The three creators and showrunners of "Hacks" prioritize amusing their lead, Jean Smart, as much as they do entertaining their audience. Storylines, set pieces, and even guest stars are frequently crafted to elicit a reaction from the esteemed actress, who has now won two Emmys — with a total of five — for her role as veteran stand-up comedian Deborah Vance on the Max original comedy.
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| “I never ask what’s going to happen,” says Jean Smart, pictured on set filming season three. “And the surprise, I think, is what the audience enjoys, too — Deborah and Ava on a road trip, Deborah and Ava on a cruise, Deborah and Ava golfing …” JAKE GILES NETTER/MAX |
“We strive to do this in every episode, giving her really juicy material,” says Paul W. Downs, the co-creator who also plays Deborah’s manager, Jimmy. “For us, when Jean arrives on set and says, ‘I can’t wait to shoot the scene today,’ that’s the goal.”
"Hacks’" third season, which premiered on May 2 and releases episodes in pairs until the May 30 finale, effortlessly delivers unexpected scenarios for both its characters and viewers. Smart and co-star Hannah Einbinder — who portrays Deborah’s Gen Z writing partner and occasional target, Ava Daniels — find their characters lost in the woods, playing golf with a sadistic executive (guest star Christina Hendricks), partying in a frat house, and, perhaps most uncomfortably, participating in collegiate improv with a yes-and approach.
“I don’t know if ‘excited’ is the right word for how I feel about doing some of these things,” says Smart, laughing about two particularly long shoots spent outdoors. “But at this point, the audience is one step ahead of us. They know how these characters are going to react to being put in these situations. And that’s what makes filming them so fun.”
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| From left: Aniello, Downs and Statsky on location for season three of Hacks. EDDY CHEN/MAX |
To reach the more slapstick storylines in the latter half of season three, such as one where Deborah aggressively (and publicly) vies for the hosting role of a late-night talk show following a successful comedy special that revitalizes her career, the team had to overcome several setbacks. Production on season three of "Hacks" was interrupted twice, first by Smart’s recovery from a heart procedure and then, after just a week back at work, by the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes.
“To give you an idea of how long we’ve been working on this season, we started writing it in May 2022 and filming it that November,” says Lucia Aniello, the series’ co-creator and frequent director. “We didn’t finish shooting until January 2024.”
All episodes in each season of "Hacks" — even those without multiple delays — are written before filming begins. So, one might assume that the show’s creative trio — two of whom, Aniello and Downs, are married — might have felt the need to revisit a few scripts before shooting. But that’s not their approach. “We actually tend to make adjustments while we’re filming,” says co-creator Jen Statsky. “We edit as we shoot.
If we see something we want to change, we figure it out, write something new, and film it during the shoot. There’s never a situation where we say, ‘Oh no, all the sets are down, and the crew is gone, and we need this scene.’”
Jon Philpot, editor on three of the season’s nine episodes, including the finale, shares, “Sure, there’s potential to see something you want to add, but with this crew, there’s rarely a thing that they miss. They’re very prepared.”
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| Real-life couple Downs and Lucia Aniello are in the rotation of Hacks directors in addition to showrunning with Jen Statsky. JAKE GILES NETTER/MAX |
In line with this approach of planned spontaneity, neither Smart nor Einbinder read the scripts earlier than necessary, which meant they didn't spend their long hiatus dwelling on the scenes and episodes they’d eventually have to film. Each had her own reasons for avoiding familiarizing herself with the scenes too early. “I just like to be surprised,” says Smart, while Einbinder’s reason is more about self-preservation.
“There is always something heavy and emotional toward the end of each season,” says Einbinder. “Knowing that, I need for it to feel as fresh as possible. It’s hard for me to even read these heavy scenes without crying.”
Despite this emotional challenge, the season’s two most physically demanding episodes were filmed during the third and final stretch of production. During the week of a crucial location shoot in Angeles National Forest for episode five (“One Day”), in which Deborah and Ava become hopelessly lost in the woods, Smart suffered a poorly timed fall. “I wasn’t used to these steps in my new house, and I tripped and really hurt my knee,” she explains. “This was literally the day before we had to hike in the woods for two days.”
Despite the setback, Smart, who had fully recovered from her 2023 health scare, was determined to continue. Her stage directions even called for her to limp through most of the shoot, leaning on her co-star when Deborah suffers a much more dramatic fall than Smart’s own. However, after filming a scene in which Ava tries to climb a tree in search of help, Einbinder faced her own physical challenge.
