You have to hand it to Deborah Vance. This once almost-cancelled Las Vegas star is now well on her way to regaining the height of her fame – and it’s in part thanks to her long-suffering writer and pal, Ava.

These two know how to push each other’s buttons, for better or worse. As Hacks season three kicks off, they’re going to need to be pushing the envelope further than ever before - but at what cost?

Meanwhile, Jimmy and Kayla are on an adventure of their own, while Marcus has some big moves in mind for Deborah’s career too.

This brings Deborah to her ultimate goal: the Late Night circuit. Will she be able to pull it off?

We’re about to find out.

The cast of Hacks of season three is:

• 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.

• Poppy Liu (Space Cadet, No Good Deed) as Kiki

• Christopher McDonald (Happy Gilmore, Flubber) as Marty Ghilain

• Helen Hunt (What Women Want, Twister) as Winnie Landell

• Johnny Sibilly (Pose, The Deuce) as Wilson

• Jane Adams (The Idol, Hung) as Nina Daniels

Guest appearances from Natasha Legerro, Patton Oswalt, Christina Hendricks, J. Smith Cameron.

Hacks season three is nine episodes long, picking up a year after the events of the season two finale.

With Deborah now riding high and her star now shining once again, she finds fame comes at a cost as she struggles to come up with new material – or find people to be honest with her.

Meanwhile Ava is having a career glow-up of her own as a writer on a daily comedy news show, living with actress girlfriend Ruby who is now starring as DC’s Wolfgirl.

But as Deborah and Ava both head to Montreal for separate reasons, and Deborah hires a new writing team, it seems this pair can’t quite recreate the magic they had with each other.

Elsewhere, Jimmy and Kayla start looking for new talent to represent.

Ava and Deborah continue to re-establish their friendship, which worries Ruby, who fears Ava is ‘backsliding’ into a comfortable old role.

Deborah discovers fans are making merchandise of her on Etsy, prompting Marcus to come up with a lucrative idea rather than suing the creators.

On top of that, Deborah hesitantly accepts a job as the guest host of a late night talk show, but it forces Ava to have to make a choice between her new life and her old one.

With murmurs of a potential role as full time host at Late Night start circulating, Deborah wants to make sure her career is on fire – and what’s hotter than a roast?

Bringing in friends, family and celeb pals, Deborah wants to make sure it goes off without a hitch. But Deborah’s daughter DJ is scared she’s not cut out for the spotlight like her mother – and has something she needs to tell her.

Ava and Deborah establish new ground rules for their working relationship.

Deborah gets a ticket to The Boys Club after decades out of their inner circle, but a game of Uno reveals she needs to be careful what she wishes for.

After discovering Jack Danby is the new frontrunner for the Late Night job, Deborah and Ava throw caution to the wind to begin a campaign for her to get the job instead – grabbing the attention of network boss, Winnie Landell.

Ruby and Ava come to an awkward impasse in their relationship.

With life causing them stress, Deborah and Ava decide to take a hike to clear their heads – but immediately find themselves in trouble as nature isn’t exactly their natural habitat. But it does lead to some soul-bearing, heart-to-hearts and surprising confessions.

Meanwhile, Marcus is offered a tempting new job.

In a bid to charm some decision makers to get the Late Night job, Deborah and Ava head to a golf course for a charity golf tournament.

While Deborah schmoozes network CEO Bob Lipka, Ava has a romantic run-in with a beautiful politician with unique tastes.

The next day, Ava gets a pep talk from a surprising source, and Deborah’s estranged sister is invited to the Vance’s annual Christmas event.

Having heard some bad news, Deborah puts her all into hosting her annual Christmas event, and Kayla and Jimmy come up with a Hail Mary idea to turn things around for their client.

Meanwhile, Ava’s mother’s in town, as is Deborah’s estranged sister, Kathy, promising an awkward family reunion where some truths come to light.

It’s two weeks to Deborah’s test show, so the last thing she needs is an interview with a scathing reporter known for her profile pieces.

On top of that, she’s double-booked – expected to receive an honorary doctorate and also appear at a Pride event… and she’s insistent on doing both.

But as old material causes trouble at the university campus, Deborah and Ava clash once again – while Marcus is left questioning where he stands in Deborah’s future.

The group prepares for changes, both expected and unexpected, as relationships begin to break down in some major ways.

As Marcus debates his next career move, Kayla finds herself in an awkward situation as she reconnects with a high school ‘friend’, and Ava is offered several tempting jobs.

But just as things look like they’re falling into place, a devastating betrayal that upends everything – and leaves two characters in bitter deadlock.