Jean Smart as Deborah Vance in Season 5 of ‘Hacks’. Photo: Courtesy of HBO Max.
Arriving on HBO Max on April 6 with the first episode (of 10) is the fifth and final season of ‘Hacks’, which returns us to the world of caustic, charismatic comedian Deborah Vance, as brought to award-winning life by Jean Smart.
(L to R) Hannah Einbinder as Ava Daniels and Jean Smart as Deborah Vance in Season 5 of ‘Hacks’. Photo: Courtesy of HBO Max.
Like coming up with the perfect punchline for a stand-up routine, ending a TV series is no easy task. For ‘Hacks’, which charts the unlikely mentorship between Deborah Vance, a long-established, wealthy comedian, and Ava Daniels, a struggling younger comedy writer.
As the show has gone on, we’ve seen every shade of the professional relationship and personal friendship between the pair, from being in sync to very much not. But as the story comes to a close, there are certainly plenty of last laughs to be had.
Script and Direction
(L to R) Megan Stalter as Kayla, Hannah Einbinder as Ava, Mark Indelicato as Damien, Jean Smart as Deborah and Paul W. Downs as Jimmy in Season 5 of ‘Hacks’. Photo: Courtesy of HBO Max.
Show creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky (with the trio also directing the majority of this season’s episodes) bring a particularly entertaining dynamic to the screen with the show –– Deborah and Ava’s partnership is always a weird one, and the stories work well.
The team has also delivered on the wider world of ‘Hacks’, including Deborah’s employees and the various characters they interact with. As to whether the show wraps up in satisfying fashion, I’d have to say a qualified yes. One big plot point towards the end feels a little rushed, but on the whole, the season works.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Kaitlin Olson as DJ and Jean Smart as Deborah in Season 5 of ‘Hacks’. Photo: Courtesy of HBO Max.
Smart and Einbinder have been well awarded for their work, and the Deborah/Ava side of things has certainly entered a friendlier aspect as the story winds down. Which isn’t to say anything is complacent –– there is certainly rich comedy to be found here.
Downs as Ava and Deborah’s endlessly stressed manager Jimmy goes on his own journey here, with Megan Stalter once again stealing scenes as sidekick Kayla. And among the recurring guest cast, special mention goes to Kaitlin Olson (as Deborah’s daughter DJ, who has her own hilarious episode with her mother) and Lauren Weedman, who is always memorable as the wacky Mayor of Vegas.
Final Thoughts
Lauren Weedman as Mayor Jo in Season 5 of ‘Hacks’. Photo: Courtesy of HBO Max.
The idea of Deborah on a mission and how Ava helps/hinders her might feel a little familiar, but the creative team has found a welcome, warm way to wind down the series, featuring grace notes for recurring characters and keeping you invested in the main story.
‘Hacks’ Season 5 receives 78 out of 100.
(L to R) Jean Smart as Deborah, Carl Clemons-Hopkins as Marcus, Rose Abdoo as Josefina and Mark Indelicato as Damien in Season 5 of ‘Hacks’. Photo: Courtesy of HBO Max.
What’s the plot of ‘Hacks’ Season 5?
In the aftermath of mistaken and unflattering news reports that she passed away, Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and Ava (Hannah Einbinder) return to Las Vegas more determined than ever to secure Deborah’s legacy as a comedian.
Who stars in ‘Hacks’ Season 5?
Jean Smart as Deborah Vance
Hannah Einbinder as Ava Daniels
Carl Clemons-Hopkins as Marcus Vaughan
Megan Stalter as Kayla Schaefer
Paul W. Downs as Jimmy LuSaque Jr.
Mark Indelicato as Damien Asada Agosto
Kaitlin Olson as Deborah “DJ” Vance Jr.
Christopher McDonald as Marty Ghilain
(L to R) Jean Smart as Deborah, Poppy Liu as Kiki and Hannah Einbinder as Ava in Season 5 of ‘Hacks’. Photo: Courtesy of HBO Max.
The 77th Emmys hosted by Nate Bargatze will air on CBS and Paramount+ September 14th.
Preview:
‘The Studio’, ‘Hacks’ and more won at the Emmy Awards.
