‘Hacks’ Season Four Brings Deborah/Ava Tension To the Late Night Stage

Live from Hollywood, It’s Deborah Vance! With Hacks returning for its fourth season on Max, the acclaimed comedy is ready to entertain audiences from a whole new setting, the late night talk show studio. Fresh off its 2024 Emmy haul – including Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress for Jean Smart (her third for the series and sixth overall) – the show, which premiered its new episodes this week, promises to raise the bar. During an HBO press conference for the series, the cast and team behind Hacks discussed what fans can expect.

Deborah Vance’s journey takes a big leap onto a new stage as she takes on her dream job as a late-night host, an accomplishment that comes with its own challenges.  “It’s sort of, be careful what you wish for. I mean, the pressure gets to her, definitely,” Smart shared. Expect a season steeped in the whirlwind of late-night television, plenty of laughs and chaos behind the curtain. “We always knew we wanted Deborah to get her white whale, to get this late-night show. So there is a lot of behind-the-scenes drama and comedy that happens at a late-night show,” said Paul W. Downs, who is the series creator, writer, and also stars as Jimmy.

Deborah’s inner struggles have the seasoned comedian feeling the pressures and doubts of the new job, taking the unique form of a coyote that makes multiple appearances. “All of her fears have sort of been turned into this creature, who keeps popping up. Living in California, they’re always kind of this specter out in your yard,” said Jean Smart.

These doubts carry over to the workplace in the form of clashes and comedy in the new backdrop of late night as Deborah steps into her new role. Many of these clashes are stirred up by Ava (Hannah Einbinder), the often belittled writer, who now serves as head writer for the late night program. Hostility should be no surprise for fans who have watched them butt heads since season one, Especially after Ava secured the new head writer position after blackmailing Deborah with potentially career-damaging emails.

Their complex and often volatile relationship remains at the show’s core, always teeming with tension as its meter sways from friendly to toxic and back again. “I give credit to the writing for that—it continually amazes me that they are able to find more and more for us,” said Smart. “The fact that they’ve been able to keep this dynamic going, because that was my biggest fear after the first season, is that now that they’re kind of friendly, is that going to be as much fun?”

The Deborah/Ava relationship is like oil and vinegar, while they do not alway mix they naturally work well together. That does not mean you should expect smooth sailing for season 4, anything but. The characters are at eachothers throats early and often as they try fiercely conflict over Deborah’s comedic voice for her new show. One charged moment has the persistent tension escalate from the series trademark verbal barbs to a near physical altercation. “It’s a very kind of threatening, threatening moment, but to play opposite her, everything’s easy because it’s in her eyes,” Jean Smart, with Hannah Einbinder adding, “We are so deeply close to these characters and so it really does just come naturally, and the dialog leads the way. And so we’re able to just embody that and it frickin’ rips.”

Now that Ava has crow-barred her way into the position, she and Deborah have to find a way to not only co-exist, but to also deliver ratings while both want to maintain their comedic integrity. The shift in the relationship dynamic puts Ava in a new position of power, a situation that keeps them at odds and the comedy at peak levels. “A lot of people ask me, ‘Has Ava turned bad?’”, shared Einbinder. “I think Ava is in a position, her hand has kind of been forced. She has to kind of speak Deborah’s language. It’s been really cool to get to play the adversarial thing.”

Season 4 is poised to deliver all the sharp wit, emotional depth, as well as the messy thrill of Deborah and Ava’s new late-night venture. The series is as strong as ever as it heads off on a wild ride this season – one that includes a wild Las Vegas road trip, guest appearances from names like Jimmy Kimmel and the legendary Carol Burnett, and enough tension you can put it with a knife. The first two episodes of Hacks are now streaming on Max, with new episodes of the 10 episode season dropping every Thursday until the May 9th finale.