Hacks is one of those shows that proves some of the most intense drama can happen on some of the funniest comedies. The Max series tells the story of Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), an aging comedian in the vein of Joan Rivers, who forms an unlikely friendship with young, very Gen Z-coded, comedy writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder). Ava’s the kind of person who gets in fights with stranger on the internet over her jokes, while Deborah doesn’t care enough to remember her login info, let alone worry about who she might be offending. Not only does that make for a lot of laughs when they butt heads, but the creators of Hacks are also not afraid to see what happens when they butt heads so hard they really hurt each other.
By the end of Hacks season 3, Deborah and Ava stabbed each other in the back so many times I lost count. But, in the season finale, they’re forced to work together once again despite it all. “We end season 3, now they are facing off, and they are at a point in their relationship they’ve never quite been at before, where they’re both so mad and angry at each other — and there’s been this betrayal,” Hacks creator Jen Statsky explained to Variety. “And yet, they are handcuffed together, having to do the greatest challenge of both of their lives, professionally. So now it’s like, how can they make this work while at being at odds with each other personally?”
Hacks is returning for season 4 on April 10. In case you need a refresher on how and why exactly all that backstabbing went down, here’s what you need to know about how Hacks season 3 ended.
How Did Hacks Season 3 End?
Throughout season 3, Deborah was laser-focused on her mission to get a late night show hosting gig, something she’s dreamed about her entire career. Although they were each doing their own thing at the beginning of the season, Ava eventually teamed up with Deborah to help that dream become a reality.
And it worked! By the penultimate episode of the season, Deborah actually did book the hosting gig, Ava was all set to be her head writer, and it seemed like everything was going to work out for the duo. But, then Deborah started to get worried about making any wrong moves or going against the grain… which would include Ava. Deborah’s biggest weakness is letting her career get in the way of her relationships, and she let it happen again with Ava.
Deborah told Ava that the network made the call against Ava as head writer, but Ava quickly learned that Deborah was lying and it was her decision. When Ava confronted Deborah about it and demanded Deborah give her the job after everything they’d been through, Deborah said she couldn’t risk it and that she was willing to lose Ava over it.
It seemed like that was it, but there was one more betrayal in store. Ava showed up on the first day of the late night show writers room and demanded that Deborah give her the head writer job or else Ava would tell everyone Deborah’s big secret: She slept with the head of the network Bob Lipka (Tony Goldwyn) right before she got her hosting gig. Deborah gave in and now, going into season 4, Ava has the upper hand over her. It’s definitely going to make for some interesting power dynamics in the new season.