Noah Wyle and Britt Lower were named lead actors in a drama for their shows.
Nate Bargatze hosted the show.
This year’s Emmy Awards were held on Sunday night, and there were a lot of expected winners, including repeat appearances from Team ‘Hacks‘ (Jean Smart scored fourth award) and ‘The Traitors’.
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Nate Bargatze hosted –– but beyond a relatively fun opening monologue taking expected swipes at TV such as ‘The Bear’ qualifying as comedy rather than drama, he wasn’t all that impressive as emcee for the night. The only element that worked was a running total donation to the Boys & Girls Club of America he promised, which went up and down according to how well winners kept to a 45-second speech limit.
Stephen Colbert was the first presenter of the night, and in a nod to his show being cancelled by CBS (the channel that ran the ceremony this year), asked nominee Harrison Ford to get his resume to Steven Spielberg.
The directing for a Limited Series category featured five women to one man. Of course the man won it! ‘Adolescence’ overseer Philip Barantini took the trophy — the limited series itself won a clutch of awards.
(L to R) Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder in Season 4 of ‘Hacks’. Photograph by Courtesy of Max.
‘Hacks’ Season 4 receives 8 out of 10 stars.
Arriving on Max with its first two episodes on April 10th (a further eight arrive weekly except for one other two-episode block for Emmy eligibility reasons), ‘Hacks’ returns with a fourth season on the back of considerable awards success.
And there is good news for fans, who will find the show’s prickly, funny energy undimmed as the leads, played by Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, bicker and find ways to work together.
(L to R) Jean Smart and Helen Hunt in Season 4 of ‘Hacks’. Photograph by Courtesy of Max.
‘Hacks’ has become, on awards haul alone, one of the more successful comedies of recent years, all the more impressive when you consider that, outside of some network heavy hitters and the occasional surprise such as ‘Nobody Wants This,’ the genre has seemed to struggle.
And with Season 4 now arriving on screens, the pressure is on further, since ‘Hacks’ not only has to keep flying the genre flag, but has to live up to three successful previous seasons. It’s a relief to note, then, that the laughs keep coming, and the heart also remains in the show.
Script and Direction
(L to R) Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart in Season 4 of ‘Hacks’. Photograph by Courtesy of Max.
Perhaps the biggest plus for the new season is the spine of the Deborah Vance character facing up to the challenges of actually creating and hosting a new show in the competitive late-night sphere. She’s landed the white whale… now she has to make it work for her.
As usual, creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky have crafted an excellent throughline for the season, and are clearly comfortable with their two headstrong leads. The brash and veteran Vance facing off with the nervy, entitled Ava Daniels is one that keeps on delivering year after year.
And turning them into more conventional workmates, with concerns including what coffee machine to stock in the offices of the new show and recruiting/managing a group of fresh new writers works wonders on both a tension and comedy level.
(L to R) Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs in Season 4 of ‘Hacks’. Photograph by Courtesy of Max.
There is still the gently satirical look at life on different ends of the comedy writer spectrum, but the new dynamic also makes the traditional fall-out-make-up rhythm for Deborah and Ava work without feeling like it is treading over too familiar territory.
Though the new characters have yet to make much of an impression in the early episodes initially provided to press (they are, to be honest, smaller supporting roles designed to drive the comedy between the main duo forwards), they’re still fun.
And the team hasn’t forgotten about the carefully constructed world around Deborah and Ava, with the rest of the ensemble still enjoying solid storylines.
While ‘Hacks’ has never been a show to fall back on visual tricks, the directing team, led by Aniello in particular, always find ways to make it interesting, with Deborah’s panic nightmares about the show brought to screens in convincing fashion.
Cast and Performances
(L to R) Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart in Season 4 of ‘Hacks’. Photograph by Courtesy of Max.
There is a reason that Jean Smart has won so many trophies for playing Deborah Vance –– the role is such a good fit for her. And in Season 4, she continues to spit venom when needed, but still comes across as a rounded human being with her own hopes, ambitions and needs. A moment later in the season where she explodes in frustration about a big change in her staff and her business gives her such good material to chew on; and chew on it she does, that scene is going straight on the actor’s Emmy submission.
