Ever since the HBO Max comedy series premiered in 2021, Hacks has been winning big at the Emmy Awards, with Jean Smart having won Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for all four seasons so far and the show taking home a win for Outstanding Comedy Series. Most recently, Hannah Einbinder joined Smart and won her first Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress.
Einbinder's win has been generating a lot of news, for her memorable acceptance speech and for the unexpected news she revealed about Hacks season 5 on the red carpet. While it's been known for quite sometime that the Hacks creators have spoken about a five-season plan for the series, it still hasn't been explicitly confirmed that season 5 will in fact be the last season.
On the Emmys red carpet, Einbinder shared that Hacks season 5 will be the final season, as she revealed filming will begin before the end of September 2025 and will be "bittersweet" since it's the last time. That was the first time there has ever been anything close to a confirmation on the show coming to an end, but the HBO boss has since suggested Hacks might not be over.
No one seems to know if Hacks season 5 is really the final season just yet
In a post-Emmys interview with Variety, HBO's chairman and CEO Casey Bloys responded to the reports that season 5 will be the final season by saying, "We usually leave that up to the creators, so I will wait to hear from them. But obviously, we’ve had conversations about it. Ultimately, it will be their decision." He gave a similar response while talking with Deadline, too.
It's not the first time that Bloys has tempered the chatter around the Hacks final season conversation, sharing the same thoughts about the creators deciding when it's time to end the show earlier this summer. That's something that's particularly admirable about Bloys and his hit series. He's consistently allowed the creative team to determine when they're ready to end the show rather than dragging out shows for more and more seasons just because they're successful.
Going into Hacks season 5, especially with a five-season plan revealed to the public, it's unimaginable that discussions haven't already been had between the creators and HBO Max about whether this will be the last hurrah. Perhaps a decision hasn't been officially made before cameras start rolling on the fifth season, since things could change in the writers' room, but conversations should have been had.
Even though Einbinder suggested that season 5 will be the swan song for Deborah and Ava, apparently a decision hasn't been made yet. Einbinder would definitely know if Hacks was ending, and we're inclined to believe her announcement. Until the official word comes from HBO Max, we'll have to wait and see if the laughs are going to stop of if they will continue.