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.
