EDGE Interview: Inside the World of Comedy with Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder and the Creators of 'Hacks'

Jean Smart, left, and Hannah Einbinder, right, in a scene from "Hacks." Source: Karen Ballard/HBO Max

When "Hacks" premiered on Max in 2021, it became an instant hit with critics and audiences alike. The series, about the relationship between the aging Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and her woke bisexual comedy writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder), has gone on to earn several Emmy Awards since its debut. The second season ended in 2022, with Deborah and Ava going their separate ways. Deborah encouraged her young protege to climb her own mountain to success outside of Deborah's shadow.

With Season 3 airing in May, it's been two years since we've last tuned into the comedy series and the ladies of "Hacks" have been sorely missed. That was ever present during the premiere of the series' third season at the Paramount Theater in Austin, Texas during SXSW. A rowdy crowd cheered triumphantly for the 72-year-old Jean Smart as she strolled through the venue awaiting the first screening of the new season, equipped with stellar cameos and a reunion of television comedy's favorite duo.

The show has become so successful that in addition to Smart winning a Primetime Emmy Award for her work on "Hacks," Einbinder was recently the recipient of Variety's Comedy Actress Award at SXSW.

EDGE caught up with the cast and crew of "Hacks," including show creators Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs, prior to the third season's debut on the red carpet.

Jean Smart

EDGE: I'm a huge fan of "Designing Women" and equally so with "Hacks." With both shows, you've become sort of an icon within the gay community over the years. What does that mean to have such a devoted fanbase?

Jean Smart: It means a lot and I have a lot of gay friends. I would feel terrible if they didn't like the kind of characters I portray. But also, it's flattering because I look at a lot of other women who are considered gay icons, and they're all women that I've always looked up to: Bette Midler, Judy Garland, Barbara Stanwyk. So I'm in very, very good company. Thank you for asking me that!

EDGE: Season 3 of "Hacks" starts one year after Deborah and Ava go their separate ways. What can you tell us about how they might repair their relationship in the upcoming season?

Jean Smart: I was just saying to somebody at breakfast that it's sort of like if a couple took a break for a while. They actually are better together when they come back. So, I think that's kind of true. Deborah and Ava, although there's a very unexpected twist at the end of the season.

EDGE: Oh, interesting!

Jean Smart: Yeah, we didn't even see it coming. You'll have to find out for yourself!

Hannah Einbinder

EDGE: Congratulations on your Comedy Award last night! What does winning an award like that mean to you going into "Hacks" season three?

Hannah Einbinder: It means a lot to me. It is an accumulation of our entire team and all the work that's put into the show by our writers and creators and the geniuses behind the show.

EDGE: Your character came out to Deborah as bisexual during the first season of the series. Since that time, do you feel like your performance is elevating queerness on television?

Hannah Einbinder: When I was reading the pilot script, I felt like that was one of the first times I felt seen in media. There are definitely a lot of incredible representations of queerness. In fact, Desiree Akhavan was a director on our first season and she wrote, starred in, and directed a show called "The Bisexual," which I loved. I would say that was maybe the only other time that I had felt seen, so I hope I'm contributing to that feeling for someone else.

Lucia Aniello

EDGE: From the beginning, "Hacks" has always focused on queerness as part of the stories within the series. Why did you choose to focus attention on hiring LGBTQ actors and telling queer character stories as part of the ensemble of the show?

Lucia Aniello: I think for us, we just want to reflect the world around us which is evolving. Making queer characters the center of the story, not necessarily just about their queerness, but queerness as part of their identity. It's how we see the world and how we accept people who are just purely themselves. We just want people to be able to be living their truths and the way we want our characters to be as well.

EDGE: We all know it is extremely hard to make a television show from start to finish. Not to mention getting picked up and eventually renewed, and then renewed again for a third season. What does that mean for you going forward for the show? Does it still feel as fresh to you as it was going into the first season?

Lucia Aniello: It really is something that increasingly with everyday seems more and more rare to even have a comedy on TV right now. Especially one that is about a 70-year-old woman. That does feel kind of like a rare thing at the moment, but we are very lucky. We know that we're lucky. We're very grateful for the people who keep the show alive are the fans, that's what is so amazing about it. There's no one type of fan. We're always shocked when people say that they watch it. Straight dads, a bunch of high school boys who aren't related to the show have said they watch it. I think that people talking about it, that word of mouth, really connecting with it and being proud to tell other people about it is the reason that we've been able to make the show. It is a pinch me moment every day.

Paul W. Downs

EDGE: Paul, can you please tell us if your character Jimmy will be nice to his assistant Kayla this season, played by Megan Stalter?

Paul W. Downs: Yes, I will be way nicer! I mean, you know Kayla still drives [Jimmy] crazy but they really really connect this season.

EDGE: You've directed a few episodes in the past and it looks like you directed two episodes in the upcoming season. What's the experience like transitioning from in front of the camera as an actor to behind as a director?

Paul W. Downs: All of us kind of wear a lot of hats on the show and it's really a collaborative team effort. I think you can feel that. For me, the only thing that's hard is when I'm directing an episode that I'm in because then I'm like, "How did that look?" Because otherwise, it's really simple. It's something that as a writer and co-showrunner, the three of us are always watching every single scene, changing and rewriting all the time and so it's not that different.