama. As with other storylines, this is powered not just by finding what will make you laugh, but also what will make you feel for these people.
The direction from the likes of Aniello, Downs and Michelle Ouellet continues to be perfectly fine –– unshowy and naturalistic, letting the script and the performances do the heavy lifting.
‘Hacks’ Season 3: Performances
(L to R) Megan Stalter, Paul W. Downs, Jean Smart, Mark Indelicato and Carl Clemons-Hopkins in ‘Hacks’ Season 3. Photograph: Eddy Chen/Max.
You can almost always rely on Jean Smart when she’s given the right sort of material, and Deborah really is a gift to the actress, who deploys nuclear level sarcasm when the moment calls for it, is completely believable as a comedian with a long career behind her (and the chops to power it) and, despite outrageous privilege thanks to her wealth, a hard working person with her own neuroses and issues to deal with. She might have houses in Vegas, LA and elsewhere, and fly where she needs to go via private jet, but she’s also filled with concern about how she hasn’t done right by members of her family.
And as Ava, Einbinder continues to be a human bag of nervy energy, worried about how her life is shaping up and, in the early going, seemingly happy to be out of Deborah’s circle. Their legal issues last season would seem to mean that she’s able to move on, but ‘Hacks’ wouldn’t really be ‘Hacks’ without their dynamic at its heart, so of course she’s back working for her before too long. And thank goodness, as the Ava storyline outside of Deborah, while it has some fun moments, is nowhere near as satisfying.
Hannah Einbinder in ‘Hacks’ Season 3. Photograph: Eddy Chen/Max.
Around the main pair orbits their various friends, family, colleagues and hangers-on. Prime among them is Downs’ Jimmy, aided (sometimes) by show breakout Megan Stalter as Kayla, the world’s worst assistant –– now his partner in his new company. While a little of Kayla goes a long way, the writers’ know when to deploy her. And Downs continues to bring Jimmy to life as a constantly frustrated nebbish.
We would also be remiss if we didn’t shout out ‘Succession’ veteran J. Smith Cameron, who here plays Deborah’s long-estranged sister, a character a world away from Gerri Kellman. She’s superb in the role, twitchy and odd, but with clear regret towards what she did to Deborah.
‘Hacks’ Season 3: Final Thoughts
(L to R) Carl Clemons-Hopkins and Jean Smart in ‘Hacks’ Season 3. Photograph: Beth DubberMax.
‘Hacks’ is back, and that can only be a good thing. Though not everything continues to work as it once did, there is still much to recommend it, even without the Smart factor. It might not push the boundaries in terms of tone and character, but it’s not trying to be something along the lines of ‘Baby Reindeer’.
Taken on its own terms, and thanks to its primary performances, ‘Hacks’ is still one of the best traditional comedies on TV.
‘Hacks Season 3’ receives 7.5 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the story of ‘Hacks’ Season 3?
A year after parting, Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) is riding high off the success of her standup special while Ava (Hannah Einbinder) pursues new opportunities back in Los Angeles.
But as Deborah pursues a new opportunity and Ava returns to her orbit, how will their strained relationship affect their lives?
Michelle Yeoh in ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’ Photo Credit: Courtesy of A24.
With the Golden Globes in the rear view, attention turned to the awards––or at least their nomination announcement––chosen exclusively by Hollywood’s acting community, the Screen Actors Guild awards.
Because of the large size of the voting body, the SAG awards tend to be a decent pointer to who could be looking at an Oscar for acting, or at the very least, a nomination.
So you’ve got to feel sorry for Tom Cruise today, as neither he nor his ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ cast made the list. Though it does seem more likely that the movie has a shot at a Best Picture nomination and plenty of technical nods at the Academy Awards, the chatter about Cruise’s performance and the warm reception for the likes of Glenn Powell and the other ‘Top Gun’ ensemble hasn’t translated into acting kudos here.
Many of the main categories are the expected batch of returning names (Cate Blanchett, Viola Davis for example) plus the breakthroughs such as ‘Elvis’ Austin Butler and ‘Till’s Danielle Deadwyler. ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’, led by cast members Brendan Gleeson, Colin Farrell, Kerry Condon and Barry Keoghan, is a clear favorite and seems likely to pick up several trophies.
Also dominating categories as it has in other awards nomination list is ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’, with most of the main cast scoring nods this time. Adam Sandler is also something of a surprise, though his performance in basketball drama ‘Hustle’ has won plenty of praise.
Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Fabelmans’ was among the ensemble nods, and Paul Dano was nominated for his leading role, but there was something of a shock as Michelle Williams, whose work as a character based on the director’s mother has been both nominated and won elsewhere but didn’t even crack the nominations here.
Brendan Fraser continues to score support for his performance in ‘The Whale’, which also saw a nomination for co-star Hong Chau, but surprisingly not for its ensemble, which also includes Samantha Morton and Sadie Sink.
Conversely, ‘Babylon’ notched zero nominations for the separate likes of Margot Robbie and Brad Pitt (who have appeared on other lists) but did appear in the ensemble section. It’s perhaps telling that ‘Babylon’, which has largely fizzled at the box office, is having a quieter awards season despite being a more recent release than some of its competition.
On the TV side of the list, there were also few surprises, though Taylor Sheridan’s ‘Yellowstone’ casts are starting to make more of an impact.
But while it was good to see the nominations for ‘Better Call Saul, it remains an outright crime that Rhea Seehorn isn’t on the list for her work as Kim Wexler.
Much like the movies, there was the standard mix of people who have won plenty of awards before (Julia Garner of ‘Ozark’, for example, or the ‘Only Murders in the Building’ cast) and those whose shows are brand new ‘The Bear’, which has been an awards favorite so far.
Taron Egerton in “Black Bird,” premiering globally July 8, 2022 on Apple TV+.
The list of TV nominations is below…
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
