Paul W.Downs Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Selome Hailu HBO Max and A24 are developing “Church Girls,” a comedy pilot from Megan Stalter.“Church Girls” is a half-hour comedy follows Beth Parker (Stalter), a 20-year-old Christian closeted lesbian as she wrestles with her sexuality and faith in God, while entering adulthood in suburban Ohio. The series is inspired by Stalter’s own experiences.Stalter is best known for playing Kayla, Jimmy’s (Paul W.

HBO Max’s Hacks earned 15 Emmy nominations and three wins in its debut season including Outstanding Lead Actress for Jean Smart and Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series for its creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky. In Season 2, the comedy starring Smart and Hannah Einbinder took the show on the road.

Emmy voting has started today, and for our penultimate TV Talk podcast of this stage of the season, we have some names for you to consider.

EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has a pair of exclusive tracks from composer Carlos Rafael Rivera’s Season 1 soundtrack for HBO Max’s Peabody and multi-Emmy Award-winning comedy series Hacks, which is set for digital release tomorrow via Lakeshore Records.

Caroline Framke Chief TV CriticAs the final minutes of “Hacks” Season 2 ticked by, it was hard to shake the feeling that they just might mark the final minutes of “Hacks,” period. With Deborah (the incomparable Jean Smart) finally tapping in to a more personal and rewarding vein of her comedy to huge success, before pushing Ava (the underrated Hannah Einbinder) out of the nest to forge her own path in Hollywood, the series easily could’ve ended there. Even Deborah’s CEO Marcus (Carl Clemons-Hopkins) and agent Jimmy (Paul W.

Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels will be back for more stand-up stories after HBO Max renewed Hacks for a third season.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeHBO Max’s “Hacks” is the latest entertainment series to be honored by the Peabody Awards, which announced the win on Tuesday morning.“When they’re together taking on all things comedy and feminism, ‘Hacks’ crackles with wit and truly sings,” Melissa McCarthy said in her presentation to the show.Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Paulilu, First Thought Productions, Fremulon Productions and 3 Arts Entertainment, are behind the show.“HBO Max’s Hacks became a word-of-mouth hit thanks to the brilliantly funny intergenerational pairing of Jean Smart as standup legend Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder as Ava Daniels, the desperate young comedy writer sent to freshen up Deborah’s act,” the org said in its statement honoring the show. “Created by ‘Broad City’ writers Lucia Aniello, Paul W.

SPOILER ALERT! Do not read unless you have seen the second season finale of Hacks on HBO Max. 

William Earl Variety announced additional speakers to its Virtual TV Fest, including an “HBO Max Actors and Producers Roundtable,” featuring Zendaya (“Euphoria”), Kaley Cuoco (“The Flight Attendant”), Oscar Isaac (“Scenes From a Marriage”), Taika Waititi (“Our Flag Means Death”), Ben Foster (“The Survivor”), and Paul W. Downs (“Hacks”). Moderated by Senior Culture Editor Marc Malkin, the session will explore creating breakthrough characters.Other programming additions include the roundtables, “Meet the Makers: Showtime’s ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth'” featuring Executive Producer and Showrunner Alex Kurtzman and Supervising Producer Jason Zimmerman; and “Meet the Makers: Amazon Freevee’s ‘Bosch: Legacy,'” featuring Michael Connelly, executive producer and author of the books from which the series is based. Actor Mimi Rogers and Executive Producer Henrik Bastin will also join the discussion.

EXCLUSIVE: Megan Stalter, one of the breakout stars of HBO Max’s Emmy-winning series Hacks, has found her first leading film role in the dark comedy Cora Bora, from director Hannah Pearl Utt (Disengaged).

Halo‘s Pablo Schreiber and Fire Island‘s Matt Rogers were among the stars who joined fashion brand Paul Smith last week for a celebration of the iconic Signature Stripe pattern.

“Hacks,” the divine comedy from creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky.

Jean Smart rocks a red hot outfit for the season two premiere of Hacks held at DGA Theater Complex on Monday night (May 9) in Los Angeles.

Jean Smart ran away with awards season last year for her performance in HBO Max’s breakout comedy “Hacks,” winning the triple crown of best actress in a comedy at the Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globe, and Emmys awards. With tough-as-brass Deborah Vance, a legendary stand-up comedian fighting to stay relevant and keep her Las Vegas residency, Smart and series co-creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W.

HBO series, which follows her dynamic with young comedy writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder).In the second season, Deborah and Ava embark on a cross-country tour to test out their new stand-up material – joined by a roster of new guest stars, including Laurie Metcalf (The Big Bang Theory) as tour manager Alice who, as mentioned in the trailer, is nicknamed ‘Weed’ by Pete Wentz.Other new guest stars for the second season include Martha Kelly (Baskets), Ming-Na Wen (The Mandalorian) and Susie Essman (Curb Your Enthusiasm), while Margaret Cho and Devon Sawa will also make appearances.They’ll join returning cast members Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Christopher McDonald, Kaitlin Olson, Paul W. Downs, Poppy Liu, Rose Abdoo, Mark Indelicato, Meg Stalter, Angela E.

Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder are hitting the road!

