HBO Max Renews Popular Comedy Series for Season 3

Deborah Vance and Eva Daniels will be back to take viewers behind the scenes of showbusiness in another season of Hacks. HBO Max renewed the critically acclaimed comedy for a third season on Thursday. The news comes two weeks after the Season 2 finale was released.

Hacks was created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky. The series stars Jean Smart as Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas comedian who searches for a way to reinvent herself to avoid losing her residency. Hannah Einbinder stars as Ava Daniels, a millennial comedy writer who lost her job because of an insensitive tweet. 

The two happen to have the same manager, Jimmy (Downs), who suggests Ava write new material for Deborah. Although the two don’t see eye-to-eye on many, many things, Ava and Deborah learn to respect one another in their own ways. In Season 2, they went on a road trip to test Deborah’s new material out. Although they succeeded in writing a comeback comedy special for Deborah, she fired Ava to inspire her to break out on her own.

The series also stars Carl Clemons-Hopkins as Marcus, Deborah’s closest advisor and COO of her company. Rose Abdoo, Christopher McDonald, Mark Indelicato, Megan Stalter, Poppy Liu, and Kaitlin Olson also star. Laurie Metcalf, Ming-Na Wen, Margaret Cho, and Wayne Newton made guest appearances in Season 2.

“We congratulate Hacks‘ extraordinarily gifted executive producers and cast, and our partners at Universal Television,” Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max, said in a statement. “We are overjoyed at the audience and press response to the new season, and glad to give viewers more of this gorgeous, hilarious, moving show.”

“The first two seasons of Hacks – expertly crafted by Lucia, Paul, and Jen – gave us beloved, complex characters who make us laugh and feel deeply,” Universal Television President Erin Underhill said. “We’re thrilled that our HBO Max partners have renewed this standout series for a third season, and we can’t wait to see what’s next for Deborah, Ava, and the rest of our outstanding ensemble.” The first season won Emmys for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy (Smart), Outstanding Directing (Aniello), and Outstanding Writing (Aniello, Downs, and Statsky).

In interviews with PopCulture.com, the stars of Hacks praised Smart and Einbinder for their performances and dedication to the acting craft. “She’s also just extremely generous with her time,” Indelicato said of Smart. “If I have a question or if she feels so strongly to say, ‘Hey, what do you think about this?’ She’s extremely collaborative and generous. So it’s not even getting to just be a spectator of her greatness, but also getting brought into that circle with her as an equal, which is thrilling.” The first two seasons of Hacks are available to stream on HBO Max.