'Hacks' exposes the underlying ruthlessness behind Hollywood's success stories.
Season 3 of the Emmy-nominated comedy series "Hacks" by Max has had a somewhat antiquated feel, with seasoned comedian Deborah Vance aiming for a spot on a late-night TV show as the pinnacle of her career. Late-night TV series have lost some of their clout from their previous glory days.
However, the show also captures a timeless lesson about Hollywood and the lengths one goes to succeed. In the finale, Deborah (Jean Smart) lied to her writer and confidante Ava (Hannah Einbinder), telling her that the network prevented her from appointing Ava as the head writer of her show.
Fortunately, Ava had a confrontation with the network boss (Helen Hunt), who made it clear that Deborah had the final say on the matter. After Deborah admitted to the lie, revealing that she was worried about risking her chance at late-night fame, she told Ava, "You have to be selfish." She added, "This show has to be flawless and successful. I've lost too much for it not to be."
At first, Ava considered quitting in protest of Deborah's deceit. But the season's finale had a twist: Ava threatened to expose Deborah unless she was made into the head writer. In response to Deborah's question about using such tactics, Ava replied, "I would. Wouldn't you?"
The ongoing relationship between Deborah and Ava is unclear, but with their history of ups and downs, it seems they're unable to break away from each other.
"Hacks" captures the narcissistic and self-centered nature that often precedes achieving success in show business. This dynamic is reminiscent of the sitcom "The Larry Sanders Show," which revolved around a late-night TV show host with vast power and interpersonal issues. The show aired in 1992 on HBO, while "Hacks" is on its streaming service, Max.
At the time, "Larry Sanders" debuted just after the final episode of Johnny Carson, a significant figure in the world of comedy. The series played into the "late-night wars" that were raging. Now, while Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, and Jimmy Kimmel remain influential, the audience has decreased due to audience fragmentation. Some shows featuring James Corden and Samantha Bee even disappeared amidst less favorable economics for this genre.
Though Deborah appears to be fixated on the past, "Hacks" hasn't been, as seen in the penultimate episode, which involved the comedian addressing the backlash from old jokes that were no longer acceptable. This mirrors real-life scenarios, such as Kevin Hart stepping down as the host of the Oscars.
But after the season's Christmas episode, perhaps "Hacks" is best suited to live in the past, present, and perhaps the future, considering the persistence of these dynamics.
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Despite the decline in the influence of late-night TV shows, entertainment continues to be a cutthroat industry where one must be willing to make sacrifices to achieve success. In the final episode of "Hacks", Deborah Vance demonstrated this by lying to her writer Ava to secure her position on the late-night show, emphasizing the importance of putting the show's success before personal relationships.
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