Hacks

While watching the first two episodes I thought maybe this is ever so loosely based on Joan Rivers.

Argh! I have been seriously missing out on some of the absolute BEST freaking comedy out there. IMDb algorithm suggested this for me and when I looked it up, S03E09 had just streamed.

I have never binge watched anything like I binge watched Hacks. I laughed SO hard I am amazed my bladder didn't burst. But also, I connected. Two such hugely polarising personalities, completely dysfunctional, possibly even co-dependent but darn - it just works.

This show has the power to connect and resonate with every generation from Gen Z, Millennial, Gen X and Boomers

It's snarky, sassy, razor-sharp but it's also deeply endearing and heart-warming. There absolutely has to be at least another 2 seasons and some major awards for Hacks come 24/25 Awards Season.

There's a reason Hacks has been nominated for so many awards since it debuted a few years ago, because it's laugh out loud funny. Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder deserve every bit the love they've been getting since this came out. Smart especially has had a lot of good roles over her career but this is easily the best performance of her career. Smart and Einbinder take two very unlikable characters and not only make you laugh but will make you root for them. This show works best when these two are together on screen. Every episode is perfectly paced and shows how these characters continue to evolve. As soon as you finish an episode you immediately want to watch the next and that's the best thing you can hope for out of a good tv show.

This show has provided me a similar experience and Marvelous Miss Maisel. Both were genres and subject matter I had little interest in, but after watching a few episodes the writing and acting were so good I got hooked. There really is nothing about this premise that appeals to me but it just pulled me in and the two leads are really great.

Hannah Einbinder has really accomplished something remarkable in my opinion. I think I had initially made an assumption that her character would be cringeworthy but she has such a well developed three dimensional character I've really enjoyed her. She's awkward, yet somehow gorgeous, smart and confident yet vulnerable and flawed, precocious yet humble. By the end of this current season, I find myself so invested in her.

The supporting cast is also growing on me but especially Kayla who I adored right away and it's really satisfying allowing her to evolve and not feel compelled to keep her as the cartoonish persona she had early on. I get the biggest kick out of her and the actress is such a force of nature. I smile every time she comes on screen.

As for Jean Smart. I just believe her. I believe this person exists and that they behave the way she does. She's evolving too but without losing the core of her persona in an unrealistic way.

Are you watching the new season of this show? If not, you're missing one of the best comedies out there. Based on a friend's suggestion, we flew through the first two seasons last year and absolutely loved it. I wasn't sure they needed another go at it after the neat and tidy ending in S02, but as I should've expected, one can never get enough of the inestimable Jean Smart, who was always my favorite "Designing Women" alum, and who is at the top of her game here. We've watched the two episodes of S03 available so far, and it's better than ever. It's so funny and well-written, the dynamic between the two leads is great, the supporting cast is terrific, and I'm much less annoyed with the Ava character than in the first two seasons. I definitely recommend checking this out or adding it to your (probably) voluminous queue.