Hacks

HBO Max’s Hacks became a word-of-mouth hit this year thanks to the brilliantly funny intergenerational pairing of Jean Smart as standup legend Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder as Ava Daniels, the desperate young comedy writer sent to freshen up Deborah’s act. Created by Broad City writers Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky, the series follows Deborah and Ava as they try to revive their respective careers despite the entrapments of Vegas culture and the sexism that haunts multiple generations of women in comedy. Deborah struggles to maintain a relationship with her daughter after a lifetime of missteps, while Ava tries to repair her once-promising writing career that was derailed by an insensitive tweet. But the crux of the show is the relationship between the two central women, united in their love of comedy even as they debate the finer points of intergenerational feminism, and their different approaches to work, love, and life (not to mention fashion). For its undaunted look at female aging, the unique relationship between women of vastly different ages and outlooks, and the humor that unites us all, Hacks earns a Peabody.