No one delivers a stinging one-liner quite like Jean Smart, which makes cherry-picking the best moments from HBO Max’s Emmy-nominated Hacks that much more difficult.
When the series debuted on the streamer in May, Smart, along with an ensemble that includes relative newcomer Hannah Einbinder, Kaitlin Olson, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Paul W. Downs and Christopher McDonald, quickly won over our comedy-loving hearts. Hacks became one of TVLine’s favorites of the year, landing on our Dream Emmy lists for Lead Actress in a Comedy and Outstanding Comedy Series.
Luckily, Emmy voters were also paying attention. The series snagged 15 total Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Lead and Supporting Actress in a Comedy, Supporting Actor and a writing nod for its creators Lucia Aniello, Jen Statsky and Downs, all of whom are Broad City alums.
In sum, there’s a lot to celebrate when breaking down the 10-episode gem that is Hacks. Here, we dug through the show’s first season to select the very best moments throughout its run so far, including some of the best burns from the show’s once-disgraced Las Vegas stand-up, Deborah Vance (Smart). From a few zings that cut deep and made us cackle, to the women’s evening spent torturing a poor nurse after eating weed gummies, we’re highlighting nine of the very best moments while we patiently await Season 2. (Plus, you can check out our wishlist for next season here.)
View our best moment picks below, then let us know your favorites in the Comments!
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DEBORAH VANCE DRIVE (Episode 1)
Image Credit: Courtesy of HBO Max In Hacks‘ series premiere, Deborah met with Christopher McDonald’s casino owner Marty to have a celebratory lunch commemorating her long-running (and record breaking!) Las Vegas residency. It’s here that we first learned about Marty cutting back on Deb’s shows, and are introduced to the intriguing chemistry between the comedian and the weaselly decision maker. The scene also gave us our first taste of Deborah’s cutting humor and quick wit:
Deb, 2,500 shows! Now, I think it’s a Vegas record.”
“It is.”
“And they’re naming a street after you.”
“I know. Deborah Vance Drive. It’ll probably be a dead end with an abortion clinic on it.Dark? Yes. Hysterical? Also, yes.
And don’t forget the angry comedian’s final words when storming out of the Palmetto Casino eatery: “There was a cockroach in my salad!” Mere minutes into the series, we knew we were in love.
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THE MEETING FROM HELL (Episode 1)
Image Credit: Courtesy of HBO Max Seconds into their introduction, Deborah and Ava started slinging insults and we instantly knew they were a (mis)match made in heaven. After Deborah called out Ava for her lack of research, the women really let each other have it. From Ava taking aim at Deborah’s design taste (“So cool they let you move into a Cheesecake Factory!) to Deborah firing shots at Hannah’s boots and entitlement, it was clear that these two would make many more magical moments together as they inevitably jump-started their working relationship. And it was this kicker from Ava that sparked the first hearty chuckle out of the curmudgeonly comic:
Oh hey, before I leave, did you want to inspect my bag? Maybe I should just piss in a cup. You know what? I’m gonna go ahead and just leave a stool sample on your lawn.
This meeting gone wrong was also the first time Ava called Deborah a “hack”… but it surely wouldn’t be the last. (More on that below.)
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DEBORAH QUESTIONS AVA'S SEXUALITY (Episode 2)
Image Credit: HBO Max screenshot Deborah may have broken a few laws by inquiring about Ava’s sexuality (which of course, the young millennial made made note of), but what Deborah got in return was a long-winded journey through Ava’s sex life, masturbatory fantasies and deeply revealing relationship history. To which Deb replied:
Jesus Christ! I was just wondering why you were dressed as Rachel Maddow’s mechanic.
Zing! The stand-up strikes again.
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DEBORAH'S DESERT SPEECH (Episode 2)
Image Credit: Courtesy of HBO Max After a zany outing to procure a pepper shaker, the comedian and writer got a flat tire in the middle of the scorching Nevada desert. Ava then told Deborah that she was making their professional relationship difficult, inciting the comic to take her employee to school, explaining that even if one is great and gets lucky enough to make it, you still have to work really hard, and even that isn’t enough.
