After the Season 3 finale of “Hacks” saw a dynamic shift between Deborah and Ava, Season 4 will explore with the fallout of Ava’s decision as it picks up just 20 minutes after their dramatic confrontation.
“I think the tease that I can give legally is that we pick up 20 minutes or so after where we left off,” cocreator Lucia Aniello told press following the HBO comedy’s Emmys win. “The tension is still high, and there’s still a lot of fallout to explore.”
Specifically, Season 3 left off with Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) finally winning a late night gig, but, despite promising to fight for Ava to be the show’s head writer, Ava (Hannah Einbinder) discovers Deborah actually barred her from the role. Fueled by rage, the finale saw Ava claim the role as her own by blackmailing Deborah.
Production on Season 4 is expected to begin later this month, and is aiming to debut in early May 2024.
On Sunday, “Hacks” took home an Emmy for outstanding comedy series, an award that had largely been assumed would go to frontrunner “The Bear,” which won in the category during the 75th annual Emmys for its first season. With “The Bear” expected to swept in its categories during the 76th ceremony, the win for “Hacks” came as a surprise to the cocreators themselves, with Jen Statsky recalling “we were really shocked. “
“We were truly really surprised,” Statsky said in the Emmys press room. “We are blown away by this. The TV Academy has always been so lovely to us … but getting [comedy] series, we’ve never won this before and it was just such an amazing shock and we’re so grateful.”
When asked what might’ve been different about this season, cocreator and star Paul W. Downs said the writing team set out to “surprise each other,” leading to deeper character development.
“In a third season we get to really deepen what we do with all the characters, and I think that’s exemplified by the performances that Jean [Smart] and Hannah Einbinder make this season, and all of our cast,” Downs said, adding that the team is “blessed with such an incredible cast that elevates every single word on the page.”
“Hacks” Season 1-3 are now streaming on Max.
