Spoiler alert! This article contains spoilers for all three seasons of HacksOver the course of the first three seasons, Hacks has delivered some truly great episodes, from the hilarious original pilot to the jaw-dropping season 3 finale. Created by Bright Citys Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky, Hacks Starring Jean Smart as legendary stand-up comedian Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder as Ava Daniels, millennial writer Deborah Hires to drag her act into the 21st century. Over the show’s three seasons, Debra and Ava have charted a complicated love-hate relationship with many ups and downs.
Hacks was recently the subject of controversy for winning Outstanding Comedy Series The bear In the emissions. But Hacks is just as deserving of the award as The bear would have been. This is an incisive satirical takedown of show business featuring some of the most consistently brilliant writing and acting on television. Both a laugh-out-loud comedy and a touching, heartfelt character drama. In three seasons consisting of 27 episodes overall, Hacks Didn’t have a single bad episode – but the best ones stood out from the rest.
10
“There is no line”
Season 1, Episode 1
The first episode of Hacks – Season 1, Episode 1, “There’s No Line” – is still one of the best shows ever. The pilot received universal acclaim from critics and won Emmys for writing and directing. It begins with Deborah and Ava both reaching low points in their careers: Deborah was bumped to a midweek show at the Vegas casino where she has a residency, and Ava was blacklisted from the business after tweeting a controversial joke.
The show would get even better in its subsequent episodes, but “There’s No Line” set a high bar for the series that followed.
Ava needs a job, and Deborah needs a younger perspective to update her material. So, their manager Jimmy had the bright idea to bring them together. Deborah and Ava’s first meeting brought together a comedic pairing for the ages, and it kicked off their relationship on an unforgettable note. The show would get even better in the subsequent episodes, however “There’s No Line” set a high bar for the series that followed.
9
“par for the course”
Season 3, Episode 6
Hacks Season 3 follows Deborah’s efforts to finally realize her dream of becoming a late-night hostess. In season 3, episode 6, “Par for the Course,” she participates in a golf tournament with several cable affiliates in hopes of making a good impression so they will recommend her for the hosting job. But halfway through the tournament, when she learns they’ve given the gig to someone else, Deborah drops the nice-guy act and kicks the affiliates’ bats up and down the golf course.
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While it’s heartbreaking to see Deborah’s dreams dashed (for now), It’s always a joy to see Deborah in cold-hearted badass mode. “Par for the Course” gets lots of laughs from Deborah bringing Ava out on the course as her caddy. She lands a big B-lot where she falls for a wealthy golfer who turns out to be an ultra-conservative fracking mogul with a working-class fetish. It’s not quite as mind-blowing as the episodes that deliver bombshell twists, but it’s a lot of fun.
8
“New Eyes”
Season 1, Episode 6
The Hacks Writers began to bring Debra and Ava closer together in season 1, episode 6, “New Eyes.” The episode sees Debra and Ava working on new standup material While they stay at a luxury spa where Deborah is recovering from a recent eye lift. While writing jokes in Deborah’s suite, they take meals together, which loosens them up enough to finally start having fun (including pulling a bad prank on Deborah’s too-serious nurse).
This episode has a lot of hilarious gags and one-linersBut it’s also deeply emotional as Debra begins to care about Ava. “New Eyes” also subtly tackles the frustrations of everyday sexism in a really poignant way. It’s a scene touching on male doctors’ dismissal of women’s healthcare concerns, showing Hacks‘ ability to highlight real-world issues without making them the focus of the episode. “New Eyes” surpassed the pilot by mixing social commentary into its razor-sharp character work.
7
“The Click”
Season 2, Episode 6
Smart won her second consecutive Emmy for Outstanding Actress for her fantastic performance in Season 2, Episode 6, “The Click.” After a one night stand with a much younger man, Deborah has an epiphany that finally gives her new standup act into space. Rather than trying to escape her past indiscretions and controversies (namely, the accusation that she burned down her ex-husband’s house), Deborah decides to embrace them and make them the center of the show.
Not only is Smart’s acting in the episode superb; “The Click” also touches the heart of all great comedy: truth. In addition to being a great comedy series in its own right, Hacks is a study of the business of comedy and the creative process behind it. “The Click” highlights the raw honesty that all comedians must embrace to be truly great. It’s a little too inside baseball to connect universally, but it’s a fascinating insight into the process nonetheless.
6
“one day”
Season 3, Episode 5
Hacks Slow down for a sad, character-focused installment in season 3, episode 5, “One Day.” While suffering from writer’s block, Deborah and Ava decide to get out and go for a walk to clear their heads.. However, while wandering through the woods, Deborah falls and sustains an injury, and they find themselves stranded without their phones. It was a great way to remove all the usual stylistic trappings of the series and focus squarely on Deborah and Ava’s relationship.
