‘Hacks’ has ‘perfect’ ending after 5 seasons, says star Smart

Jean Smart accepts the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series Emmy for "Hacks" at the 77th Emmy Awards on Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025 at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. (Photo by Phil McCarten/Invision for the Television Academy/AP Content Services)

When the creators of the hit series “Hacks” explained their planned ending to star Jean Smart, the actress had her doubts, but she trusted the team’s vision.

“I didn’t really have an idea of how it would end. I wanted to be surprised,” she told reporters ahead of the fifth and final season of the HBO smash that has earned her four Emmy Awards.

“I’ve loved being surprised every episode for all these years.”

Smart said she was a little taken aback when she first learned how things would pan out for aging comic Deborah Vance and her mentee Ava Daniels, played by Hannah Einbinder.

“I was not sure,” she confessed. “But I said: ‘Hey, I trust you guys. Always have, always turns out great.’ And it did. And now I think it was perfect.”

“Hacks” hit HBO Max in May 2021 to widespread critical acclaim.

It triumphed in every awards season, scooping several Emmys and Golden Globes, with the show’s acting, writing, and directing all receiving recognition.

Paul W. Downs, who created the series alongside Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky, said the finale encapsulates the ethos of the entire five-season project.

“It is about what we set out in the very first episode, which is your legacy and what you leave behind,” he said.

“We’re leaving behind a series, and we’re thinking about that for ourselves and for our characters.”

After filming more than 40 episodes, the farewell felt bittersweet for the performers.

Einbinder, 30, said it has been nice to grow alongside her character, and she was delighted with how it all fit together.

“I think every evolution that these characters have undergone has felt warranted and earned,” she said.

“Everything that I would hope for them has been achieved.”

For 74-year-old Smart, the realization that the end had come was a gradual process as they filmed the final scenes on each of the show’s sets.

“They let me sneak little souvenirs from each set,” she laughed.

The final season of “Hacks” premieres April 9 on HBO Max.