Paul W.Downs: Last News

Addie Morfoot Contributor“Hacks” is a dark comedy about two women in different stages of life desperately trying to hold on to their careers, but it’s also a character study that defies genre.The series stars Jean Smart as comedian Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder as Ava, a young, struggling comedy writer brought in to revamp Vance’s stale Vegas residency.The 10-episode first season of the HBO Max series, created by “Broad City” trio Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky, tackles isolation, loneliness and, according to Variety’s Daniel D’Addario, “successfully argues that there is a virtue all its own in showing up and gutting it out — in being a hack.”At the heart of the show is the relationship between Vance and Ava – a pair of strong-willed, hardheaded women from opposite worlds and generations who share a common passion: comedy.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorLucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs were among the countless couples around the world whose wedding plans in 2020 were up-ended by the pandemic.The pair, who are co-creators and executive producers of HBO Max “Hacks” with Jen Statsky, wound up postponing the ceremony originally set for May 2020 wedding to September of this year.

Jean Smart has arrived!

It all began in a Honda Pilot en route to Portland, ME.

SPOILER ALERT - Stop reading now if you don’t want to know what happened in the season one finale of Hacks!

Jean Smart is a fading comedian who won’t give up her long-standing Las Vegas residency without a fight in the new HBO Max series “Hacks”.

By Will Thorne