Deborah’s injury becomes a symbol of her mortality as she confides her fears about aging. Smart nails Deborah’s monologue about how she thought she would get around to achieving certain dreams”one day,” And now she is counting on the flow of days to do these things. “One Day” highlights Deborah’s heavily guarded vulnerability and builds to a heartfelt ending. “One Day” balances humor with heart more effectively than most Hacks Episodes.
5
“The One, The One”
Season 2, Episode 8
Throughout season 2, Deborah faced constant bombings. She caught on, played in small venues across the country, and felt like she was losing her touch when the crowd suddenly stopped laughing. After some soul-searching and perseverance, the storyline came to a head in the season finale – Season 2, Episode 8, “The One, The Only” – as Debra finally got her groove back and filmed her special at the Palmetto.
As with all of the show’s season finales, Hacks Season 2 ends on a shocking, game-changing cliffhanger: As soon as Debra is back on top, she fires Ava. It’s an emotional rollercoaster of an episode, with euphoric highs like Debra’s unexpected sales and devastating lows like a person’s death on the show. “The One, The Only” is easily a top-five episodeBecause it encapsulates all of HacksBest Qualities: It’s funny, it’s serious and it’s wildly unpredictable.
4
“The Deborah Vance Christmas Spectacular”
Season 3, Episode 7
Deborah’s relationship with her estranged sister Cathy was one of the most important parts of Deborah’s backstory, and Hacks Finally addressed it in season 3, episode 7, “The Deborah Vance Christmas Spectacular.” Inspired by Ava’s words of wisdom, Deborah extends an olive branch to Cathy and invites her to her famous annual Christmas party. Most of the episode takes place at the party, but there’s also a hilarious B-scene with Jimmy and Kayla Trying to get a Fatty Arbuckle biopic in an elaborate scheme to secure Deborah’s late-night hosting job.
While the main cast is firing on all cylinders as usual, “The Deborah Vance Christmas Spectacular” has two of HacksAlso Best Guest Performances. J. Smith-Cameron shares terrific chemistry with Smart, especially in the scene where Debra and Cathy finally air their grievances to each other. Plus, Christopher Lloyd gives a wonderfully eccentric turn as a Fatty Arbuckle scion who doesn’t want to be alone on Christmas. The guest stars made an already great cast even more likable for one glorious episode.
3
“The Captain’s Wife”
Season 2, Episode 4
Deborah and Ava hit the high seas on a lesbian cruise in season 2, episode 4, “The Captain’s Wife.” Deborah initially panics, since she is used to playing primarily to gay men and this is a completely different demographic, so she brings Ava with her to rehearse the material. Ava faces her debilitating fear of the ocean to join Debra on the cruiseBut despite their best efforts, the show is an unmitigated disaster, and they are asked to abandon ship.
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“The Captain’s Wife” is a great Flash episode that sets up the season-long arc to focus on Debra and Ava’s developing friendship. The trip brings Deborah and Ava closer together, as it helps Deborah better understand Ava. like Ava opens up about her bisexualityDeborah begins to let go of her old-school prejudices and becomes more open. “The Captain’s Wife” stands out from most others Hacks episodes, because it takes the characters from their usual environment to dig a little deeper into their emotions and their relationship.
2
“1.69 million”
Season 1, Episode 6
Smart won her first Emmy for playing Debra for her unforgettable turn in season 1, episode 6, “1.69 Million.” This is the episode that turned Hacks From a really good show to one of the greatest shows on television. “1.69 Million” tackles the casual sexism embedded in the standup comedy circuit. When Deborah performs at the iconic Sacramento comedy club where she got her start, Ava is shocked to see just how normalized misogyny is in the club environment.
This is the episode that turned Hacks From a really good show to one of the greatest shows on television.
The titular scene is one of the most memorable scenes in the entire series. After Ava confronts Debra about her failure to act against the sexism in the industry, Debra finally decides to fight back. When she sees the show’s loud, chauvinistic host, Drew, harassing one of the female comedians, Deborah offers him $1.69 million to quit comedy – and he agrees. The scene is a thing of beauty, and the triumphant scene alone makes it so Hacks‘ Second-best episode, because it encapsulates what makes Deborah such a great and unique character.
1
“bulletproof”
Season 3, Episode 9
In its third-season finale — season 3, episode 9, “Bulletproof” — Hacks Reaching a new height of greatness. “Bulletproof” is even more shocking and game-changing than the two season finales that came before it. Deborah has finally landed the late-night hosting gigBut this is just the beginning of her problems. Now that she has the job, she is worried about losing the job. In order not to rock the boat, she decides to keep the current head writer and deny Ava the job she promised her.
Just when Debra and Ava seem to have gotten past their differences and become genuine friends, “Bulletproof” throws another jibe into the works. in Hacks Season 3’s finale, Ava ingeniously decides to use Debra’s duplicitous tactics against her and blackmails her into giving her the job. This completely flips the script on their relationship. The Hacks Writers outdid themselves with the season 3 finale. It has just as many laughs as the average episode, however It also delivers one jaw-dropping twist after another, which makes for gripping television.