As Ava, Hannah Einbinder continues to walk the tricky path of the character potentially coming across as annoying and whiny and seeing her point of view. Like most of the characters, Ava has evolved as she’s spent time in Deborah’s orbit and Season 4 offers some prime moments, especially where she’s trying to justify her own sneaky way of becoming head writer on the new show –– and trying to assert her own power still.
Around the central pair, there is the delightful regular ensemble, especially co-creator Paul W. Downs as Jimmy, the endlessly frazzled and frustrated manager, who must wrangle both Deborah’s titanic ego and Ava’s many neuroses.
(L to R) Meg Stalter and Paul W. Downs in Season 4 of ‘Hacks’. Photograph by Courtesy of Max.
He, as ever is both helped and hindered by Megan Stalter’s Kayla, his former assistant and now his business partner in a new management company who he both cherishes and regrets ever dealing with. Stalter is a comedic sniper, channeling Kayla’s oddball energy and lighting up every scene she’s in.
The show also has the usual series of cameos, though those are something we won’t spoil –– they’re all entertaining, though, especially one returning character from an earlier season in a position of power where they really don’t belong, and who helps Deborah out of a tricky situation.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder in Season 4 of ‘Hacks’. Photograph by Courtesy of Max.
Some will accuse ‘Hacks’ fourth season of going through some familiar motions, especially in regard to Deborah and Ava, but the storyline of the late-night show and some fresh moments for several characters means it still works.
‘Hacks’ is one of the most reliable comedies on TV, and the new season does nothing to change that.
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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.
(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.
(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.
Awards season is rapidly reaching its endpoint with the Oscars just a couple of weeks away, and Sunday evening it was the turn of the Screen Actors Guild Awards to recognize performers’ work.
And like some other recent ceremonies, it was a case of some repeat winners continuing their triumph tour, with the likes of Michelle Yeoh and Brendan Fraser picking up more hardware for their trophy cabinets.
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Which awards did ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ win at the Screen Actors Guild ceremony?
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ has been on something of a rollercoaster ride this season and made SAG Awards history by becoming the first movie to win all four main film categories. The ensemble win was the icing on a cake that had already seen stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan (who has been getting up to accept plenty of awards this season so far) and Jamie Lee Curtis win.
The movie beat out ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’, which had been tipped to at least score something, given that Martin McDonagh’s film had earned the same number of nominations as ‘EEAAO’.
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What do the SAG Awards mean for the Oscars?
While they are limited in scope, the SAG Awards are certainly a boost for ‘Everything Everywhere’, which had lost out at a few recent ceremonies. Michelle Yeoh is still not a lock for Best Actress, but we can imagine bookies slashing the odds on Quan and ‘The Whale’s Fraser if they hadn’t already.
And finally, ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ picked up the Stunt Ensemble trophy, adding to its collection of largely technical recognition.
Monica Barbaro and Tom Cruise on the set of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ from Paramount Pictures, Skydance and Jerry Bruckheimer Films.
Here is the complete film winners’ list:
Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Jennifer Coolidge in HBO’s ‘The White Lotus.’ Photograph by Fabio Lovino/HBO.
Who won the TV categories at the SAG Awards?
On the TV front, Mike White’s ‘The White Lotus’ continued its sweep of awards, while there was disappointment ahead for team ‘Better Call Saul’, as Jason Bateman won another trophy for ‘Ozark’.
‘Abbott Elementary’ kept up its own win tally, though the show’s creator and star Quinta Brunson was pipped to the Comedy Actress post by perennial winner Jean Smart of ‘Hacks’. Despite much appreciation for them both, ‘Only Murders in the Building’ duo Steve Martin and Martin Short lost out again, this time to ‘The Bear’s Jeremy Allen White.
As for the TV Movie/Limited Series awards, it was a case of movie stars doing TV as Sam Elliott took home the trophy for ‘Yellowstone’ prequel ‘1883’ and Jessica Chastain was named Best Female Actress in the category for ‘George & Tammy’. Plus, much like the movie categories, the SAG Awards are among the few awards bodies that recognize achievements in stunt work, and team ‘Stranger Things’ took that prize.
Here are the TV winners…
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
(L to R) Jamie Lee Curtis, Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh, and James Hong in A24’s ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’
As awards season trundled onward, Sunday night saw the Critics Choice Association Awards handed out at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles.
