Hacks (HBO Max)

bnt · 07-06-2021 6:43pm #1

I had this recommended to me and just watched the first episode. It's about a veteran Las Vegas comedienne / battleaxe (Jean Smart, most recently in Mare of Easttown): think Joan Rivers, though perhaps not as loud, but her act that is getting stale and her dates are getting cut by the casino owner. She's kind-of tricked in to seeing and hiring a desperate young comedy writer (Hannah Einbinder), who doesn't really want to work for such a "dinosaur" but needs the money.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE51pzVpwBg

So - an Odd Couple, cross-generation kind of deal. Will these two women, two generations apart, become friends?

Tabnabs · 08-06-2021 12:56pm

First episode was strong and showed plenty of potential (if predictable). Second episode was much weaker and it remains to be seen if they can make the format work successfully.

Agent Coulson · 08-06-2021 8:34pm

Renewed for a second season.

JP Liz V1 · 08-06-2021 9:06pm

Smart and Einbender bounce off each other and work well together

Tabnabs · 10-06-2021 9:52am

I have to say I think Einbinder has done incredibly well to get the gig. Her acting skills are very limited and she takes away from the standard of the show overall. Most of the support cast are more talented and more interesting characters than Ava Daniels/Hannah Einbinder.

bnt · 13-06-2021 7:55pm

I quite like Hannah: sure, her character starts off as a caricature of Gen Z wokeness, but that changes. I’ve just finished ep. 5, the one in which she gets a real Las Vegas experience. :eek:

gazzer · 13-06-2021 9:12pm

Love this show. Keeping the final episode until tomorrow

S.M.B. · 13-06-2021 10:14pm

Any idea when this is going to air over here?

For some reason I thought Sky would be really leveraging this HBO Max content to compete with the competition.

gmisk · 25-07-2021 2:10pm

Watched the first two episodes, terrific fun.

Jean Smart is on fire.

Blurb below

A dark mentorship forms between Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas comic, and an entitled, outcast 25-year-old comedy writer.

expectationlost · 25-07-2021 8:59pm

JP Liz V1 · 10-08-2021 2:02am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117415170#Comment_117415170

Has Sky Atlantic picked up?

S.M.B. · 10-08-2021 8:31am

I don't see any news online announcing that they have. I really expected Sky Atlantic to be a conveyor belt of HBO Max shows but it's frustrating when some shows appear to fall through the cracks.

gmisk · 10-08-2021 10:20pm

I loved it, got better and better as it went along. Jean Smart is amazing.

gmisk · 10-08-2021 10:23pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117731608#Comment_117731608

I'd say HBO are considering making their own move into UK/Ireland with HBO Max, sky are really reliant on them for a lot of their premium content they look to be trying to diversify content (signed recent deals for content with paramount and peacock)

gmisk · 20-09-2021 5:20pm

Great to see this winning some Emmys!

S.M.B. · 20-09-2021 8:06pm

Thought this may have been a bump to the thread with news of when it was actually going to air over here :(

JP Liz V1 · 21-09-2021 1:07am

Jean won the Emmy

bnt · 21-09-2021 12:50pm

Also, the first episode won Emmys for Comedy Writing and Direction. I must thank the person who recommended the show to me.

Shelga · 03-06-2022 11:42pm

Just watched the first season, loved it, loved Jean Smart- it really doesn’t seem to have caught on fire as much on this side of the Atlantic though? Can’t see season 2 streaming on any platform available here? :(

Mr.Nice Guy · 04-06-2022 5:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119156148#Comment_119156148

Season 2 will be on Prime from next Friday, June 10th.

Shelga · 05-06-2022 12:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119158409#Comment_119158409

Oh amazing! Thanks! :)

Tabnabs · 07-06-2022 5:00pm

Season 2 is even better, I'm about half way through it. This is a really great bit of light relief TV.

JP Liz V1 · 16-06-2022 5:23pm

Renewed for Season 3 at HBO Max

S.M.B. · 16-06-2022 7:23pm

I really hope a third season maintains the extremely high standards of the first two. While it's great to have more episodes to look forward to, part of me was somewhat content with where the second season ended.

gmisk · 22-06-2022 3:24pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119212566#Comment_119212566

I know what you mean but I suppose there are still plenty of places for them to go.

Mr.Nice Guy · 22-06-2022 11:54pm

I finished the second season and really enjoyed it. I liked it more than the first one. I agree it could have served as a nice end for the show but I'm also pleased they'll bring it back. Jimmy and Kayla were probably my favourites and I got a kick out of their scenes together.

S.M.B. · 23-06-2022 8:43pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119235309#Comment_119235309

I'm happy enough to spend more time with these characters. Definitely think the show works best when Deborah and Ava are side by side so either we'll see some dramatic time jump in between seasons or a fair chunk of the season will be spent with them apart.

Klonker · 04-10-2022 8:46pm

Took me about 3 or 4 episodes to warm to this but once I did I loved it. It might not be the best show I watched in the last few years but it was the one I enjoyed the most. Its not perfect either though, I found the lawsuit story very weak, I feel like they needed something for a season long story and a bit of tension between the 2 leads but I just don't think it worked.