HBO Max Renews Emmy Award-Winning Comedy Series “Hacks” for a Third Season

HBO Max has renewed the multi-Emmy® Award-winning comedy series HACKS for a third season. The series’ first season received many accolades including awards from AFI, Peabody, Critics Choice, DGA, SAG®, WGA, and GLAAD. Season two, which explores the evolving dark mentorship between legendary Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and her young, entitled writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder), premiered to critical acclaim on May 12 and is streaming now on HBO Max.

IndieWire praised HACKS as “a series of endless wonders” and AV Club wrote that the new season is “pitch-perfect” starring “a never-better Jean Smart.” The Wrap noted “Einbinder is riveting,” USA Today hailed Carl Clemons-Hopkins as a “clear standout,” Collider calls Meg Stalter “absolutely brilliant,” and Salon writes that Jimmy is “played with a wonderful sense of knowing by Downs.” Of “the divine comedy from creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky” The Wrap adds it “remains one of the most consummately funny shows on TV.” Variety effuses about Aniello’s directing, writing “honed so brilliantly… [Aniello] finds surreal and beautiful moments.” Season two’s debut marked a new daily high for the series, 125% above its season one debut day last year.

Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max quote: “We congratulate HACKS’ extraordinarily gifted executive producers and cast, and our partners at Universal Television. 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.”

Erin Underhill, President, Universal Television: “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. 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.”

HACKS stars Jean Smart, an Emmy®, SAG Awards®, and Critics Choice Awards winner for her performance in season one of the series, along with Hannah Einbinder, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, and Jane Adams, who were all nominated for Emmys® for the first season. Cast members Christopher McDonald, Kaitlin Olson, Paul W. Downs, Poppy Liu, Rose Abdoo, Mark Indelicato, Meg Stalter, Angela E. Gibbs, Luenell, Johnny Sibilly, Joe Mande, Ally Maki and Lorenza Izzo also star. Season two introduced new recurring guest stars Laurie Metcalf, Martha Kelly, Ming-Na Wen and Susie Essman, and guest stars Margaret Cho and Devon Sawa.

HACKS is created and showrun by Emmy® Award-winners Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky. It is executive produced by Downs and Aniello via their Paulilu banner, Statsky via First Thought Productions, as well as Emmy® Award winners Michael Schur via Fremulon, David Miner for 3 Arts Entertainment and Morgan Sackett. The studio is Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group.