The star-studded affair (albeit slightly less star-studded thanks to the super-spreader event that was the Golden Globes, which saw the likes of Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Gleeson and Colin Farrell all laid low with Covid) blends film and TV awards, and in an attempt to keep the running time to a strict three hours (successfully, as it stands) weirdly squashed together certain categories, which meant that the likes of ‘Barry’s Henry Winkler and ‘Abbott Elementary’s Sheryl Lee Ralph ended up taking the stage at the same time, and taking turns to give their speeches one after the other.
That was still better for those in some other categories, such as Cinematography and Best Animated Series, which were burned through in brief on-screen mentions without any of the recipients coming up to accept their trophies.
Hosted by Chelsea Handler, the show had the usual mix of celebrity presenters, memorably Seth Rogen, who joked that the CW, where the awards show was airing, had zero nominations at the ceremony.
It was another good night for the team behind ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’, which won five awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor for Ke Huy Quan, Best Editing and Best Original Screenplay.
Though the movie’s Michelle Yeoh had been predicted to repeat her run of wins as Best Actress, that award went to Cate Blanchett for ‘Tár’, as the Critics Choice Ceremony had the feel of Everything Wins Something.
Brendan Fraser in director Darren Aronofsky’s ‘The Whale’ from A24.
Brendan Fraser continued his own winning streak, offering up an emotional speech as he accepted Best Actor for ‘The Whale’. Angela Bassett gave a stirring speech as she took home Best Supporting Actress for ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’. Popular action movie ‘RRR’, meanwhile, was named Best Foreign Language Film along with winning Best Song for “Naatu Naatu”.
Other buzzed about movies made do with one win each, such as ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’s effects, and ‘Elvis’ hair and make-up team.
On the TV front, it was a triumphant night for ‘Better Call Saul’, the ‘Breaking Bad’ spin-off enjoying some well-earned respect for its final season as it won Best Drama, Best Actor in a Drama for star Bob Odenkirk and Best Supporting Actor in a Drama for Giancarlo Esposito.
‘Abbott Elementary’ continued to do well, winning two awards, while Jennifer Coolidge was back on another stage, offering another funny speech as she won another trophy for ‘The White Lotus’.
Blending first-timers (such as Jeremy Allen White for ‘The Bear’) and repeat winners (Jean Smart for ‘Hacks’ or Winkler for ‘Barry’), the TV categories, like their movie counterparts also spread the love around various shows.
‘The Dropout’, which stars Amanda Seyfried as Elizabeth Holmes, won for Seyfried and Best Limited Series, while ‘Weird: The Al Yankovic Story’ landed Best Actor (for Daniel Radcliffe, who wasn’t present) and Best TV Movie.
Jean Smart in ‘Hacks’ Season 2 for HBO Max. Photos by Karen Ballard.
Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
Debuting in theaters on December 23rd, ‘Babylon’ is the latest film from Damien Chazelle, the writer-director of ‘Whiplash’ and ‘La La Land’. Unfortunately, it is also his weakest effort, though not for lack of ambition and scale.
Starting, perhaps as it means to go on with a desire for shock and even a metaphor for what happens to many of the characters in the movie, ‘Babylon’ features an elephant defecating noisily and filthily across an unfortunate man helping to push the truck it is riding in up a hill, the result also splattering the camera.
The animal is on its way to be the star attraction a lavish Hollywood bash being held in the hills, and one of the people helping to get it there is Manny Torres (Diego Calva), who fortunately avoids being covered in Proboscidea poop.
He ends up hired to help out at the party and has his first experience of roaring ‘20s Hollywood––or at least its decadent, wild excessive side––where sweaty, near-naked crowds writhe in time to jazz music. Drugs and booze are in free supply, all thanks to the host, veteran actor Jack Conrad (Brad Pitt) who shows up with his latest soon-to-be-ex-wife, played in a brief scene by Olivia Wilde.
(L to R) Brad Pitt plays Jack Conrad and Diego Calva plays Manny Torres in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
Looking to gatecrash is Nellie LaRoy (Margot Robbie), an ambitious young woman convinced she has untapped star power, and who ends up scoring a lucky break, setting her star on the rise as Jack starts to see his own begin to fall.
