Everything you need to know about comedy-drama series, Hacks
Stand-up comedian Deborah Vance is a legend. Now in the twilight era of her career, she is content with her Las Vegas residency at the Palmetto Casino two nights a week, her QVC appearances and one-off jobs.
However, after celebrating her 2,500th show at the Palmetto, she’s told she’s being moved in favour of newer acts that attract younger audiences. Desperate to freshen up her act, she looks into hiring new writers to keep her show alive.
Enter: Ava Daniels, an entitled television writer whose career has taken a nosedive after an ill-received tweet about a congressman’s gay son. Fired from her job, she is sent to meet with Deborah by her manager to see if she can pick up work there.
Thus begins a turbulent friendship and work partnership as the two women revive Deborah’s career and even bring it to new heights – while trading insults and jabs the entire time as the Old Guard and New Guard clash with their styles and sensibilities.
What is the age rating of Hacks?
Hacks is certified 15 by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC).
This means it has been deemed unsuitable for children and younger audiences.
Reasons for this rating include:
Frequent use of profanity
Scenes depicting alcohol and drug use
Adult discussions on themes including sexual harassment
Brief scenes of nudity
Depictions and implications of sex and sex acts
Jokes aimed at an adult audience
Who stars in Hacks?
The cast of Hacks is currently:
Jean Smart (Mayor of Easttown, Legion) as Deborah Vance
Hannah Einbinder (How to be Broke, Strange Planet) as Ava Daniels
Carl Clemons-Hopkins (The Beanie Bubble, Candyman) as Marcus
Megan Stalter (The Megan Stalter Show, ILY Bye) as Kayla Schaefer
Paul W. Downs (Broad City, Rough Night) as Jimmy LuSaque Jr.
Rose Abdoo (Gilmore Girls, Parenthood) as Josefina
Mark Indelicato (Ugly Betty, With Love) as Damien
Kaitlin Olson (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) as Deborah "DJ" Vance Jr.
How many episodes of Hacks are there?
To date, Hacks has aired for four seasons – totalling 37 episodes.
Season one ran for 10 episodes, season two for 8, season three for 9 and season four for 10.
How many awards has Hacks won?
Hacks has been widely celebrated on the awards circuit during its run to date, earning a staggering 223 nominations with 86 wins.
Wins include:
9x Primetime Emmys
5x Hollywood Critics Association Television Awards
4x Golden Globes
3x Television Critics Awards (TCAs)
2x Critics Choice Awards
2x Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards
How to watch Hacks
Hacks seasons 1-4 are available now on Sky Max and NOW.
Will I still be able to watch Hacks on Sky with HBO Max launching?
Yes!
If you’re already a Sky subscriber, you will get complete continuity of the service at no extra cost via the Max app. The new deal means Sky and NOW customers benefit from more content through bundled access to the streaming service that will exclusively feature new HBO Original and Max Original shows and more.
And in the case of Hacks and a range of other series, as part of Sky’s new deal with HBO, customers will continue to find shows such as House of the Dragon, The White Lotus, and The Last of Us, and any new series aired before the end of 2025, on Sky Atlantic and through Sky’s On Demand service.
Cecile Frot-Coutaz, CEO of Sky Studios and chief content officer of Sky, said: “What’s really good about the deal that we struck is that if you’re a Sky subscriber, at no additional cost, you will have access to the Max app within your Sky platform. So if you’re already a Sky subscriber, you have complete continuity of service. Actually, you probably have more because Max will have more content than what we have today with the HBO shows and the Warner Bros. films.
“It’s going to be completely seamless for those customers, so you’ll have a really rich experience, and that’s at no additional cost.
“Any show that we’ve had historically on our channels you’ll continue to get on the channels, including future seasons of The Last of Us and The White Lotus.”
And what about NOW TV?
In addition, NOW UK and Ireland Entertainment members will also receive bundled access to the ad-supported version of Max, seamlessly integrated into the NOW experience alongside other premium content. They will also continue to get the existing series which were available on Sky as part of their subscription.