Hacks,” which premieres on the streamer May 12 with two episodes, followed by two more each week until June 2. Picking up after stand-up legend Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) lost her Vegas residency, she and young comedian Ava (Hannah Einbinder) travel across the country to workshop her new act.Additional cast includes Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Jane Adams, Christopher McDonald, Kaitlin Olson, Paul W. Downs, Poppy Liu, Rose Abdoo, Mark Indelicato, Meg Stalter, Angela E.

Jean Smart is the latest start to be honored with her own star on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood, Calif.

Can you believe it’s already been a year since the HBO Max series Hacks premiered?!

HBO Max has set a May premiere date for Season 2 of the Emmy-winning, critically acclaimed comedy series Hacks, starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder. The sophomore season will debut on Thursday, May 12 with two episodes. The eight-episode season continues with two new episodes a week, wrapping up on June 2, two days after the 2022 Emmy eligibility period ends. We’re also getting a first look at the new season in the teaser trailer (you can watch it above).

Wilson Chapman editorGet ready to take a road trip with Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder in Season 2 of “Hacks.” HBO Max has unveiled the official trailer for the upcoming second season of the critically acclaimed comedy series, set to premiere on the streaming service May 12 with two episodes.The eight-episode season will continue with two new episodes each week, concluding with the season finale on June 2.Created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky, “Hacks” stars Smart as Deborah Vance, a legendary comedian who has spent years performing at a residency in Las Vegas.

“Conflict is intimacy,” showrunner Paul W. Downs recently told EW in preparation for the eagerly anticipated second season of “Hacks,” suggesting a resumption of the biting tone which made season one an instant hit.

Katcy Stephan Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance may be hitting the road in the sophomore season of the hit HBO Max series “Hacks,” but don’t expect her to ride around the country in your average tour bus.“She’s taking a little bit of Vegas with her,” co-creator Jen Statsky tells Variety on the red carpet for the show’s PaleyFest panel. “She’s roughing it, but she still has her creature comforts,” she adds, revealing that Vance’s signature fountain soda machine will indeed come with her on tour.“It’s a mansion on wheels,” co-creator Paul W.

season 2, the HBO Max series premiered the first two episodes during PaleyFest LA 2022, where much of the cast and crew, including star Jean Smart, were in attendance and spoke to ET’s Denny Directo about what’s to come from the Emmy-winning series. “I think it’s going to be every bit as good as season one if not better, because second seasons are always scary,” Smart said. “Especially if you’re a big hit the first season, everybody’s going, ‘OK, just show me.'«And that they plan to do as season 2 picks up after legendary comedian Deborah Vance (Smart) performed her last Las Vegas show and heads out on the road with her young mentee and writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder) as the two continue workshopping her new standup act. In addition to Smart and Einbinder, the returning cast includes fellow Emmy acting nominees, Carl Clemons-Hopkins as Deborah’s COO Marcus and Jane Adams as Ava’s mother Nina, as well as co-creator and co-showrunner Paul W.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeAs “Hacks” takes Deborah Vance’s show on the road, she’s encountering a bevy of new characters in Season 2. The series, which is expected to return later this spring on HBO Max (premiere date still TBD), has added Laurie Metcalf, Martha Kelly and Ming-Na Wen as recurring guest stars this season.

Season 2 of HBO Max‘s hit series has added Laurie Metcalf (Lady Bird, The Conners), Martha Kelly (Euphoria, Marriage Story), and Ming-Na Wen (The Book of Boba Fett, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) as recurring guest stars; Margaret Cho (The Flight Attendant, Fire Island), will also appear as a guest star. Details regarding the characters they will portray have not been released.

The cast of Hacks is at the SAG Awards!

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeTwo decades ago, then-NBC executive Jeff Zucker made headlines by “supersizing” “Friends” episodes as a monthlong stunt. But in the streaming era, viewers are frequently caught off guard by run times that vary considerably from one episode to another.Freed from the need to fill a half-hour (actually, 21 minutes with commercials) or an hourlong (e.g., 44 minutes plus ads) time slot in linear TV, producers are allowing their shows to breathe — and let the story dictate how long or short an episode can be.Netflix’s new Shonda Rhimes drama “Inventing Anna,” for instance, is an hour long … sometimes.

Emily Longeretta Jen Statsky, Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello, the creators of HBO Max’s massive hit “Hacks,” will receive the inaugural Variety Showrunner Award at the 10th annual SCAD TVfest.The series, which follows the relationship between a comedy legend (Jean Smart) and a young writer (Hannah Einbinder), launched in May 2021.

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.

The stars are stepping out for the House of Gucci premiere in Los Angeles!

EXCLUSIVE: Hacks co-creators Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello are taking to market the first project following their multiple Emmy wins for the HBO Max comedy series.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorLucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs were among the countless couples around the world whose wedding plans in 2020 were up-ended by the pandemic.The pair, who are co-creators and executive producers of HBO Max “Hacks” with Jen Statsky, wound up postponing the ceremony originally set for May 2020 wedding to September of this year.

Hacks. Written by the Emmy-winning team of Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky and starring Emmy winner Jean Smart, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Christopher McDonald, Mark Indelicato, Poppy Liu, Johnny Sibilly, Meg Stalter, Rose Abdoo and Kaitlin Olson, Hacks examines the relationship between a legendary Las Vegas comic and a younger comic who soon becomes her mentee. is streaming now on HBO Max.

Jean Smart has arrived!

“Hacks” co-creators Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs have signed a multiyear overall deal with Warner Bros.