Hacks | |
---|---|
Genre | Comedy drama |
Created by | |
Starring | |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 18 |
Production | |
Executive producers |
|
Producer | Melanie J. Elin |
Cinematography | Adam Bricker |
Editors |
|
Camera setup | Single-camera |
Running time | 26–35 minutes |
Production companies |
|
Original release | |
Network |
|
Release | May 13, 2021 present | –
Hacks is an American comedy-drama television series created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky that premiered on May 13, 2021, on HBO Max. Starring Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, and Carl Clemons-Hopkins, the series centers on the professional relationship between a young comedy writer and a legendary stand-up comedienne. The series received critical acclaim and won accolades including Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing, Outstanding Directing, and for Smart, Outstanding Lead Actress, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy. In June 2021, the series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on May 12, 2022.[2][3] In June 2022, the series was renewed for a third season,[4] which is set to premiere in spring 2024.[5]
Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas stand-up comedy diva, needs to re-invent her aging act to avoid losing her residency at the Palmetto Casino. Ava is a young comedy writer who is unable to find work due to an insensitive tweet and her reputation for being self-centered and arrogant. When Ava's agent sends her to work as Deborah's new head writer, the two slowly bond as Ava pushes her new boss to take more risks and Deborah, in turn, helps Ava start to work through her personal problems.
Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
First released | Last released | |||
1 | 10 | May 13, 2021 | June 10, 2021 | |
2 | 8 | May 12, 2022 | June 2, 2022 |
Main article: Hacks (season 1) |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1 | "There Is No Line" | Lucia Aniello | Lucia Aniello & Paul W. Downs & Jen Statsky | May 13, 2021 |
2 | 2 | "Primm" | Lucia Aniello | Paul W. Downs | May 13, 2021 |
3 | 3 | "A Gig's a Gig" | Lucia Aniello | Lucia Aniello | May 20, 2021 |
4 | 4 | "D'Jewelry" | Desiree Akhavan | Joanna Calo | May 20, 2021 |
5 | 5 | "Falling" | Paul W. Downs | Andrew Law | May 27, 2021 |
6 | 6 | "New Eyes" | Lucia Aniello | Lucia Aniello & Paul W. Downs & Jen Statsky | May 27, 2021 |
7 | 7 | "Tunnel of Love" | Desiree Akhavan | Katherine Kearns | June 3, 2021 |
8 | 8 | "1.69 Million" | Paul W. Downs | Pat Regan | June 3, 2021 |
9 | 9 | "Interview" | Lucia Aniello | Samantha Riley | June 10, 2021 |
10 | 10 | "I Think She Will" | Lucia Aniello | Ariel Karlin & Jen Statsky | June 10, 2021 |
Main article: Hacks (season 2) |
No. overall | No. in season | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
11 | 1 | "There Will Be Blood" | Lucia Aniello | Lucia Aniello & Paul W. Downs & Jen Statsky | May 12, 2022 |
12 | 2 | "Quid Pro Quo" | Lucia Aniello | Lucia Aniello & Paul W. Downs & Jen Statsky | May 12, 2022 |
13 | 3 | "Trust the Process" | Lucia Aniello | Lucia Aniello & Paul W. Downs & Jen Statsky | May 19, 2022 |
14 | 4 | "The Captain's Wife" | Lucia Aniello | Ariel Karlin & Pat Regan | May 19, 2022 |
15 | 5 | "Retired" | Paul W. Downs | Andrew Law | May 26, 2022 |
16 | 6 | "The Click" | Paul W. Downs | Aisha Muharrar & Joe Mande | May 26, 2022 |
17 | 7 | "On the Market" | Lucia Aniello | Samantha Riley | June 2, 2022 |
18 | 8 | "The One, the Only" | Trent O'Donnell | Lucia Aniello & Paul W. Downs & Jen Statsky | June 2, 2022 |
In May 2020, HBO Max announced that it had picked up the series and that Jean Smart would star.[7] Additional casting was announced in February 2021.[8] Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, actors held table reads over Zoom, there were no cast parties during production, and stars Smart and Clemons-Hopkins did not even meet each other in person until minutes before filming began.[9] In June 2021, HBO Max renewed the series for a second season,[2] and the cast added Laurie Metcalf, Martha Kelly, and Ming-Na Wen in recurring roles and Margaret Cho as a guest star.[10]
In June 2022, HBO Max renewed the series for a third season.[4] In September 2022, the showrunners revealed that a time jump would take place between the second and third season.[11] Production began for the third season in November 2022 and production paused near the end of February 2023 for a few weeks before resuming in March due to Jean Smart recovering from a "successful heart procedure".[12][13] Production shut down in May 2023 due to the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike.[14]
Hacks premiered on May 13, 2021, with a two-episode release.[15] Two episodes were released on a weekly basis through June 10, 2021, for the remainder of the 10-episode first season.[16] The second season premiered on May 12, 2022, with a two-episode release weekly.[3]
The first season of Hacks premiered on Amazon Prime Video in the United Kingdom on April 1, 2022.[17]
Season | Rotten Tomatoes | Metacritic |
---|---|---|
1 | 100% (74 reviews)[18] | 82 (24 reviews)[19] |
