Deep Down, ‘Hacks’ Is a Love Story About Women in Comedy
Addie Morfoot Contributor“Hacks” is a dark comedy about two women in different stages of life desperately trying to hold on to their careers, but it’s also a character study that defies genre.The series stars Jean Smart as comedian Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder as Ava, a young, struggling comedy writer brought in to revamp Vance’s stale Vegas residency.The 10-episode first season of the HBO Max series, created by “Broad City” trio Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky, tackles isolation, loneliness and, according to Variety’s Daniel D’Addario, “successfully argues that there is a virtue all its own in showing up and gutting it out — in being a hack.”At the heart of the show is the relationship between Vance and Ava – a pair of strong-willed, hardheaded women from opposite worlds and generations who share a common passion: comedy.