‘Hacks’ Season 5 Review: Deborah Vance’s Hilarious Swan Song Earns Its Emotional Punchlines

“Well, I hope we can still be friends. And live together. And work together. And have complicated intermingled lives.”

There is something about a television series that doesn’t wear out its welcome. “Hacks” has never seemed like the kind of show that would do that, but there’s always a risk when some main characters appear stale after many seasons. Fortunately for fans of the Emmy-winning HBO Max comedy series, the writing and acting in its final season are reminiscent of its hilarious first run.

Callbacks and near-forgotten references are often par for the course for a television show near its end, signifying a full-circle moment. “Hacks” creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky are not immune to that cliche here, as viewers are greeted with a plethora of minor character returns and fan-favorite storylines that get wrapped up in a tight bow in Season 5. But what makes this finale stand out from others like it is the creativity behind the camera, ensuring that Deborah Vance herself doesn’t see her supposed final bow as the end of her career.

Singapore didn’t look great on Deborah (Jean Smart) when last we saw her in Season 4. After leaving her dream job as a late night host, Deborah and her writer-in-residence Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), spend time overseas, but rumors spread stateside that the legendary comic might be dead. Fearing irrelevance, Deborah hurries back to Las Vegas to save her reputation with a bucket list goal in mind to sell out Madison Square Garden.

There is only one hitch in her new plan: She’s under contract for 18 months not to speak publicly or do any kind of stand-up comedy.

What’s a diva to do? First things first, she needs to make amends with some of her personal and professional relationships, including with her daughter (Kaitlin Olson), former fling (Christopher McDonald), co-managers (Paul W. Downs & Meg Stalter) and the CEO of her company (Carl Clemons-Hopkins). These are all done in small increments throughout the season, which justifies bringing back characters who helped build “Hacks” from the ground up.

Along their journey to The Garden, Deborah and Ava embark on several different paths: Ava’s dream of showrunning a series of her own comes into focus, Deborah’s cemented legacy in Las Vegas comes in the form of owning her own casino equipped with a state-of-the-art theater for comedians to perform in, and their combined efforts to get Deborah to sell out a New York show (on September 11th, no less) is one last battle they decide to face together.

Obstacles are never-ending, but the comedy behind the blood, sweat and tears equally never ceases.

The reason to watch, the reason anyone continues to love “Hacks,” is Deborah and Ava’s age-gap connection. Jumping between Los Angeles, Las Vegas, New York and beyond, the two women ditch their past toxic rivalry and make a concerted effort to lift each other up. Nothing ever seems easy for Deborah and her continued second act, but Ava’s support for the closest female friend in her life makes the series’ touching, schmaltzy ending make sense.

But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. Aniello, Downs and Statsky are too smart to let the characters they created flounder in the end, giving Deborah and Ava a proper send-off that will delight long-time viewers with hilarity and a few tears. As Deborah continues to claw her way to stardom via New York’s most storied venue, it’s apparent halfway through the final season that she might get what she’s always wanted. It might just take a little bit of ingenuity that only DV knows how to engineer.

The final season of “Hacks” comes at a time when the world still needs its powerful female friendships and whip-smart comic timing. However, it’s a proper finale for a series that never stopped being funny, never punched below the belt, and always continued to evolve past its own perceived wokeness … a joke within a joke the show has consistently loved to highlight. The characters are all treated with respect right up until the very end, though the final episode grounds reality into a series hellbent on commenting on Hollywood’s flaws and great fortunes.

For a final bow, “Hacks” has more than earned its applause.

“Hacks” Season 5 premieres Thursday on HBO Max.

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