Hacks (HBO Max)

A veteran comedian is about to lose her Las Vegas residency and so her agent hooks her up with a 25-year-old comedy writer, who has been cancelled, in a bid to revive both their careers. Deborah Vance lives in a palatial mansion and has an extensive staff; Ava has to take this job to avoid losing her recently purchased, overpriced LA condo. The two have little in common and clash at every turn, until they don’t. Each is intensely unlikeable in their own special ways – initially fulfilling the stereotypes of out-of-touch Boomer and entitled Millennial. As the series develops their rough edges rub off as we find out more about them, their back stories and their redeeming qualities. Slowly a relationship of trust builds as they learn from each other and make each other laugh. We also get a taste of the evolution of women in comedy and a glimpse of the challenges that have barely changed. It’s funny, smart, moving and so refreshing to see a show featuring two strong female leads as well as a diverse cast whose diversity is incidental to the plot. Jean Smart is simply wonderful as the irascible Deborah and Hannah Einbinder provides a great foil as Ava. A second season is out now; it will be interesting to see if it can sustain the excellence.