SPOILER ALERT: This story contains spoilers from the series finale of “Hacks,” now streaming on HBO Max.
In the closing minutes of “Hacks,” Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) do what they conspicuously have not for most of the streaming comedy’s fifth and final season: workshop some jokes.
The push and pull between the two women’s comedic sensibilities was once the backbone of the professional romance, which concluded its half-decade run on HBO Max this week. Ava, a television writer ostracized from her industry after a backlash-provoking tweet, pushed Deborah, a legendary stand-up who had cocooned herself in the stale comfort of a Las Vegas residency, to incorporate edge and honesty into her act. Deborah, for her part, showed Ava what it took to achieve and maintain her level of success despite cultural sexism and personal betrayals. This dynamic was drawn most sharply into focus when it was trained on specific projects: developing Deborah’s new hour of material, or launching a late-night show on a major broadcast network.
But the home stretch of “Hacks” largely set the work, once so central, to the side. This was partly a consequence of the plot, of course: In walking away from her late-night show rather than fire Ava and cave to corporate interference, Deborah triggered a non-compete that barred her from the stage or any other kind of public performance for 18 months. After generating story from amusing workarounds like recording guest vocals on a Tejano song or competing on “The Amazing Race,” however, “Hacks” did set a goal for Deborah and Ava to work toward: selling out Madison Square Garden, a brass ring for comedians that Deborah feels will secure her legacy.
