15 Best Hacks Episodes, Ranked
Over the course of its first three seasons, Hacks has delivered some truly great episodes, from the hilarious original pilot to the jaw-dropping season 3 finale. Created by Broad City’s Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky, Hacks stars Jean Smart as legendary stand-up comic Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder as Ava Daniels, the down-on-her-luck millennial writer Deborah hires to drag her act into the 21st century. Throughout the show’s three seasons, Deborah and Ava have charted a complicated love-hate relationship with plenty of ups and downs.
Hacks has recently been the subject of controversy for winning Outstanding Comedy Series over The Bear at the Emmys but Hacks is just as deserving of the award as The Bear would have been. It’s an incisive satirical takedown of show business with some of the most consistently brilliant writing and acting on television. It’s both a laugh-out-loud comedy and a touching, heartfelt character drama. In three seasons consisting of 27 episodes overall, Hacks hasn’t had a single bad episode — but the very best ones have stood out among the rest.
15 "The Roast Of Deborah Vance"
Season 3, Episode 3
The third season saw Deborah end up involved in one of the biggest events of any comedian's career as she was part of a roast. The episode sees so many professional comics mocking her, and she rolls with the punches like a pro. One of the best parts of this Hacks episode comes when DJ actually excels at the roast and just knocks it out of the park. Seeing how happy Deborah is for her, even as the jokes are against her, showed how far DJ has come. But there is a twist.
The roast is not why this is one of the best Hacks episodes. The roast is just the launching point, but the story is a lot deeper and more emotional than that. The main plot of "The Roast Of Deborah Vance" is about Deborah and her daughter's relationship. When Deborah shows up at DJ's recovery meeting and just cuts jokes at her daughter's expense, it is hurtful, especially after five years of sobriety. DJ's speech after the meeting drove the point home - these two have a long way to go in their relationship.
14 "Falling"
Season 1, Episode 5
"Falling" is a very Ava-esque episode of Hacks. In this episode, Ava is still not quite on the same page with Deborah, and she is questioning her life choices. However, viewers also get a look at how much of an unlikable person Ava is, especially when she runs into some of her former late-night co-writers, who want nothing to do with her. When one tells her, "you were an a**hole before the tweet," it really slams home what kind of person Ava had turned into.
However, Ava has a lot of room to question her life by the end of the episode. There was one person in the episode who was on Ava's side from the start. George (Jeff Ward) had plenty of life affirmations for her, a lot of solid advice, and plenty of drugs. However, George was also someone who stole money from elderly people in a scheme and then jumped from his Vegas room balcony, dying by suicide. In the end, Ava knew she had to take a long look at herself, if only Deborah would let her.
13 "Better Late"
Season 3, Episode 2
In "Better Late," the third season started its first big plot arc when Deborah gets a chance to appear on Danny Collins' late-night talk show. However, Danny is sick on the night she is supposed to show up, and instead she is asked to guest host the episode. Her writers come up with terrible ideas, and she finally calls Ava and asks for help. The two of them knock it out of the park and Deborah gets the big news. Danny is retiring, the job will be up for grabs, and Deborah asks Ava if she will help her.
When Ava tells Ruby it will "be different this time," the episode feels very familiar in a sad way.
This starts off a great season, although it also opens up a tough part of the story for Ava as she has to tell her lover, Ruby, that she is staying to help Deborah and giving up their vacation they had planned. When Ava tells Ruby it will "be different this time," the episode feels very familiar in a sad way. It also had a heartbreaking ending when Ava found a ring and misunderstood its meaning. When Ava returns to Deborah and orders her to remove her shoes, viewers realize things might not be changing.
12 "Quid Pro Quo"
Season 2, Episode 2
The important thing about Hacks is the back-and-forth relationship between Deborah and Ava. After the first season ended, Deborah and Ava were getting along with each other and everything looked to be under control. However, this had to be slightly undone in the second season to keep their entertaining relationship intact. WIth the two on a road trip in "Quid Pro Quo," it was time for everything to implode on them again. This comes as Deborah keeps reinventing her style with Ava's ideas.
This entire episode is a master course of tension as Ava needs to be honest with Deborah about a nasty email she wrote about her when they were fighting last season. The British writers she sent it to plan to use it in a show with Helen Mirren as the lead actress, which almost guarantees it will make it to air and humiliate Deborah. This leads to the big plot point in the second season when Deborah agrees not to fire Ava, but she is suing her for breaking her NDA, setting the table for more drama.
11 "I Think She Will"
Season 1, Episode 10
The first season of Hacks presented one of the best television seasons in sitcom history. It all came about thanks to the perfect combination of Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder as the veteran comedian and the young writer trying to help her revitalize her career. While Deborah was mostly bullying and rejecting all help throughout the first season, Ava was fighting back in her own way. All the while, viewers wanted to see them finally get on the same page, and it took until the final episode for that to happen.
