The Reel Review
After losing their late-night TV show, comedian Deborah Vance and writer Ava Daniels dispel rumors of Deborah’s death and set out on a mission to restore Deborah’s reputation and stand-up comedy legacy. Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder star in this fifth and final season of the Emmy-award winning HBO Max comedy series.
Incorporating many of the characters of the prior four seasons – in particular, a hysterical Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne) as tour manager Weed and equally funny Lauren Weedman (The Daily Show with John Stewart, Looking) as the mayor of Las Vegas, as well as fun cameos (Cherry Jones, Leslie Bibb, Jesse McCartney) – season five of Hacks includes playful nods to popular TV shows like The Amazing Race and The View, while wrapping up the story arcs for the main cast. We experience Deborah hilariously trying to reinvent herself by pursuing an EGOT, scheming with her fan club – the Little Debbies – to play a sell-out show at Madison Square Garden and buying a hotel in Las Vegas, all while Ava works to land her first sitcom.
A sweet rousing (and surprisingly unexpected) ending has the twosome taking charge of their respective futures as they cope with Deborah’s mortality and come to the realization that each is the other’s non-sexual soul mate – a perfect ending to a perfect series.
REEL FACTS
• Deborah Vance says the first line in the series, with Ava Daniels saying the last.
• Following Season 4, Jean Smart won her fourth consecutive Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, with other wins going to Hannah Einbinder f(her first in four nominations) for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series and Julianne Nicholson for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
• In February 2023, Jean Smart underwent triple bypass heart surgery at Cedars-Sinai after feeling discomfort during the filming of Season 3. Smart, whose husband Richard Gilleland (Designing Women) died in 2021, has been dating actor Joe Pacheco (The Morning Show) since 2024.
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