‘Hacks’ Season 3: Cast, Release Date & Everything To Know About HBO Smash Hit

Jean Smart is ‘better than ever’ and ready to start filming ‘Hacks’ season 3 again after undergoing a heart procedure. Here’s everything to know about the plot, cast, and more.

• Hacks is an HBO series that follows the complicated relationship between a successful comedian and her mentee.
• Season 2 left viewers with a cliffhanger that could have ended the show.
• Luckily for fans, season 3 has been greenlit and began filming in late 2022.

Hacks will be back for a third season by HBO Max! The hit series began filming in November 2022, but filming came to a brief halt in early 2023 after Jean Smart underwent a heart procedure. Thankfully, Jean is doing well, and production is expected to resume two weeks after her heart procedure.

“She’s doing great,” producer Paul W. Downs told Variety. “She actually said to me recently that she’s better than ever, which I believe because she is Jean Smart. She’s at home. Obviously, not out on the town tonight. But she’s doing really well.”

The relatable series premiered in 2021 and was an instant success. It follows the mentorship between a successful comedian, Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), and her very naive and entitled millennial writer, Ava (Hannah Einbinder), and puts a bright spotlight on their generational differences. The second season explored their complicated relationship as they traveled across the country together to workshop Deborah’s new show. It ended in June 2022 with quite a twist.

Hacks was created by two women in comedy (Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky) as well as a male counterpart (Paul W. Downs) to highlight women in the entertainment field. “[We created it with] the idea that there are so many women in the entertainment industry, whether it’s standup or actors or producers or directors, that really never got to have the same success as some of their male counterparts and how, especially for Jen and I, as women in this industry, we didn’t necessarily appreciate them for all that they’ve done to blaze a path ahead of us and we really stood on the shoulders of them and didn’t fully appreciate them,” Lucia told Collider in 2021.

“So for us, I think it was about being able to tell the story of a woman that had gone through it many, many times, and just keeps picking yourself up again and then telling the story through the point of view of a younger woman who maybe doesn’t appreciate her at first, but while working for her starts to gain context and appreciation for her and starts to appreciate her for all that she has done,” she continued. Clearly, the message behind the show has resonated with fans. With that being said, here is everything there is to know about season 3 of Hacks.

When Was Hacks Renewed?

Hacks was renewed shortly after the season 2 finale dropped on the streaming service, which was of very little surprise. It impressively scooped up a whopping 36 Emmy nominations and six trophies between its first and second seasons. “We congratulate Hacks’ extraordinarily gifted executive producers and cast, and our partners at Universal Television,” Sarah Aubrey, head of original content at HBO Max, said in a statement to Variety on June 20, 2022. “We are overjoyed at the audience and press response to the new season, and glad to give viewers more of this gorgeous, hilarious, moving show.”

Who Will Be In Season 3 Of Hacks?

Of course, Jean and Hannah will be returning as the star players. Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Mark Indelicato, Rose Abdoo, Jane Adams, Christopher McDonald, Meg Stalter, Poppy Liu, Kaitlin Olson, Johnny Sibilly, Angela E. Gibbs, and Jane Adams are in the series’ top cast, according to IMDb. Season 2 saw Laurie Metcalf, Martha Kelly, Ming-Na Wen, Devon Sawa, and Susie Essman join the cast. No further cast announcements have been shared.

What Is The Plot Of Hacks Season 3?

Without spoiling anything (in case you still need to catch up on the show), viewers will likely see Deborah and Ava doing their own thing at the start of season 3, considering how sour their relationship turned in the previous season. Unfortunately, that’s about all we know.

The show’s creators have kept their plans for season 3 under wraps, but they did hint that they know exactly where they’re going with the plot during their May 2022 interview with Collider. “We also ultimately know exactly how the show ends, one day, in hopefully 20 or 30 years,” Lucia teased. “That makes it a lot easier. And of course, new things come up as you’re writing and figuring it out.”

Paul admitted the series could have ended after season 2 in a June 2022 interview with Entertainment Weekly. “We wanted to feel like there was resolution and it was really satisfying. And I think when you feel really satisfied at the end, it can often feel like something final,” he explained. “But Lucia said this, so I’m going to steal her quote. We feel like this is only the second chapter in a larger story that we want to tell. And when we pitched the show, we actually pitched where the series would end, which is not what you saw in episode 8 of season 2.”

When Will Hacks Season 3 Be Out?

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HBO Max has not revealed the Hacks season 3 premiere date, but filming started at the end of 2022! Jean Smart shared a celebratory first day of filming photo on November 28, 2022, on her Instagram page wearing a T-shirt with “The B**** is Back” printed on it. “Back to work, first day of shooting season 3. Yay!” she captioned the photo.

Sadly, filming was put on a brief hiatus in early 2023 after Jean underwent heart surgery. “February is American Heart Month — a time when the nation spotlights heart health, so it feels important to share with all of you that I am recovering from a recent, successful heart procedure,” she revealed in a Feb. 23 post to her Instagram account. “I am fortunate to have excellent professional care and support from family and friends while I continue to recuperate. Please listen to your body and talk to your doctor — I’m very glad I did!”

HBO Max and Universal Television released a statement of support following Jean’s announcement. “We are so happy that our beloved Jean Smart’s heart procedure was successful and she’s on the mend. HBO Max and UTV send their well wishes,” they said, per Variety.