Manny––who befriends Nellie––is captivated by the idea of working in Hollywood, and sees his own prospects enhanced when one of Jack’s team asks him to make sure the sozzled actor gets home safely. From there, Manny works his way up the ranks, his good ideas for movies helping boost his career in the fictional film studio of the story.
‘Babylon’ is primarily the story of Manny, Nellie and Jack, with some attention paid to jazz musician Sidney Palmer (Jovan Adepo), who will carve his own path out in the entertainment industry, performer Lady Fay Zhu (Li Jun Li), and gossip columnist Elinor St. John (Jean Smart).
The characters’ arcs weave in and out of each other, as Nellie becomes more and more famous (while her gambling habits and other addictions catch up to her) and Chazelle roams from party to party, interspersed by scenes where movies are made.
Jovan Adepo plays Sidney Palmer in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
Around them, Hollywood begins to evolve from the silent era to the age of talkies, and from rough-and-ready shooting in the desert to cavernous soundstages.
Robbie is particularly vibrant in the film, finding different layers to her character as she moves through the business, and is convincing at every step. Whether she’s conniving to get her name in lights, or overhearing people talking her down, this is further proof that she’s one of the best working at the moment. Pitt, meanwhile, commits to the easy charm of Conrad, whose career is on the wane as audiences don’t warm to him once talking pictures come along.
Calva, who is probably best known to American audiences from ‘Narcos: Mexico’, is something of a revelation, a soulful presence in the movie who worries that his soul is tainted as he climbs the executive ranks and then has to help Nellie out of her money problems.
Smart, whose gossip hound flits in and out of the story, is particularly strong, though she’s not often on screen for more than a minute or so. But her big scene with Jack, where she explains his downward slide, is a highlight. Li, meanwhile, who is also largely on the sidelines, makes the most of her role.
Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
And there are certainly elements to recommend here: in some scenes, ‘Babylon’ has a pleasing level of comedy, especially when director Ruth Adler (Olivia Hamilton) and Nellie are trying to shoot a scene in the early sound era, where mic positions, concerns over volume and particularly an overheating cameraman, provide memorable laughs.
Chazelle unfortunately loses focuses when it comes to the theme of the film, though. Certainly, there is plenty to be mined from the idea of Hollywood and this time, but ‘Babylon’, for all its length and intertwined stories, merely scrapes the surface. The concept that the entertainment industry is a place for excess and fraught with problems for those who seek stardom is hardly a fresh one, and the movie has little to say that is new or interesting.
This is much bigger than his previous efforts, but it soon becomes ungainly, and is loaded down with flabby scenes that add little. Even a crazed moment for Calva, where he’s seeking financial help from the distinctly dodgy James McKay, played by Tobey Maguire, which takes in freaks, torture implements and an alligator, feels like it could easily be lost in the service of reducing the movie’s overinflated running time.
Tobey Maguire plays James McKay in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
The less said about the final montage that wraps up the movie, the better, to be honest. It’s meant to celebrate the movies but ends up an embarrassingly amateur example, cramming in easy highpoints and coming across as something out of a film school offering.
Given that he’s been planning and writing the movie in his head for around 15 years, we’re sorry to report that Chazelle has fumbled this one. ‘Babylon’ is not without its charms and some diversion, but beyond the main cast’s appeal, it is a lot of sound and fury, signifying––not nothing––but not much.
‘Babylon’ receives 2.5 out of 5 stars.
(L to R) Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy and Diego Calva plays Manny Torres in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
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Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down in-person with writer and director Damien Chazelle to talk about his work on ‘Babylon,’ what audiences can expect from the new movie, why he was interested in this point in Hollywood’s history, casting Pitt and Robbie, and the importance of music in his films.
‘Babylon’ writer and director Damien Chazelle.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Chazelle, as well as actors Jovan Adepo and Li Jun Li.
Moviefone: To begin with, what would you say to moviegoers getting ready to sit down and watch this film to prepare them for the experience they’re about to have?
Damien Chazelle: That’s a good question. I would say just to prepare yourself for a wild ride. It’s not the kind of movie about older Hollywood that I think anyone is expecting. It’s shocking, it’s wild, it’s crazy, it’s a roller coaster ride, it’s an adventure, and it’s a party. I would say to go in with that in mind.
