TMC
11-14-2022, 04:44 AM
https://www.looper.com/1096264/every-episode-of-hacks-ranked/
BY DONNY SHELDON/NOV. 13, 2022 3:15 PM UTC
First seasons of comedy shows are notoriously tough to pull off. Introducing core themes, essential characters, and key storylines is hard enough, but the real trick is setting the show's tone. This is why it often takes even the best-ever comedy shows (https://www.looper.com/446428/best-sketch-comedy-shows-ever/) a few episodes to find their groove, or even a few seasons. But HBO Max's (https://www.looper.com/956212/the-untold-truth-of-hbo-max/) "Hacks" dodges this issue with ease: It's completely brilliant from Episode 1.
This hysterical comedy sees veteran standup comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) enlist young comedy writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) to help punch up her comedy routine. Deborah and Ava are both ambitious creatives, but they're from vastly different generations. This means they constantly butt heads, but also grow dependent on each other's support, wit, and friendship. Created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky, "Hacks" (https://www.looper.com/473726/the-untold-truth-of-hacks/) debuted in 2021 to raves from critics (https://www.metacritic.com/tv/hacks) and a plethora of awards (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11815682/awards?ref_=tt_ql_sm). Each of its 18 episodes strikes a distinct balance of comedy and pathos — and we're here to rank every single one of them from worst to best.
BY DONNY SHELDON/NOV. 13, 2022 3:15 PM UTC
First seasons of comedy shows are notoriously tough to pull off. Introducing core themes, essential characters, and key storylines is hard enough, but the real trick is setting the show's tone. This is why it often takes even the best-ever comedy shows (https://www.looper.com/446428/best-sketch-comedy-shows-ever/) a few episodes to find their groove, or even a few seasons. But HBO Max's (https://www.looper.com/956212/the-untold-truth-of-hbo-max/) "Hacks" dodges this issue with ease: It's completely brilliant from Episode 1.
This hysterical comedy sees veteran standup comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) enlist young comedy writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) to help punch up her comedy routine. Deborah and Ava are both ambitious creatives, but they're from vastly different generations. This means they constantly butt heads, but also grow dependent on each other's support, wit, and friendship. Created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky, "Hacks" (https://www.looper.com/473726/the-untold-truth-of-hacks/) debuted in 2021 to raves from critics (https://www.metacritic.com/tv/hacks) and a plethora of awards (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11815682/awards?ref_=tt_ql_sm). Each of its 18 episodes strikes a distinct balance of comedy and pathos — and we're here to rank every single one of them from worst to best.