As Hacks stepped into its final season, it seemed more determined than ever to conclude with not just a smash-hit ending, but to leave a legacy. This decision is infused in every episode in season 5 through Debra Vance, who is working toward giving herself the redemptive legacy that had been stolen from her multiple times over.
No longer will men have the ability to steal Debra Vance's place in comedy history. With a sold-out stand-up show in Madison Square Garden, Debra Vance will show everyone that she is not someone to disregard.
In the nature of narrative drama, that is not necessarily the way things play out. In one of its best plot twists, Hacks portrays the heartbreaking reveal that Debra Vance's sold-out show was actually one man, Bob Lipka, who had bought out every seat, leaving Debra without the excited audience she anticipated.
Instead, Hacks made a strong pivot, having Debra return to form, without any fancy backing; it is just Debra Vance, the microphone, and thousands of excited fans filling out Debra's free stand-up show in Central Park. It is one of the highlights of not just the season but the series as a whole. It's a true celebration of a main character who more than deserves the chance to embrace all of their success. Yet, not every episode of Hacks lived up to the comedy of previous seasons.
Each episode slowly builds itself toward Debra's final showcase, and there are stand-out moments among them, notably Debra and Ava's attempt to prove they are a couple and the way Hacks confronts Hollywood's AI problem.
Yet, the nature of the episodes themselves occasionally struggles between filler episodes that don't add as much as they should or jokes that simply land flat. The final season as a whole is not a failure, but it certainly appears to be trying too hard to give itself a great send-off.
These problems are more than visible in Jimmy and Kayla's management side plot. Jimmy and Kayla's relationship, which had once been one of the funnier dynamics of the show, has become a liability to the humor of the series. No longer do their differences help add to the novelty of the story. Instead, Kayla's behavior acts as if she is overdoing every scene by screaming, while Jimmy seemingly floats through every episode until the finale reveals his fate.
As for the series finale itself, Hacks chooses a more dramatic approach than the comedy tone it became known for.
Hacks makes a series of decisions in its series finale that highlight Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder’s chemistry as Debra and Ava. Smart and Einbinder bring plenty of emotional weight to the show’s final moments, delivering an honest depiction of the light-heartedness and stress that each character is undergoing as the show reaches its conclusion. There are plenty of strong acting moments here as Hacks relies on the friendship between Ava and Debra to do most of the heavy lifting.
In its determination to rely on heartfelt connection, it leaves behind its biggest plot of the season: Debra’s stand-up showcase. Viewers are only given a snippet of Debra’s show at the conclusion of the penultimate episode, only for the series finale to skip right over it, jumping ahead beyond Debra’s performance to give an understanding of where Hacks will leave its ensemble cast. The decision leaves plenty of room to determine how Ava and Debra’s relationship takes center stage. While it solidifies Jimmy and Kayla’s futures, it does so at the expense of leaving behind the main event that the entire season had been about thus far.Â
While Hacks could have definitely had the space in its conclusion to cover more ground than just Debra’s stand-up show, it almost comes across as anti-climactic to watch Debra and Ava spend the entire season going over jokes and trying to perfectly nail the event as a whole, only to not see any of it play out.
When all is said and done, Hacks will have left its mark in the history of comedy in television. Looking back on the show, its biggest fans will recall the moments that made them laugh and how Debra and Ava’s relationship held the heart of the show at its core.
Hacks, from the beginning, promised a series that centered around female friendship that defied generations. It connected its main characters not through similar life experiences or worldviews, but through a shared sense of humor that allowed them to break down each other’s walls and turned them both into better people and better comedians.
Although the final season of Hacks may have been filled with hit-or-miss episodes, the legacy of the series will remain intact for years to come, as it never once forgot what the heart of the show truly was.Â
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