Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Hacks Season 5, Episode 7

Summary

Hacks Season 5 delivers a bittersweet, brilliant final season that cements Ava and Deborah as soulmates.

Episode 7 leans into a playful storyline fans have wanted, giving Deborah uncharacteristic vulnerability and Ava the upper hand.

Jean and Hannah’s chemistry, physical comedy, and guest cameos make this season uproariously funny and tender.

Hacks has been HBO’s most impressive comedy series since 2021, when we were first introduced to Deborah Vance, Jean Smart’s unfiltered, unapologetic stand-up comedian character who’s forced to work with Hannah Einbinder’s Ava Daniels — a comedy writer dealing with the aftermath of an insensitive joke and a directionless career — in an effort to reinvigorate Deborah’s own legacy. What starts out as a purely antagonistic dynamic evolves into a far more complicated, deeply heartfelt one. By Season 5, one thing is crystal clear: Ava and Deborah are soulmates. It’s incredibly bittersweet to think that Season 5 of Hacks will be its last. On one hand, we will miss seeing what shenanigans Ava and Deborah get caught up in next, but on the other hand, it really feels like co-creators Jen Statsky, Lucia Aniello, and Paul W. Downs are brilliantly nearing the finish line of Deborah and Ava’s story. After being so at odds in Season 4, it’s refreshing to see Ava and Deborah united in a clear mission — absolutely nailing that Madison Square Garden show — and doing everything (and anything) to make it happen. To the surprise of no one, Smart and Einbinder absolutely nail every joke and line delivery in Season 5, with Episode 7 taking their chemistry to another level when it cleverly winks (well, stares) at something that many — including Einbinder — have hilariously petitioned for: Deborah and Ava becoming a couple… at least, for one episode. During this interview with Collider, Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart think back to when they first got cast on Hacks and what they’ve learned from each other, how much Deborah is hilariously out of her comfort zone in Episode 7, and what it was like crafting such silly tension and wonderful chaos with guest stars Cherry Jones and Leslie Bibb.
Jean Smart Was Amazed by Hannah Einbinder From Day 1 of ‘Hacks’

“There are some things you just can’t teach.”

COLLIDER: I have so much I want to talk to you about. This season is fantastic. I want to jump back a little bit to the early days. Jean, was there something that Hannah did on set that you observed or said that made you know that she would be the one you wanted to take this ride with for five seasons? JEAN SMART: Oh, my gosh. I felt like when they had narrowed the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of girls they looked at for this role, when they narrowed it down to a handful… I watched her stand up online and I thought, “wow, this girl is funny. She’s unusual. She’s got her own style. She’s very specific to it.” I believed that she could be this character and this writer. And she wasn’t this typical “starlet” auditioning. And I was amazed. We auditioned together and I thought she was perfect. But the first day we started shooting, I said, “she’s an absolute natural, an absolute natural.” There’s some things you just can’t teach, and I was really happy, really amused, very impressed. It’s true. Hannah, from your point of view, did you see Jean do something on set or did she say something that stuck with you and you pocketed for all the other sets you go on? HANNAH EINBINDER: You know, what made me feel so comfortable in our initial audition was that she called me the night before, which is really not typical for the star of the show to reach out to one of the actors before they even meet. She just said, “I love your standup and I think you’re going to be so great, and I’m looking forward to it. We’re going to have a lot of fun.” And it just eased my nerves so much and made me feel so comfortable. She’s just done that throughout the series. One of the things that I love about Jean is that she goes out of her way to make everybody feel warm and welcome and comfortable. When you’re about to fan out and queen out, she doesn’t allow you to do it because she just brings you in and just makes you feel close to her. It’s something that I’m really proud of being in proximity to. And then just as far as what I will take with me and what I’ve learned, literally, I keep saying this, but everything. I had no concept of what this job was, and she’s the best at it. I’ve learned everything that I know from her. I went to the Jean Smart School of Acting. It’s true. SMART: My sidekick now. EINBINDER: Yes.
Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart Couldn’t Keep It Together When Filming ‘Hacks’ Season 5

“It’s funny because it is the first and last time you see Deborah Vance completely helpless.”

Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder’s Ava Daniels looking horrified in Hacks Season 5Image via HBO Max

I laughed so much this season. There is so much physical comedy, which I feel like is very underappreciated. More sitcoms need to have silly fights, and you did it so well this season. My favorite episode is “Montecito.” SMART: This is what everybody’s saying! [Laughs] EINBINDER: I mean… I agree. SMART: I call it “The M Word.” [Laughs] I feel like when I saw the premise, I was like, “well, finally.” like about time. What did you guys think when you heard that this was going to happen? SMART: I was afraid. I was very afraid. And I had a right to be. [Laughs] It’s funny because it is the first and last time you see Deborah Vance completely helpless and at Ava’s mercy, where she cannot fight back. She cannot talk back. EINBINDER: Nope. SMART: If she wants what she thinks she wants, she has to put up with anything that Ava comes up with. And Ava is having a great time.

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The actors also reflect on five years of making the HBO hit and tease Kayla’s emotional Episode 8 scene with Jimmy.

EINBINDER: Oh, yeah. SMART: Torturing. EINBINDER: It’s so funny. Shooting that felt like it was a movie or something. It felt like this separate little side quest. And it was so fun working with Leslie and Cherry. They are so cool, and we just had a fab time. SMART: Yeah, we did.
Cherry Jones and Leslie Bibb Completely Nailed Their ‘Hacks’ Season 5 Cameos

“I was laughing so hard and just couldn’t get the line out.”

Leslie Bibb’s Monica and Cherry Jones’ Kelly in Hacks Season 5Image via HBO Max

I was talking to Jen and Lucia and, they’re like, “we kind of think that Cherry and Leslie are a couple.” They locked in immediately. And like you said, Deborah’s never not the center of attention with everything. She’s just out of her comfort zone. I imagine it must have been really fun to play Jean, right? Like that must have been a blast. SMART: It was. Yeah. And also, too, I have to say, I think it was the first time I’ve ever broken. There was one point where I just couldn’t get through it. I was laughing so hard and just couldn’t get the line out. EINBINDER: “Do not say a-s-s to me after you — ” She’s never broken in the entire series. And of course, she is the one who broke herself. [Laughs] Like Jane Addams breaks me non fucking stop. I’m getting broken by Jane. Lauren Weedman breaks me so fucking hard. But no, Jean’s only broken once and she broke herself. It was so great in that episode to see Ava realizing that she has the upper hand and you can really see that happening on the couch. It was a really clever way to go back down memory lane because it was very cute. How was it filming that scene, because it was very “stream of consciousness” for Ava, which I love. But what was it like interacting with Cherry and Leslie? EINBINDER: It was fab. SMART: We got lucky with the two of them. EINBINDER: Yeah, it was great. I was excited about the kind of little chunk. It was really great finding new ways to like, spice it up throughout and like the earring thing… I just saw them earlier that day. I don’t know what they use in the cut, because I haven’t seen it yet, but just kind of knowing it’s there and reaching around. It was just fun to find those moments organically. SMART: You remember, though, that point we were sitting in the jacuzzi, and all of a sudden, something happened and the jets turned to ice water. EINBINDER: The temperature modulation was definitely wild that day. But yeah, it was fun. It was one of the most fun things to shoot. And one of my favorite episodes of the series, I think. There was a moment where Cherry and Leslie were just really leaning in and staring at Ava and Deborah, and I just felt Deborah’s panic of like, “how do I get out of this?”

SMART: Right when she takes Cherry to lunch before that to apologize because she wants to get on her good side, and you just happened to show up. You said something that was like, so, “naggy wifey.” EINBINDER: But it’s such a beautiful way, I think, to deliver on the kiss and also stay true to the relationship and the reality, which is that they are working friends, platonic, etc. But still, to get that vibe is so, so beautifully done, I think, by Paul, Jen, and Lucia. SMART: And Deborah laughed about it later. EINBINDER: For sure. I don’t know if they used this, but we were riffing after the episode where we’re driving off. And I was like, “so, should we tell Damien and Josefina that we hooked up?” And she’s like, “we did not hook up.” Is that in it? [Laughs] That is in it! [Laughs] EINBINDER: It is? [Laughs] “We hooked up, so, should we tell them, or…” SMART: Can you imagine the looks on their faces? Thank you so much for your time. The series means so much to me. And Hannah, I’m looking forward to your horror movie. EINBINDER: Oh, I think it’ll be right up your alley. New episodes of Hacks Season 5 air Thursdays on HBO Max.