This was the episode where Deborah finally gave in and agreed to update her style with Ava's help, and it was time to see if that would be a success or if both women would crash and burn. This entire episode plays out like a roller coaster, with the two women finally reconciling and preparing to leave Las Vegas and hone Deborah's new act on the road. While it was a great ending and a huge boost for fans cheering for the women, an email Ava sent while angry sets the table for the second season.
10 "There Is No Line"
Season 1, Episode 1
The very first episode of Hacks — season 1, episode 1, “There is No Line” — is still one of the show’s best. The pilot received universal acclaim from critics and won Emmys for writing and directing. It begins with Deborah and Ava both reaching low points in their careers: Deborah has been bumped to a midweek show at the Vegas casino where she has a residency, and Ava has been blacklisted from the business after tweeting a controversial joke.
The show would get even better in its subsequent episodes, but “There is No Line” set a high bar for the series that followed.
Ava needs a job, and Deborah needs a younger perspective to update her material. So, their manager Jimmy has the bright idea to bring them together. The initial meeting of Deborah and Ava brought together a comic pairing for the ages, and it kicked off their relationship on an unforgettable note. The show would get even better in its subsequent episodes, but “There is No Line” set a high bar for the series that followed.
9 "Par For The Course"
Season 3, Episode 6
Hacks season 3 follows Deborah’s efforts to finally make her dream of becoming a late-night host come true. In season 3, episode 6, “Par for the Course,” she participates in a golf tournament with some cable affiliates in the hope of making a good impression, so they’ll recommend her for the hosting job. But halfway through the tournament, when she learns they’ve given the gig to someone else, Deborah drops the nice-guy act and kicks the affiliates’ butts up and down the golf course.
Hacks Season 3 Ending Explained
From Deborah's betrayal to Ava's devious scheme, the ending of Hacks season 3 was full of surprising revelations that will completely change the show.
While it’s heartbreaking to see Deborah’s dreams dashed (for now), it’s always a joy to see Deborah in cold-hearted badass mode. “Par for the Course” wrings plenty of laughs out of Deborah bringing Ava on the course as her caddy. She gets a great B-plot where she falls for a wealthy golfer who turns out to be an ultra-conservative fracking mogul with a working-class fetish. It’s not quite as mind-blowing as the episodes that deliver bombshell twists, but it’s a ton of fun.
8 "New Eyes"
Season 1, Episode 6
The Hacks writers started to bring Deborah and Ava closer together in season 1, episode 6, “New Eyes.” The episode sees Deborah and Ava working on new standup material while staying at a luxury spa where Deborah is recovering from a recent eye lift. While writing jokes in Deborah’s suite, they take edibles together, which loosens them up enough to finally start having fun (including pulling an ill-fated prank on Deborah’s overly serious nurse).
The episode has plenty of hilarious gags and one-liners, but it’s also deeply emotional as Deborah starts to care about Ava. “New Eyes” also subtly tackles the frustrations of everyday sexism in a really poignant way. There’s a scene touching on male doctors’ dismissal of women’s healthcare concerns, showing Hacks’ ability to highlight real-world issues without making them the focus of the episode. “New Eyes” outdid the pilot by mixing social commentary into its razor-sharp character work.
7 "The Click"
Season 2, Episode 6
Smart won her second consecutive Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress for her fantastic performance in season 2, episode 6, “The Click.” After a one-night stand with a much younger man, Deborah has a revelation that finally clicks her new standup act into place. Rather than trying to escape her past indiscretions and controversies (namely, the allegation that she burned down her ex-husband’s house), Deborah decides to embrace them and make them the centerpiece of the show.
Not only is Smart’s acting in the episode magnificent; “The Click” also touches on the core of all great comedy: truth. In addition to being a great comedy series in its own right, Hacks is a study of the business of comedy and the creative process behind it. “The Click” highlights the raw honesty that all comedians must embrace to be truly great. It’s a little too inside-baseball to connect universally, but it’s a fascinating insight into the process nonetheless.
6 "One Day"
Season 3, Episode 5
Hacks slowed down for a somber, character-focused installment in season 3, episode 5, “One Day.” While suffering from writers’ block, Deborah and Ava decide to get out and go for a walk to clear their heads. However, while wandering through the woods, Deborah falls and sustains an injury, and they find themselves stranded without their phones. This was a great way to strip away all the series’ usual stylistic trappings and focus squarely on Deborah and Ava’s relationship.
Deborah’s injury becomes a symbol of her mortality as she confides her fears about aging. Smart nails Deborah’s monologue about how she thought she’d get around to achieving certain dreams “one day,” and now she’s reckoning with running out of days to do those things. “One Day” highlights Deborah’s heavily guarded vulnerability and builds to a heartwarming ending. “One Day” balances humor with heart more effectively than most other Hacks episodes.
