HBO Max picked up a fifth season of the Emmy-winning Hacks, one day before the season 4 finale. But could this be the last we see of Deborah and Ava? Well, the showrunners have been tight-lipped about the future of the acclaimed comedy, but the writers have previously insisted that the comedy would end after five seasons.
Recently, Jen Statsky, Lucia Aniello, and Paul W. Downs addressed the future of the hit comedy during a Variety round table. Downs revealed the writers were currently working on the fifth season and waiting to see how many more episodes they needed to tell their story.
“The final scene of the final episode has been in our minds since 2015, and we’re excited to get there. But that may take more episodes than we can fit in the season. So the truth is that we don’t know,” Downs admitted.
Hacks could continue past season 5
But whether this final scene will appear in the fifth season is yet to be clear. Aniello revealed that the team are “writing towards it ending in the fifth season,” but admit they still have lots of things they want to do with the characters. Luckily, the network has allowed the showrunners to " do the amount of episodes every season that the story demands." And if the team can’t complete the story within the 10 episodes, they are happy to go to a sixth season.
Down explained that when they originally pitched the show to Jean Smart, they talked about the five-season plan but admit they weren’t too specific with things. “She and Hannah both read the scripts as they are written.”
But if Hacks does get that sixth season, Statsky says she is sure Smart will be on board because the actor is somebody who says: "Let’s not dilute what it is. Let’s make sure it stays high-quality." When the announcement came out, fans of the show couldn't help but agree. Surely, five seasons of high-quality comedy is better than a long-running show, which becomes unwatchable and ruins its characters.
Either way, the team behind Hacks know how lucky they are to get five seasons of a comedy. Especially, when so many series get canceled after one or two seasons. "We feel privileged and honored to get to do another season of this show," Statsky said in a Variety interview.
What to know about Hacks season 5 so far
The next season of Hacks will see what happens after dreams of late-night stardom go up in smoke for Jean Smart’s Deborah and Hannah Einbinder’s Ava. While the duo may not have a late night TV show anymore, their bond has moved from boss/employee to friends.
Meg Stalter, who plays Kayla has apparently been pitching plots to the writers regarding her character and Jimmy. “I really, really want Kayla to be pregnant,” she said, per Variety. “She doesn’t really know who the father is. It’s not Jimmy, but Jimmy steps up as the father.”
While there have been no casting announcements, we expect all our favorites from Deborah Vance's family, friends, and employees to return. Megan Stalter, Paul W. Downs, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Rose Abdoo, Mark Indelicato, Kaitlin Olson, and other recurring cast members are all expected to pop up throughout the next season.
Fans of Hacks might mourn the inevitably ending of the show, but many understand that all good things need to end. When the fifth season was announced, fans admitted it would be sad to see Ava and Deborah eventually go, but felt their story was slowly winding down. Theories about next season plots include the pair starting a podcast and Deborah backing out of the limelight to concentrate more on reconnecting with her family.
Elsewhere, in recent interviews, the creators say they expect to start filming Hacks' next season in the fall. Previous seasons of Hacks have aired in the spring, so fingers crossed we will see Ava and Deborah back on our screens soon.
The first four seasons of Hacks are now available to stream on HBO Max.