But beyond that, I don’t know, I wouldn’t say much. I think ultimately I made this movie for audiences, for them to have an experience. I think whatever mindset you’re in when you sit down in the theater for this movie, it will sweep you up and it’s going to take you for a ride whether you want to or not.
MF: What was it about this era in Hollywood’s history, the period moving from silent films to talkies, that really fascinated you and what were some of the themes you wanted to explore with this movie?
DC: Well, a lot of it had to do with just how unhinged the society was at that time. I just hadn’t realized the extent to which people at that time partied, how hard they lived, how hard they worked, and how recklessly and transgressively they operated. It was this circus atmosphere that I think in many ways got lost once Hollywood became a little more sanitized and regulated, and became more of a corporate industry.
The Hollywood in this movie is right before that. It’s the last gasp of the wild West of early Hollywood when it was still unregulated. It was like people pitching a tent in the desert and making their movies, and doing them the way they wanted to. There was just this manic, hysterical atmosphere where anything went. That was key to try to capture that and take that as far as it went.
Brad Pitt plays Jack Conrad in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
MF: Can you talk about casting and working with Brad Pitt and Margot Robbie?
DC: It was amazing. As a director, it’s a dream come true. They’re such seasoned actors so, yes, on the one hand, you’re getting these larger-than-life movie stars, and they’re playing larger-than-life movie stars in the movie, so that’s kind of perfect. But they’re also just real thespians.
They deliver. They know how to craft performances that move you and make you laugh and cry and break your heart. They take you on a ride. I think they help ground this movie and make it human, so that even at its most excessive, larger-than-life, outrageous, shocking moments, you still feel a beating heart underneath. That’s thanks to them, I think, and the rest of the cast.
MF: Margot has a scene in the movie where her character has to cry on cue. Did she actually do that on set, or did you have to enhance it in post?
DC: That is Margot! Otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to shoot it. You can’t CG that!
Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy in ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
MF: Finally, can you talk about Justin Hurwitz’s music for the film and the importance of music in all your movies?
DC: Music comes early on for me. I work with the same composer, Justin Hurwitz, for all my movies. We’ve worked together since college. We have a shorthand at this point. As soon as I have a script, I hand it to him, and he starts working on the music.
By the time I’m shooting, I’ve got a lot of the music already in place. We can play it on set and we can set the mood with it. We can have the actors dancing to it and thinking about it, and just letting it seep into their body. You get a sense of what the tone is right away. That’s really important to me, and especially with this movie. I knew I needed a very specific tone and a specific kind of energy and pulse, and that’s what the music provides.
Director Damien Chazelle on the set of ‘Babylon’ from Paramount Pictures.
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Monday evening was what the ceremony always describes as “television’s biggest night” – when the industry hands out the Emmy Awards to a select few from the hundreds of eligible shows and performers.
The ceremony itself ran relatively smoothly, with ‘Saturday Night Live’ veteran Kenan Thompson hosting, kicking off the evening with a medley of re-imagined classic TV theme tunes. There was the usual stilted banter between presenters (though a few, such as Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez of ‘Only Murders in the Building’ elevated theirs), celebrations of TV genres such as police and medical dramas and the In Memoriam segment.
But what everyone was there for were the awards themselves. And while there were several repeat winners (‘Succession’, ‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘Hacks’ Jean Smart), there remained room for fresh faces and welcome surprises.
Quinta Brunson’s ‘Abbott Elementary’ took home Best Writing for a Comedy Series, while cast member Sheryl Lee Ralph won Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Ralph’s speech in particular, a blend of surprise, joy and encouragement for others, was a highlight of the show.
Quinta Brunson on ABC’s ‘Abbott Elementary.’ Photo Courtesy of ABC’s YouTube Channel.
Mike White’s ‘The White Lotus’ dominated the limited series category (though given that season 2 arrives next month with an almost totally new cast, it more closely fits into the anthology part of its category), winning overall show and both writing and directing for White. Actors Murray Bartlett and Jennifer Coolidge went home with well-deserved trophies.