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| Einbinder and Smart spent two days hiking around the Angeles National Forest to film an episode about a walk gone awry. JAKE GILES NETTER/MAX |
“We were both pretty messed up for that whole episode,” recalls Einbinder. “We look worn out, and we feel it, too. Jean really was leaning on me, and I actually cut my hand on the bark of the tree I climbed and fell out of. It was a bit Method.”
If roughing it in the forest with an injured knee was manageable, surely a few days on the golf course should be relaxing in comparison. However, episode six (“Par for the Course”) brought its own set of challenges. When Smart received the script, she saw that the episode would find Deborah infiltrating a children’s charity golf tournament populated by individuals who have influence over the decision of who will be chosen for the late-night hosting job.
A skilled golfer, Deborah initially pretends to be unskilled in an attempt to win the vote and the affection of one particular individual (guest star Tony Goldwyn). And when that fails, she shows him up. While bad golfing was something Smart was prepared for, the rest of the episode was daunting for someone who had never really swung a club before.
Smart has a fellow cast member to thank for her challenge. “We’ve always thought it’d be fun to have Chris McDonald play golf because he’s such a great golfer,” Statsky says of the actor who plays casino magnate Marty Ghilain. “He said something offhandedly, talking about charity golf tournaments: ‘It’s for the kids!’ We just thought it’d be so funny for him to get frustrated and say that line on the show. For some reason, that little idea stuck.”
At least McDonald’s skills came in handy. The actor was one of several people to coach Smart as she prepared for the scenes where she couldn’t use a double. “He really is an excellent golfer,” says Smart. “So Chris and Joe Pacheco, a friend of mine who’s on The Morning Show, both gave me golf lessons. My stand-in was a professional golfer, so I got some great tips from her, but I’m really saved by the scenes where I’m not supposed to look like I’m good.”
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| “We met Christina Hendricks out and about in the world, and she was very lovely about Hacks,” Paul W. Downs says of the actress (right) cast to play opposite Hannah Einbinder. “When we were writing this part, we were like, ‘Oh, do you think she would ever do this?’ It’s so different from what she’s done.” JAKE GILES NETTER/MAX |
“It was actually kind of a realistic arc,” adds Philpot, who edited the episode. “She starts off crappy, and then, as we played it, she gradually got better.”
Einbinder didn’t have to learn how to golf for the episode; just to play Deborah’s reluctant and ill-informed caddy. Her real challenge was not breaking during the culmination of an episode-long flirtation with Hendricks (Mad Men). The actress cameos as a mysterious power broker who barks orders at Ava on the course before ultimately inviting her to a hotel room. She loses amorous interest, however, as soon as Ava reveals she is not actually a caddy, but a successful Hollywood writer and producer.
Hendricks’ character, in turn, admits she’s a Republican whose kink is peeing on the working class. “We’re so lucky to get these people who are gifted in both genres,” says Einbinder, an avowed Mad Men fan. “Knowing I was going to have such a gifted opponent for the comedy that plays out at the very end was just an instant relief.”
Hacks hasn’t officially been renewed for a fourth season yet, but the creators, who have a five-season plan in mind, are already brainstorming new scenarios to please Smart and Einbinder. “We’re thinking about Deborah and Ava all day, every day,” says Statsky, who spoke alongside Downs and Aniello during a break from writing. “We can’t ever stop,” adds Downs. “So we’re working on it regardless of what happens next.”
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| Poppy Liu (left) — a season one fixture as Deborah’s personal blackjack dealer, Kiki — makes her return in season three. COURTESY OF MAX |
While their cast awaits the green light, these latest episodes may have inspired a new pastime for Smart. She admits she kind of digs golf now. Unfortunately, Smart’s local country club needs to update its bylaws. “I recently moved not too far from a club, and I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll apply,’” she explains. “Someone said to me, ‘Oh, nobody told you? You can’t join. You’re a woman.’ What? I was so mad, but boy, what a good little lesson in what it feels like to be discriminated against. This is really minor on the scale, but what a shocker.”
The actress chooses not to name the offending institution when pressed. But for anyone who belongs to a private club in metropolitan Los Angeles, it’s something to consider the next time dues come up. Some of your fellow golfers still think themselves too good to share the course with women — even if they’re TV legends.
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