Even with HBO streamer Max dropping just two episodes of its hit comedy series Hacks per week, the season flew by way too fast. And after the season finale last May, fans have been increasingly anxious for news about the new season.
Of course, Hacks fans are no strangers to waiting, either. After debuting in May 2021 and following up with a second season in 2022, the third season didn’t drop for roughly two years. Fortunately, 2024’s release of Season 3 was worth the wait. Lauded as nothing short of brilliant, it already has everyone asking, Will there be a Hacks Season 4? And will it be 2026 before we see stand-up comedian Deborah and writer Ava’s antics again?
Well, this week we got a much-needed update as well as the first images of what Season 4 will look like on screen — Max released the first trailer for the award-winning series on March 11.
It’s one minute and 40 seconds of heaven!
What can we learn from the new trailer? Well, it seems there will be no shortage of pithy dialogue and snarky one-liners that we’ve come to expect from its two female intergenerational leads, Ava (Hannah Einbinder) and Deborah Vance (Jean Smart). It also seems like their friend-enemy-friend up-and-down relationship will continue as Deborah begins her new late night show with Ava clinging for dear life as head writer.
We. Cannot. Wait.
Once you’ve watched the trailer a few times, let’s review what other information we have about Hacks Season 4.
What happened in Season 3?
Warning: Spoilers ahead!
What started as a rocky business relationship between two “dried-up” comedians from different eras is now the (still rocky) story of a May-December friendship. Or… is it a friendship at all?
Picking up after Smart’s real-life heart surgery and the writers’ strikes, Hacks’ third season skips ahead a year after Deborah fires Ava in an effort to encourage her career. On the heels of a successful self-released comedy special and popular tour, it finds Deborah still living her best life. She no longer needs to claw her way into every appearance or to accept placating applause. She starts to patch things up with her sister. The queen of comedy is even in the running (again) to host her own late-night show.
Meanwhile, Ava’s career is also flourishing. She takes on a writing job at a John Oliver-esque late-night talk show. She gets back together with her actress girlfriend, Ruby. But something is missing — and it’s Deborah Vance. Deborah realizes it, too. Desperately needing to step away from the sycophants that make up her staff and get back to the verbal sparring and boundary-pushing she could manage so well with Ava, she asks Ava to spend her show’s hiatus working together to help Deborah up her game for late night.
Season 3 brings fans back to that brilliant and brutal back-and-forth between Deborah and Ava while still offering redemption and reconnection for both.
As the season nears its end, a supercut of Deborah’s most offensive jokes hits the internet. When her self-doubt spurs a lousy move with staffing, Ava comes to the rescue with more of a DV-style swoop than we’ve seen from her before. Season 3 also features their agent, Jimmy (Paul W. Downs), and his assistant, Kayla (Megan Stalter), striking out on their own and grappling with the consequences and rewards of that leap.
Then, the Season 3 finale turns everything on its heels after a bold move from Ava, straight from the Deborah Vance playbook. Is the student becoming the teacher?
When is the Hacks Season 4 release date?
On May 30, just after the Season 3 finale dropped, Variety broke the news that Max has renewed Hacks for another season. Take a moment to celebrate!
Of course, this isn’t terribly surprising. The show is a massive hit with audiences and critics, winning several Critics Choice awards, Emmys, and even a Peabody. It has an 8.2/10 on IMDB. In other words, Hacks has few (if any) reasons for cancellation but plenty of steam for a multi-season renewal.
So, when will the next season drop? We now know for sure: April 10 is the big day!
What will Season 4 be about?
While fans are still waiting for more info on a possible release date, it’s easy to make predictions about what could be ahead for Ava and Deborah. The Season 3 finale put Ava in a new, powerful position. To get there, she made moves that toed the line between betrayal and the kind of scheming Deborah would be proud of — if Ava weren’t scheming against her.
Season 4 might highlight the new work and relationship dynamics for Deborah and Ava. It could also place Deborah into all-new territory on late-night TV, with plenty of chances to mess up. Plus, there was the hint of a major transition in Deborah’s life between staffing and a move to a new state. What kind of comedy and drama could ensue from that?
Who will return for Hacks Season 4?
There’s no reason to think any of the main players won’t return for a fourth season.
Even if Marcus (Carl Clemons-Hawkins) finally decides to move on to bigger and better things, it would be devastating not to keep up with him and his future. Did anyone else see that glimmer of regret in his eyes during the finale?
While Season 3 didn’t spend much time focusing on DJ’s (Kaitlin Olson) life, there’s hope that might change in the fourth season.
And, of course, Hacks couldn’t exist without Smart or Einbinder. And if you’re crossing your fingers for more from KiKi (Poppy Liu), Marty (Christopher McDonald), or Jimmy and Kayla, you’re not alone. Deborah might have left KiKi behind in Vegas, but something about that dance hinted that we haven’t seen the last of Marty.
And now with the trailer in our greedy little hands, we can confirm that all of the biggest and most-loved cast members from the show will return in April.
For now… we wait.
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