You have to scratch and claw and it never f–king ends. And it doesn’t get better, it just gets harder. So don’t complain to me that I’m making your life hard. You don’t even know what that means.
It was one of the first scenes that hit us hard, providing insight into Deborah’s lengthy career and the struggles she’s faced to get herself on that Vegas stage. Deb then got picked up in a helicopter leaving Ava to sweat it out while waiting for AAA. Go figure.
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...YET ANOTHER INSOUCIANT SLIGHT (Episode 5)
Image Credit: HBO Max screenshot Not all of Hacks‘ best lines have a sizable set-up, but that just goes to show how much of a spitfire Deborah can be (and now razor-sharp the writing is). Case in point, this insult that Deborah so quickly and nonchalantly throws Ava’s way:
When I’m gone, didn’t you say you wanted to get your mustache waxed?”
“No… ?”
“Oh. Guess I just thought it.All of the fire emojis here, please.
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DEB AND AVA'S HIGH-LARIOUS BONDING SESH (Episode 6)
Image Credit: HBO Max screenshot After Deborah got her fourth (or fifth… or sixth…?) bout of plastic surgery, she and Ava bonded over weed edibles, and the experience was both hilarious and revealing for them both. Ava confessed to her feelings over her hook-up with a guy who killed himself, while Deborah admitted that she never burned her ex-husband’s house to the ground. The two then played a cruel (yet amazing!) prank on Nurse Perla, while later bonding over McDonald’s French fries. Their experience together at the clinic became the impetus of Deborah’s new material, and was one of the most important steps in the budding relationship between the women. (Plus, the entire episode was a spectacle to behold.)
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MILLION DOLLAR GIVEAWAY (Episode 8)
Image Credit: HBO Max screenshot While Deborah was planning to test out some new material at a smaller comedy club, a hacky host tried to make sexist jokes at Deborah’s expense, but the legend was. not. having it. So she made him a deal, offering him $1.69 million for him to never, ever step foot on stage ever again (and no, he can’t do a podcast either). “I can’t get rid of them all, but I can get rid of one,” she told the crowd on stage. The host dished out typical, sexualized BS that Deborah had dealt with her entire career, and watching her completely own and eviscerate the poor schlub was an Emmy-worthy moment we want to re-watch in perpetuity.
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THE SLAP (Episode 10)
Image Credit: HBO Max screenshot “I was right the day I met you, you are a f–king hack,” …is what you’d say to your employer if you wanted to get slapped upside the head. And that’s exactly what happened in the Season 1 finale when Ava once again shared some choice words to her boss Deborah. (Read what Hannah Einbinder had to say about the showdown here.) The women’s argument was gut-wrenching, as we watched the pair we rooted for all season long crumble before us, all because of a lie Ava told regarding an interview she went on. The fight delivered heaps of shock and drama to the already-gripping finale, and kept us reeling as we wondered if the women would ever be the same again. It’s a scene that most likely helped the show secure some Emmy love, but for Smart and Einbinder, we hope it lands them the gold.
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FUNERAL FACILITATOR (Episode 10)
Image Credit: HBO Max screenshot After Ava’s father passed away, she hightailed it home for the funeral shortly after her blow-up with Deborah. But when Deborah finally opened the present Ava left behind (a framed TIME magazine cover that asked: “Will Deborah Vance Make History?” The included note from Ava read, “I think she will.”), the comic got on a plane to attend the service, and incited the grieving crowd to share funny anecdotes about their dearly departed. The two women ultimately exchanged apologies and made up, bringing them closer together than ever before. Deb also convinced Ava to not give up on her career, luring the young writer back with an offer to join the comic on the road. But what’s going to happen in Season 2 when the dust from that cliffhanger settles? Here’s what we want to see happen next season.
