Even though it’s a shorter series, I still really appreciate that Hacks comes to air the same time every year. Us television viewers deserve consistency!
At the end of the prior season, Deborah finally landed the slot at Late Night. But with whispers in her ear, she doubted success with Ava by her side, so she told she was out as head writer. Then in a twist, Ava blackmailed Deborah for the spot back! In case you forgot what that blackmail was, Deborah slept with the head of company that owns Late Night, Bob Lipka. That bit of news wouldn’t bode well for either of them. Even though Ava just served Deborah a taste of her own medicine, Deborah can hold a grudge, so she makes Ava’s time as head writer a living hell.
Though the show is doing pretty well in front of the camera, everyone behind the scenes is well aware that something is totally amiss between the show’s star and its head writer. Not willing to let the ship sink, they agree to get on with a “counselor” of sorts, which barely works. It’s when Ava finally reaches her breaking point at work that Deborah finally realizes how important she is to her. The two reconcile and from there, the show goes on a crazy upwards trajectory to the number one spot.
Things are going really well until Deborah finally loses her patience with Winnie, who keeps pestering her about making a spin off show, a la Carpool Karaoke. She vents her frustrations to Bob who kicks Winnie off the network immediately. One would think it would be good to have someone so powerful of Deborah’s side, but she’s no fool. She recognizes that she now has to be operating at the whims of this man or she loses her dream job. It sucks because just when Deborah and Ava are firing on all cylinders like one hive mind, the higher ups have to go and do some shady stuff. It puts Deborah’s moral standards on the knifes’ edge, but I don’t know that I was that surprised to learn that she ends up doing the right thing.
For me, the final episode lost some steam, and I think the story could have gone in a different direction, but it did leave off in the perfect spot for a new, recently renewed, season. There’s still more to this whacky story and I am totally excited to be along for the ride. I saw someone online post that they wished that the fifth season would be the final one, but why doubt such a strong writing a directing team? They gave us another incredible season, and I think that trio has the wherewithal to know when to stop the music. The supporting characters continue to shine in this show – particularly Jimmy and Kayla – but I think they are used just the right amount. Always leaves me wanting more. Please tune into this hit if you haven’t already.