“Hacks” finale is a moving tribute to comedy’s power to keep going |
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“Hacks” finale is a moving tribute to comedy’s power to keep going
In the end, Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels prove that a funnier world is worth fighting for
Published May 29, 2026 12:00PM (EDT)
The following contains spoilers for the fifth season, including the series finale, of "Hacks"
Comedy loves a good callback. The fifth and final season of “Hacks” contains some outstanding nods to triumphs that Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) savored together in the past, while also revisiting a few tribulations. But the ones in the finale top them all.
The series began with the camera following Deborah backstage as she kindly banters with the staff who make her act look easy, and ends with Ava doing her version of that stroll behind the scenes on her own sitcom pilot’s set.
The Deborah we meet in the series premiere is an extremely wealthy comedy legend (which, in the business, can be polite code for calling somebody a has-been) who views the inexperienced, cocky Ava as an entitled nobody. The show closes with Ava and Deborah as the best of friends, enjoying croissants while waiting for a train at Paris’ Gare de Lyon. It’s a lovely scene, albeit clouded by despair.
“Hacks” departs at a........