- Hacks has been renewed for a fifth season.
- The show's creators have hinted that it may be the show's last.
- Fans are wondering what are next for Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels as they plan their next career moves.
Since its 2021 debut, Hacks has been one of HBO Max’s crown jewels and the magnum opus of writing team Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky. On May 27, 2025 before season 4 even finished airing, Max officially renewed Hacks for a fifth season.
Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder are set to reprise their now-iconic duo: Deborah, the brash Vegas queen who refuses to fade quietly, and Ava, the millennial writer who’s alternately her foil, mentee, and sparring partner. Together, they’ve turned caustic intergenerational banter into one of TV’s sharpest portraits of creative codependency.
Close fans of the show received the renewal news as bittersweet. HBO may dig deep into their pockets to continue what is arguably their most popular comedy series, but Hacks’ fifth season will most likely be its last.
In speaking about the show over the years, the creative trio of Aniello, Downs, and Statsky referenced a 5-season arc in the initial pitch to networks. Could they extend? Sure. But if this is the story they wanted to tell, we’ve arrived at the final act. One half of the show’s leading duo, Jean Smart, has also hinted that five seasons feel like the “right” conclusion for Deborah’s story. Big if true, this final season will be a victory lap.
Hacks began as a sharp critique of cancel culture and Vegas burnout. It’s evolved into a meditation on mentorship, power, and survival in show business. If season 5 is indeed the final curtain, expect Aniello, Downs, and Statsky to deliver a final act that is barbed and bittersweet, just like our girls.
When will season 5 of Hacks premiere?
There’s no premiere date yet, but given Hacks’ production rhythm, a spring 2026 release feels likely. Until then, fans can parse the show’s Emmy odds.
The series has been securing Emmy Awards since its debut, securing three last year for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series, Outstanding Lead Actress for Jean Smart, and overall Outstanding Comedy Series. This year, Hacks is carrying a strong presence in the comedy categories, with 14 nominations; making it one of the leading contenders in its genre, second only to Apple TV+’s The Studio.
The Emmy Awards air on September 14, but Hacks has already secured its first of the year at the Creative Arts Emmys, which took place on September 6. For her prestigious work as Dance Mom, Julianne Nicholson snagged the trophy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series.
What will season 5 of Hacks be about?
If season 4 felt unusually timely, that’s because it was. Deborah’s late-night power plays eerily paralleled Stephen Colbert’s sudden exit from The Late Show, a coincidence the creators called “surreal.”
To recap: After a season of power struggles, Deborah and Ava churn out the number one show in late night television. The celebrations don’t last long, as corporate corruption rears its head (as it often does). The suits push Deborah to feature a problematic actor on the show to support their box office efforts, and Ava rages. She vents to her former colleagues, leaking the news. The studio forces Deborah to fire Ava as a result, and in the fake-out of the century, Deborah blasts the studio live on the air. She refuses to fire Ava, not only because she loves her and this is unjust, but because of the “slippery slope.” Where is the line?
The penultimate episode, aptly titled “A Slippery Slope,” aired on May 22. Later that month, CBS made the stunning move to fire Stephen Colbert from The Late Show after nearly a decade at the helm. Crucially, this move came just days after Paramount Global, CBS’s parent, settled a defamation lawsuit by President Trump for $16 million, related to an edited 60 Minutes interview with then–vice-presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Colbert publicly slammed the payout as a “big fat bribe,” and then was unexpectedly fired. The show has always thrived on biting industry satire, but its prescience gave it an extra jolt of cultural relevance.
So, that’s where season 5 is set to pick-up. Deborah’s network contract bars her from any entertainment work for the foreseeable future, though she found a loophole performing in Singapore. She almost resigned to this semi-retirement, until a near-death experience (a fake obituary gone viral) jolts her back to life.
The finale reset the chessboard: Deborah and Ava, reunited, preparing for yet another reinvention.
