“Hacks” opened as a show about an over-the-hill stand-up comedy icon named Deborah Vance (Smart) who needed her career rescued by a young writer named Ava (Hannah Einbinder). The third season opens with Deborah in a much different place: so on top of the world that she’s getting her own slot machine in Caesar’s Palace (again), surrounded by crowds who laugh at every single thing she says. Her Netflix special has returned her to the top of the comedy food chain, but she’s cut all ties with Ava, who’s gotten a new job on a “Daily Show”-esque comedy/news program and is madly in love with an actress named Ruby (Lorenza Izzo). Ava seems justifiably bitter at how much Deborah has cut her off, using their partnership to get back on top and then throwing it away.
Of course, the show needs to get Deborah and Ava back together, and so when a window opens in which Vance could possibly live her dream: to replace the soon-to-depart “Late Night” host. Echoing how Vance inspiration Joan Rivers dreamed of late-night relevance, the third season follows Deborah’s efforts to break the glass ceiling of male-dominated post-primetime television. She knows no one writes for her voice quite like Ava, so the effort crashes the two of them back together, making their insecurities more co-dependent than ever. Episodes circle around the political world of Hollywood games, as Deborah tries to impress the power brokers without losing her voice.
The regular supporting players largely remain the same, including solid turns from show-grounding Carl Clemons-Hopkins and goofy laugh-generating Megan Stalter. Still, the standout in that department this year is show co-creator and writer Paul Downs as Jimmy, Deborah’s agent. He naturally understands the voice and intent of this season better than anyone and nails his biggest arc to date. There are also some excellent guest turns, but the Powers That Be at Max has asked that those stay secret (even if a few gems are already in the preview).
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