Nobody likes feeling as if they're about to be put out to pasture, especially if you used to be king or queen of the castle. However, rising above that kind of adversity can be difficult, and you might have to accept a little help if you're to make a comeback. What am I going on about? It all ties back to Hacks, a new HBO Max Original series starring Jean Smart (Mare of Easttown, Watchmen) and Hannah Einbinger (North Hollywood) as two unlikely soulmates in comedy.
Debuting with two episodes on Thursday, May 13, Max Original Hacks explores a dark mentorship that forms between Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), a legendary Las Vegas comedian, and an entitled, outcast 25-year-old (Hannah Einbinder). The ten-episode season continues with two episodes each Thursday for four more weeks and finales on June 10. In addition to Smart and Einbinder, Hacks stars series regular Carl Clemons-Hopkins and recurring guest stars Kaitlin Olson, Christopher McDonald, Paul W. Downs, Mark Indelicato, Poppy Liu, Johnny Sibilly, Meg Stalter, and Rose Abdoo.
The series is created and showrun by Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky. It is executive produced by Downs and Aniello through their Paulilu studio, Statsky via First Thought Productions, as well as Emmy winners Michael Schur via Fremulon, David Miner for 3 Arts Entertainment, and Morgan Sackett. The studio is Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.