Alison Herman TV Critic At the end of its second season, “Hacks” seemed to have written itself into a corner. On the heels of a hit special, veteran stand-up Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) fired Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), the young writer whose perspective helped push Deborah out of a yearslong creative rut.
While harsh, the move was uncharacteristically selfless on Deborah’s part, cutting Ava and her valuable advice loose in an act of tough love.
But even as forcing Ava to step out of her shadow showed Deborah’s growth, it also broke up the professional partnership that helped define the Max comedy and propel “Hacks” to acclaim.
This cliffhanger was further prolonged by Smart’s heart surgery and, of course, two concurrent Hollywood strikes. Yet, miraculously, Season 3 — which premieres May 2 — shows little signs of sweat.
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