2 | 100% (54 reviews)[20] | 88 (24 reviews)[21] |
The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating for the first season of 100% based on 74 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critical consensus states, "A prickling debut that pulls few punches, Hacks deftly balances its sharp critiques of the comedy world with more intimate moments, all the while giving the incomparable Jean Smart a role worthy of her talents – and an excellent partner in Hannah Einbinder."[18] Metacritic calculated a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 based on 24 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[19]
On Rotten Tomatoes the second season also received an approval rating of 100% based on 54 critic reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10. The website's critics consensus states, "Hacks hits the road, but Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder remain very much at home with each other in a sterling sophomore season that finds novel ways to deepen the central pair's lovable friendship."[20] On Metacritic, it received a score of 88 out of 100 based on 24 critics.[21]
Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AACTA International Awards | 2023 | Best Comedy Series | Hacks | Nominated | [22] [23] |
Best Actress in a Series | Jean Smart | Nominated | |||
American Cinema Editors Awards | 2022 | Best Edited Comedy Series | Susan Vaill (for "1.69 Million") | Won | [24] |
American Film Institute Awards | 2022 | Television Programs of the Year | Hacks | Won | [25] |
American Society of Cinematographers Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in an Episode of a Half-Hour Television Series | Adam Bricker (for "There is No Line") | Nominated | [26] |
2023 | Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in an Episode of a Half-Hour Television Series | Adam Bricker (for "The Click") | Nominated | [27] | |
Art Directors Guild Awards | 2022 | Excellence in Production Design for a Half Hour Single-Camera Television Series | Jon Carlos (for "Primm") | Nominated | [28] |
2023 | Excellence in Production Design for a Half Hour Single-Camera Television Series | Alec Contestabile (for "Trust the Process") | Nominated | [29] | |
Artios Awards | 2023 | Outstanding Achievement in Casting – Television Comedy Series | Jeanne McCarthy, Nicole Abellera Hallman, Anna Mayworm | Nominated | [30] |
Costume Designers Guild Awards | 2022 | Excellence in Contemporary Television | Kathleen Felix-Hager (for "There is No Line") | Nominated | [31] |
2023 | Excellence in Contemporary Television | Kathleen Felix-Hager (for "The Captain's Wife") | Nominated | [32] | |
Critics' Choice Television Awards | 2022 | Best Comedy Series | Hacks | Nominated | [33] |
Best Actress in a Comedy Series | Jean Smart | Won | |||
Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Hannah Einbinder | Nominated | |||
2023 | Best Comedy Series | Hacks | Nominated | [34] | |
Best Actress in a Comedy Series | Jean Smart | Won | |||
Directors Guild of America Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series | Lucia Aniello (for "There Is No Line") | Won | [35] |
GLAAD Media Awards | 2022 | Outstanding New TV Series | Hacks | Won | [36] |
2023 | Outstanding Comedy Series | Hacks | Nominated | [37] | |
Golden Globe Awards | 2022 | Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy | Hacks | Won | [38] |
Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy | Hannah Einbinder | Nominated | |||
Jean Smart | Won | ||||
2023 | Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy | Hacks | Nominated | [39] | |
Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy | Jean Smart | Nominated | |||
Best Performance by an Actress in a Musical-Comedy or Drama Television Series | Hannah Einbinder | Nominated | |||
Golden Reel Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – 1/2 Hour – Comedy or Drama | Brett Hinton, Marc Glassman, Ryne Gierke, Samuel Munoz, Noel Vought, Jason Tregoe Newman (for "There Is No Line") | Nominated | [40] |
Gotham Awards | 2021 | Breakthrough Series – Short Format | Hacks | Nominated | [41] |
Outstanding Performance in a New Series | Jean Smart | Nominated | |||
Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards | 2021 | Best Streaming Series, Comedy | Hacks | Nominated | [42] [43] |
Best Actress in a Streaming Series, Comedy | Jean Smart | Won | |||
Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Series, Comedy | Hannah Einbinder | Won[a] | |||
Kaitlin Olson | Nominated | ||||
2022 | Best Streaming Series, Comedy | Hacks | Nominated | [44] | |
Best Actress in a Streaming Series, Comedy | Jean Smart | Nominated | |||
Best Supporting Actor in a Streaming Series, Comedy | Paul W. Downs | Nominated | |||
Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Series, Comedy | Hannah Einbinder | Won | |||
Best Directing in a Streaming Series, Comedy | Lucia Anello (for "There Will Be Blood") | Won | |||
Best Writing in a Streaming Series, Comedy | Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky (for "The One, The Only") | Won | |||
Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards | 2023 | Best Contemporary Make-Up in a Television Series, Television Limited or Miniseries or Television New Media Series | Bridget O'Neill | Nominated | [45] |
Peabody Awards | 2022 | Entertainment | Hacks | Won | [46] |
Primetime Emmy Awards | 2021 | Outstanding Comedy Series | Jen Statsky, Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, Michael Schur, David Miner, Morgan Sackett, Joanna Calo, Andrew Law and David Hyman | Nominated | [47] [48] |
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Jean Smart (for "1.69 Million") | Won | |||
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series | Carl Clemons-Hopkins (for "New Eyes") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Hannah Einbinder (for "I Think She Will") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series | Lucia Aniello (for "There Is No Line") | Won | |||
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series | Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky (for "There Is No Line") | Won | |||
2022 | Outstanding Comedy Series | Various[b] | Nominated | [49] | |
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series | Jean Smart (for "The Click") | Won | |||
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series | Hannah Einbinder | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series | Lucia Aniello (for "There Will Be Blood") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series | Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky (for "The One, the Only") | Nominated | |||
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards | 2021 | Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Jane Adams (for "I Think She Will") | Nominated | [47] |
Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series | Jeanne McCarthy and Nicole Abellera Hallman | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour) | Adam Bricker (for "Primm") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Contemporary Costumes | Kathleen Felix-Hager and Karen Bellamy (for "There Is No Line") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series | Susan Vaill (for "Primm") | Nominated | |||
Jessica Brunetto (for "There Is No Line") | Nominated | ||||
Ali Greer (for "Tunnel of Love") | Nominated | ||||
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour) | Jon Carlos, James Bolenbaugh and Ellen Reede Dorros (for "Primm") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation | John W. Cook II, Ben Wilkins and Jim Lakin (for "Falling") | Nominated | |||
2022 | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series | Christopher McDonald (for "The One, the Only") | Nominated | [50] | |
Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series | Jane Adams (for "The Click") | Nominated | |||
Harriet Sansom Harris (for "Retired") | Nominated | ||||
Laurie Metcalf (for "Trust the Process") | Won | ||||
Kaitlin Olson (for "There Will Be Blood") | Nominated | ||||
Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series | Jeanne McCarthy and Nicole Abellera Hallman | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour) | Adam Bricker (for "The Click") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Contemporary Costumes | Kathleen Felix-Hager and Karen Bellamy (for "The Captain's Wife") | Won | |||
Outstanding Contemporary Hairstyling | Jennifer Bell (for "The Captain's Wife") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour) | Alec Contestabile, Rob Tokarz and Jennifer Lukehart (for "Trust the Process") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series | Jessica Brunetto (for "There Will Be Blood") | Nominated | |||
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation | John W. Cook II, Ben Wilkins and Jim Lakin (for "The Captain's Wife") | Nominated | |||
Producers Guild of America Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Comedy | Various[c] | Nominated | [51] |
2023 | Best Episodic Comedy | Hacks | Nominated | [52] | |
Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2022 | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series | Rose Abdoo, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Paul W. Downs, Hannah Einbinder, Mark Indelicato, Poppy Liu, Christopher McDonald, Jean Smart, and Megan Stalter | Nominated | [53] |
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series | Jean Smart | Won | |||
Set Decorators Society of America Awards | 2021 | Best Achievement in Decor/Design of a Half-Hour Single-Camera Series | Ellen Reede Dorros and Jonathan Carlos | Won | [54] |
2022 | Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Half-Hour Single-Camera Series | Jennifer Lukehart and Alec Contestabile | Won | [55] | |
Television Critics Association Awards | 2021 | Program of the Year | Hacks | Nominated | [56] |
Outstanding Achievement in Comedy | Nominated | ||||
Outstanding New Program | Nominated | ||||
Individual Achievement in Comedy | Jean Smart | Won | |||
2022 | Program of the Year | Hacks | Nominated | [57] | |
Outstanding Achievement in Comedy | Nominated | ||||
Individual Achievement in Comedy | Jean Smart | Nominated | |||
Writers Guild of America Awards | 2022 | Comedy Series | Various[d] | Won | [58] |
New Series | Various[d] | Won |