“Hacks Series 1 – 3” (2021 – 2024)

Television Series / Comedy

Twenty Seven Episodes

Created by: Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky

Featuring: Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Megan Stalter, Paul W. Downs, Rose Abdoo and Mark Indelicato

Ava: [during the heated exchange that takes place the first time Ava and Deborah meet] “I mean, the last thing on Earth I want to do is move to the desert to write some lame jokes for an old hack.”

The three-series DVD release of Hacks arrives as a satisfying, well-curated package for a show that has swiftly become one of the most acclaimed comedies of the decade. Bringing together all episodes from its run, the set serves both as a binge-worthy immersion for newcomers and a collectible archive for established fans. More importantly, it captures a series that masterfully balances acerbic wit with genuine emotional intelligence, anchored by a career-best performance from Jean Smart.

At its core, Hacks is about two women in comedy—one a veteran, one an upstart—whose creative collision sparks both conflict and growth. Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance is a seasoned Las Vegas comedian whose act and career are trending stale. Hannah Einbinder’s Ava Daniels is a cancelled millennial writer whose brilliance is overshadowed by her self-sabotaging impulsiveness.

Across three seasons, the series charts their evolving professional partnership and reluctant emotional investment in one another. What starts as a transactional arrangement evolves into one of the richest and most layered character relationships in modern television.

• Series 1 hits the ground running with dark humour and biting cynicism. Deborah and Ava are mutually hostile, and the comedy revels in their caustic exchanges. But its genius lies in how it gradually exposes vulnerability beneath the snark.
• Series 2 deepens the dynamic by taking Deborah on tour. The road-movie structure injects freshness, and the writing expands beyond the Vegas bubble. The journey forces both women into situations that reshape their power dynamic, with the writers exploring the fragile tension between ambition, loyalty, and artistic integrity.
• Series 3, arguably the most reflective season, tackles the cost of success after Deborah achieves a major career resurgence. Themes of legacy, control, and adaptation are played with wry melancholy rather than melodrama. It’s a more mature season, less reliant on punchlines and more invested in the emotional toll of creative reinvention.

Throughout its run, Hacks excels at avoiding didactic takes on generational conflict. Ava and Deborah aren’t archetypes; they’re flawed, often unlikeable people, and the show treats their complexity as both comedic fuel and dramatic substance. The result is a series that is funny, unsentimental, occasionally cruel, and consistently truthful.

Jean Smart is electric. Her portrayal of Deborah Vance balances old-school showbiz bravado with the quiet desperation of someone who has fought her entire life to remain visible. Smart commands the screen with impeccable timing, cutting delivery, and delicate emotional restraint.

Hannah Einbinder meets her head-on with a performance that’s less flashy but equally compelling. Ava is insecure, arrogant, talented, and frequently insufferable, and Einbinder embraces every contradiction with authenticity rather than caricature.

The supporting cast—Megan Stalter, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Kaitlin Olson, Christopher McDonald—adds colour without dominating. They provide comedic punctuation while deepening the sense of a lived-in world.

What distinguishes Hacks from other contemporary comedies is its tonal control. The show is rarely laugh-out-loud funny in a conventional sitcom way; instead, its humour emerges from character friction and situational discomfort.

Dialogue is sharp without being overwritten. The writers know when to let moments breathe and when to devastate with a single line. Most impressively, the show avoids easy catharsis—its emotional payoffs feel earned.

Thematically, Hacks is about:

• The limits of reinvention
• The fragility of ego
• The economics of fame
• And the universal fear of irrelevance

But it treats those ideas with a light touch, never drowning us in message-driven drama.

Visually, the transfers are pleasing but understandably limited by the standard definition format. Colours are warm, detail is adequate, and compression is minimal. For a dialogue-driven series without stylistic visual excess, DVD does the job well.

Audio is clear, prioritising dialogue. Surround activity is subtle, mostly environmental ambience from performance venues and cityscapes. No distortion, no imbalance—just clean presentation.

Where the disc set really earns its value is in its extras (depending on the edition):

• Creator and cast interviews
• Behind-the-scenes featurettes
• Deleted scenes
• Episode commentary tracks

These materials deepen appreciation of the show’s creative process, particularly the collaborative writing ethos and Smart’s approach to character psychology.

Menus are simple but elegant. Navigation is straightforward, offering quick access to episodes and extras.

The true strength of Hacks on DVD is its rewatchability. Like the best character comedies—Veep, Louie, Barry—it rewards attention to nuance. Jokes land harder on repeat viewing because they’re embedded in personality, not pop culture reference.

More than anything, Hacks stands as a poignant cultural document about women in entertainment, ageing, and the pressure to stay current in a disposable marketplace. It’s funny because it’s viciously honest; moving because it refuses sentimentality.

The Hacks: Series 1–3 DVD set offers a comprehensive, thoughtfully curated presentation of one of television’s sharpest modern comedies. While Blu-ray or streaming may offer higher fidelity, this set’s value lies in ownership, permanence, and the extras that contextualise its creative brilliance.

A smart, sophisticated release of a smart, sophisticated show.If you grew up with Grace Brothers, or simply love classic UK comedy, this DVD set is a must-own—charming, silly, and endlessly comforting.