The first season of American dark comedy drama streaming series Hacks debuted on May 13, 2021, on HBO Max. The series was co-created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky. Starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, the season follows two comedians from different generations who forge a working relationship. Season one received critical acclaim and earned accolades including Primetime Emmy Awards for directing, writing, and acting (for Smart).
Cast Main Jean Smart as Deborah Vance, a revered Las Vegas stand-up comedian decades into her career Hannah Einbinder as Ava Daniels, a 25-year-old down-on-her-luck comedy writer forced to leave Los Angeles and work with Deborah Vance Carl Clemons-Hopkins as Marcus, the loyal workaholic COO of Deborah's company
Recurring Kaitlin Olson as Deborah "DJ" Vance Jr., Deborah's daughter who sells personal crafts Chris McDonald as Marty Ghilain, CEO of the Palmetto Casino Paul W. Downs as Jimmy LuSaque Jr., Deborah and Ava's manager Rose Abdoo as Josefina, Deborah's house manager Lorenza Izzo as Ruby, Ava's ex-girlfriend and an actress Megan Stalter as Kayla Schaeffer, Jimmy's inept assistant and boss's daughter Mark Indelicato as Damien, Deborah's personal assistant Poppy Liu as Kiki, Deborah's personal blackjack dealer and an employee at the Palmetto Johnny Sibilly as Wilson, a Vegas public water inspector and Marcus' love interest Angela E. Gibbs as Robin, Marcus' mother Jane Adams as Nina Daniels, Ava's mother Louis Herthum as Dennis Daniels, Ava's father who is recovering from a stroke Amanda Payton as Jackie, one of DJ's friends Joe Mande as Ray, a front desk clerk at the Palmetto Danielle Schneider as Rina, Marty's assistant Lauren Weedman as Jo Pezzimenti, the mayor of Las Vegas
Guest Ally Maki as Taylor, a television producer and Ava's acquaintance Jefferson Mays as T. L. Gurley, an antique dealer with a grudge against Deborah Brent Sexton as Michael Schaeffer, Jimmy's boss and Kayla's father Guy Branum as a fan of Deborah's Jennifer Irwin as one of DJ's friends Vinessa Vidotto as Ivy, Marty's younger girlfriend Jeff Ward as George, a man Ava meets at the Palmetto Madeline Zima and Rekha Shankar as Jules and Victoria, successful writers and Ava's former colleagues Luenell as Miss Loretta, Robin's best friend Iris Bahr as Perla, a nurse at a medical spa for cosmetic surgery Brandon Keener as an ER doctor Paul Felder as Aidan, an MMA fighter and DJ's fiancé Blake Clark as the marriage officiant at a drive-thru wedding chapel Anna Maria Horsford as Frenchie, a veteran comedian and an old friend of Deborah's Linda Purl as Kathy Vance, Deborah's estranged sister Adam Ray as Drew Higgins, a comedian and the host at the Ha Ha comedy club Nelson Franklin as an interviewer Chris Geere and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Jesse and Daisy, British TV producers who interview Ava
Episodes
Production Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky developed the idea for Hacks on a road trip in 2015. The three worked together previously on Broad City, and Aniello and Downs are romantic partners.
HBO Max ordered the pilot for Hacks, a single-camera comedy series, from co-creators Aniello, Downs, and Statsky in January 2020, and then picked it up for a 10-episode order in May 2020. The series is co-executive produced with Michael Schur (Fremulon), and David Miner and Morgan Sackett (3 Arts Entertainment). Hacks is produced by Universal Television.
On February 8, 2021, Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder were announced as the two lead cast members and Carl Clemons-Hopkins was announced as a main cast member. Additional recurring cast members were also announced: Kaitlin Olson, Christopher McDonald, co-creator Paul W. Downs, Mark Indelicato, Poppy Liu, Johnny Sibilly, Meg Stalter, and Rose Abdoo.
The series premiered on May 13, 2021, with the release of episodes one and two.
Reception Critical response The first season received critical acclaim. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported an 100% approval rating based on 74 critics’ reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critics 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." Metacritic calculated a weighted average score of 82 out of 100 based on 24 critics.
Accolades Award Year Category Nominee(s) Result American Cinema Editors Awards 2022 Best Edited Comedy Series Susan Vaill 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") Art Directors Guild Awards 2022 Excellence in Production Design for a Half Hour Single-Camera Television Series Jon Carlos (for "Primm") Costume Designers Guild Awards 2022 Excellence in Contemporary Television Kathleen Felix-Hager (for "There is No Line") Critics' Choice Television Awards 2022 Best Comedy Series Hacks Best Actress in a Comedy Series Jean Smart Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Hannah Einbinder Directors Guild of America Awards 2022 Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy Series Lucia Aniello (for "There Is No Line") GLAAD Media Awards 2022 Outstanding New TV Series Hacks Golden Globe Awards 2022 Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy Hacks Best Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy Hannah Einbinder Jean Smart 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") Gotham Awards 2021 Breakthrough Series – Short Format Hacks Outstanding Performance in a New Series Jean Smart Hollywood Critics Association TV Awards 2021 Best Streaming Series, Comedy Hacks Best Actress in a Streaming Series, Comedy Jean Smart Best Supporting Actress in a Streaming Series, Comedy Hannah Einbinder Kaitlin Olson Peabody Awards 2021 Entertainment Hacks 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 Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Jean Smart Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Carl Clemons-Hopkins Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Hannah Einbinder Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series Lucia Aniello Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards 2021 Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series Jane Adams Outstanding Casting for a Comedy Series Jeanne McCarthy and Nicole Abellera Hallman Outstanding Cinematography for a Single-Camera Series (Half-Hour) Adam Bricker Outstanding Contemporary Costumes Kathleen Felix-Hager and Karen Bellamy Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Comedy Series Susan Vaill Jessica Brunetto Ali Greer Outstanding Production Design for a Narrative Program (Half-Hour) Jon Carlos, James Bolenbaugh and Ellen Reede Dorros Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Comedy or Drama Series (Half-Hour) and Animation John W. Cook II, Ben Wilkins and Jim Lakin Producers Guild of America Awards 2022 Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television – Comedy Jen Statsky, Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, Michael Schur, David Miner, Morgan Sackett, Joanna Calo, Andrew Law, David Hyman, Joe Mande, and Jessica Chaffin 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 Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series Jean Smart 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 Television Critics Association Awards 2021 Program of the Year Hacks Outstanding Achievement in Comedy Outstanding New Program Individual Achievement in Comedy Jean Smart Writers Guild of America Awards 2022 Comedy Series Lucia Aniello, Joanna Calo, Jessica Chaffin, Paul W. Downs, Cole Escola, Janis E. Hirsch, Ariel Karlin, Katherine Kearns, Andrew Law, Joe Mande, Pat Regan, Samantha Riley, Michael Schur, Jen Statsky New Series Lucia Aniello, Joanna Calo, Jessica Chaffin, Paul W. Downs, Cole Escola, Janis E. Hirsch, Ariel Karlin, Katherine Kearns, Andrew Law, Joe Mande, Pat Regan, Samantha Riley, Michael Schur, Jen Statsky
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