Mrs. Table

I really enjoyed the first 2 seasons of the show. It had a soul and both Deborah and Ava had decent character growth.

The third season seemed to bring out the negatives in both characters, in ways that got increasingly annoying.

By the 4th season it was hard to like either Deborah or Ava.

Deborah has little redeeming her anymore. Ava seems to increasingly become a child and is the epitome of why late night TV is dead.

I don't think I'll bother watching if there's a 5th season.

As a long-time fan of Hacks, I've always appreciated how the show seamlessly blends sharp wit with complex, multifaceted characters. The humor was never just for laughs; it was a lens through which we saw the world of stand-up comedy, the intricacies of aging, and the struggles of female empowerment in the entertainment industry. However, the last two episodes, Episodes 5 and 6 of Season 4, have left me feeling rather disappointed. The series, which once skillfully balanced comedy and drama, has shifted too heavily towards drama, and it feels as though the essence of what made Hacks special is slowly slipping away.

Up until these episodes, Hacks had consistently delivered with its sharp, dark humor. The interactions between Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and Ava (Hannah Einbinder) were a joy to watch-filled with snappy one-liners, biting commentary, and a sense of irreverence that made the show stand out from other comedies. Even when the characters were dealing with personal and emotional issues, the show managed to maintain its comedic energy, striking a perfect balance between humor and the more serious elements of their lives.

But in the fifth and sixth episodes of Season 4, there's a noticeable shift. The focus on comedy has been reduced, and in its place, the series dives deep into emotional conflict, character struggles, and heavy drama. Now, I'm not opposed to Hacks exploring more serious themes-on the contrary, I think the show has done a wonderful job of adding depth to its characters over time. But there's something off about how these episodes completely abandon the sharp humor and, in doing so, disrupt the show's rhythm.

What's most frustrating about this shift is that it feels forced. The characters of Deborah and Ava, who once sparked such hilarious back-and-forths, are now weighed down by drama that doesn't seem to organically flow from their personalities or the story at hand. The tension between them, while meaningful, feels heavy-handed at times, and their interactions-which were once the backbone of the show's comedic appeal-have become bogged down in personal issues that don't land with the same impact as earlier episodes. The comedy is noticeably absent, and in its place, we're left with dramatic scenes that often feel like they belong in a different show altogether.

It's not that the drama isn't compelling-it's just that Hacks was never meant to be primarily a drama. The show found its success in the unique way it tackled serious issues with humor and wit, often using comedy as a coping mechanism for the characters' flaws and insecurities. In these recent episodes, the humor that made the show so brilliant is almost entirely pushed aside in favor of prolonged, emotionally intense moments that seem to drag on longer than necessary. This isn't to say that emotional depth doesn't have its place, but it feels like the series is losing its identity as a comedy. Without the biting humor that made Hacks such a standout, these emotional moments feel less impactful and more like filler.

The change in tone also impacts the pacing of the series. The earlier episodes of Season 4 were fast-paced, packed with humor and sharp dialogue that made every scene feel exciting. But in Episodes 5 and 6, the pacing slows dramatically. The jokes are fewer and farther between, and the narrative seems to drag as it focuses more on resolving conflicts and emotional arcs rather than moving the plot forward in a meaningful way.

I understand that no show can remain the same forever, and I appreciate that Hacks is evolving and exploring new dimensions of its characters. But there's a risk when a series changes direction too drastically, especially when it moves away from the core of what made it great. Hacks was always a master at blending the absurd with the real, using humor as a tool to explore serious themes in a way that was both poignant and funny. In the last two episodes, however, that balance feels off, and the show risks losing what made it unique in the first place.

In conclusion, while I'm hopeful that the show will find its comedic footing again in the upcoming episodes, I can't help but feel that Hacks has strayed a little too far from its roots. The comedy that once defined it seems to have been sidelined in favor of heavy-handed drama, and as a fan, it's hard not to feel disappointed by this shift. I look forward to seeing if the series can find its way back to the biting humor and cleverness that made it such a hit in the first place, because without that, it risks losing the spark that made it so enjoyable in the first place.