Going into its fifth season, it's no secret that Hacks remains one of the most popular and successful comedies on television and shows no signs of slowing down. But it's not even just one of the biggest comedies, it's also among the biggest shows on television overall. That's even more clear following the 2025 Emmy Award nominations announcement.
Hacks season 4 was among the most-nominated shows, landing 14 total nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series, which the show won last year, and Outstanding Lead Actress in Comedy series for Jean Smart, which she has won for three consecutive years. Even with all of this success, there's still chatter that Hacks season 5 could be the last.
Hacks season 5 might be the final season
The chatter isn't coming out of nowhere, though, as the trio of Hacks creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, Jen Statsky have stated that they have always envisioned a five-season plan for the series. While they recently shared that they haven't decided whether they will be sticking to that five-season plan, HBO content chief and CEO Casey Bloys has now addressed the show's fate.
"I don’t know," Bloys told Deadline when asked if Hacks season 5 would be the final season. "We leave that up to them. With all shows, to the extent we can, I like to leave it to the creators and let them feel, have they told all the story they want to tell? Does it feel like the right place to end it? So I’ll really leave that to the team there."
Like the creators, Bloys also isn't sure whether Hacks season 5 will be the last hurrah for Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels, but it's likely too early to tell since the writing team is probably hard at work on crafting the scripts. If the upcoming season is intended to bring the series to an official ending, the creators and HBO Max will definitely let fans know well ahead of time of the season 5 premiere.
There's no doubt that, with the show's commercial success and critical acclaim, HBO Max would like to keep Hacks on the air for as long as the creators would like, but based on Bloys' statement, the streamer won't pressure the creative team in either direction. If they still have story to tell, then there's no reason to cancel Hacks. But if they're ready to end it, there's also no reason to prolong it.
In the Hacks season 4 finale, rumors of Deborah's supposed death hit the press, which angers her beyond belief and lights a fire underneath her to leave Singapore and get back to work in the United States. That will be the jumping off point for season 5 as Deborah looks to reclaim the comedy throne she left behind by walking away from her late night show on principle.
While Deborah left her late night dream in the past, there's also the possibility that the latest shocking developments in the late night space could find their way from the headlines and into Hacks season 5. No matter what's in store next season, we will be joining Deborah and Ava for their upcoming set of adventures, whether it's for the last time or a sixth season will follow.
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