Critic Reviews

Hacks is the rare comedy that not only nails its punchlines, but brutally deconstructs the pain, effort, and genius it takes to make jokes land. ... A spectacular showcase for its leading ladies, and above all, a love letter to life in the comedy trenches.

For all its gut-punch humor, ‘’Hacks’’ is dead serious about how show business treats women. You might be laughing too hard to hear it, but there’s a low frequency scream running just beneath the comedy. This show makes a rich contribution to the buddy comedy tradition, never superficial or skin deep and always very, very funny.

The pacing is exquisite, with every episode revealing just enough of Deb and Ava’s backstory to cast them repeatedly in a new light. So there it is: Hacks is every bit as great as you’ve been told.

Overall, Hacks Season 2 is a higher-stakes, higher-reward season, emotionally. The journey of pairing such generationally divided comedians together, first launched in Season 1, is now given even more interesting obstacles to navigate.

It rightfully nabbed three Emmys last year. But much like Smart’s Deborah Vance, Hacks is upping its game with its second go-round.

It’s a joy to see the rest of the series catch up with [Jean Smart's] munificent excellence in its sophomore year. The writing is funnier and more poignant, the ensemble has gelled and the tonal jaggedness that plagued the previous season has been smoothed out. With Smart never better, the first six episodes (of eight total) find the show firing on all cylinders. It’s exactly what you’d hope from any sophomore season.

While “Hacks” will definitely be in the hunt for more Emmys (it won for Smart and its writing and directing), look for Metcalf to join their ranks. The second season’s third episode is about as good as these things get.

The sharp HBO Max comedy isn’t content to coast. The new season, for anyone concerned that it wouldn’t live up to the first, aims higher and deeper, expanding the dynamic between Ava and Deborah while keeping both the wit and pathos largely intact. ... The show’s excellent supporting cast also remains in top form.

Taking Deborah and Ava on a road trip is a good way to keep things moving and mix it up. Hacks remains magnificent, confident comedy.

The third season of “Hacks” is funny, unpredictable, and even moving. It’s a show that almost deliberately avoids the traps of its premise, walking up to clichés about age and gender in Hollywood—even cancel culture in a brilliant late-season episode—and then taking a sharp turn away from them.