And ‘Squid Game’ made history for Asian creators and performers, as lead Lee Jung-jae won Best Actor in the drama category, while show creator Hwang Dong-hyuk saw his decade-long effort to get it made rewarded with Best Director, drama.
Though everyone thought ‘Ted Lasso’ might sweep even more than it did given its haul of nominations, it still won plenty of awards, including Brett Goldstein becoming the first back to back winner in the Supporting Actor, comedy category since 2007.
Of those who missed out on awards, there was disappointment for the ‘Better Call Saul’ team, which has its last chance to turn its many nominations into awards next year. Will the power of a great show’s legacy make voters think kindly of it? And when a show as superbly written and performed as ‘Only Murders in the Building’, which balances comedy and mystery adeptly can’t get any love, you’ve got to wonder at the choices.
(L to R) Charles (Steve Martin), Mabel (Selena Gomez) and Oliver (Martin Short) on Hulu’s ‘Only Murders In The Building’. Photo: Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu.
‘Ted Lasso’ – Winner
‘Abbott Elementary’
‘Barry’
‘Curb Your Enthusiasm’
‘Hacks’
‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’
‘Only Murders in the Building’
‘What We Do in the Shadows’
BEST ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jean Smart (‘Hacks’) – Winner Rachel Brosnahan (‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’)
Quinta Brunson (‘Abbott Elementary’) Kaley Cuoco (‘The Flight Attendant’) Elle Fanning (‘The Great’) Issa Rae (‘Insecure’)
BEST ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES
Jason Sudeikis (‘Ted Lasso’) – Winner Donald Glover (‘Atlanta’) Bill Hader (‘Barry’) Nicholas Hoult (‘The Great’)
Steve Martin (‘Only Murders in the Building’)
Martin Short (‘Only Murders in the Building’)
‘Last Week Tonight With John Oliver’ – Winner
‘The Daily Show With Trevor Noah’
‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’
‘Late Night With Seth Meyers’
‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert’
BEST VARIETY SKETCH SERIES
‘Saturday Night Live’ – Winner
‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’
BEST COMPETITION PROGRAM
‘Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls’ – Winner
‘The Amazing Race’
‘Nailed It!’
‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’
‘Top Chef’
‘The Voice’
BEST DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Hwang Dong-hyuk (‘Squid Game’) – Winner
Jason Bateman (‘Ozark’) Ben Stiller (‘Severance’) Mark Mylod (‘Succession’)
Cathy Yan (‘Succession’) Lorene Scafaria (‘Succession’) Karyn Kusama (‘Yellowjackets’)
BEST DIRECTING FOR A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
MJ Delaney (‘Ted Lasso’) – Winner
Hiro Murai (‘Atlanta’)
Bill Hader (‘Barry’)
Lucia Aniello (‘Hacks’)
Mary Lou Belli (‘The Ms. Pat Show’) Jamie Babbit (‘Only Murders in the Building’) Cherien Dabis (‘Only Murders in the Building’)
BEST WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES
Quinta Brunson (‘Abbott Elementary’) – Winner
Duffy Boudreau (‘Barry’) Alec Berg, Bill Hader (‘Barry’)
Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky (‘Hacks’)
Steve Martin, John Hoffman (‘Only Murders in the Building’) Jane Becker (‘Ted Lasso’)
Sarah Naftalis (‘What We Do in the Shadows’)
Stefani Robinson (‘What We Do in the Shadows’)
BEST WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES
Jesse Armstrong (‘Succession’) – Winner Thomas Schnauz (‘Better Call Saul’) Chris Mundy (‘Ozark’) Dan Erickson (‘Severance’)
Hwang Dong-hyuk (‘Squid Game’)
Jonathan Lisco, Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson (‘’Yellowjackets)
Ashley Lyle, Bart Nickerson (‘Yellowjackets’)
BEST WRITING FOR A LIMITED OR ANTHOLOGY SERIES OR MOVIE
Mike White (‘The White Lotus’) – Winner
Danny Strong (‘Dopesick’) Elizabeth Meriwether (‘The Dropout’)
Sarah Burgess (‘Impeachment: American Crime Story’)
Molly Smith Metzler (‘Maid’)
Patrick Somerville (‘Station Eleven’)
