Five Shows to Watch While You Wait for the Next Season of Hacks
Since its 2021 premiere, the HBO Max comedy Hacks has earned near-universal acclaim, an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series, and a legion of fans. The show follows legendary (read: “old”) stand-up comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), who reluctantly teams up with a young, disgraced comedy writer, Ava (Hannah Einbinder), in a desperate attempt to resurrect her career.
Hacks has maintained its sharp writing and great acting across four seasons — a rare trait in television. HBO has confirmed that a fifth season is on the way, but no release date has been announced, so Hacks fans will have to put on their anticipatory boots. In the meantime, here are five shows that might help fill the Hacks -shaped hole in your viewing schedule and your heart.
Broad City (2014-2019)
If you only watch one show while you wait for Hacks , choose Broad City . The two shows share some comedic DNA: Hacks showrunner and co-creator Paul W. Downs was a writer and executive producer on Broad City ; Hacks co-creator Jen Statsky was a writer and producer on Broad City ; and a third Hack co-creator, Lucia Aniello, was an executive producer, writer, and director on the earlier series. It’s not just the creatives behind the scenes: Both Hacks and Broad City focus on the experiences and relationships of their leads, but where Hacks is about surviving show business, Broad City is about surviving your 20s, with a similar mix of confusing friendships, self-discovery, and sharp observations. You can stream Broad City on Hulu, Paramount+, Roku, Disney+, and Prime Video .
Studio (2025-present)
The Seth Rogen-created comedies The Studio and Hacks may stream on competing platforms, but they’re set in the same fictional universe. The Hacks crew appears on a Golden Globes-set episode of Studio , and Rogen appears as himself on Deborah’s late-night show on Hacks . It’s like that time George Jetson visited The Flintstones , but with more passive aggression and fewer dinosaurs washing dishes. Beyond their shared fictional universe, both shows offer a current, meta take on the entertainment industry and feature characters navigating the choppy waters of show business’s unique personalities and practices. You can stream The Studio on Apple TV+ .
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017-2023)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a spiritual prequel to Hacks . Rachel Brosnahan plays Miriam “Midge” Maisel, a comedian emerging in early 1960s New York City. While the timeline doesn’t lend itself to this being Deborah’s backstory, the parallels are clear: Both women are smart actresses struggling to find relevance in the male-dominated world of comedy. Maisel captures the same spirit of a woman struggling to make it in the male-dominated world of comedy. Maisel’s stylized take on the entertainment industry contextualizes the world in which Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels live. It’s also an often painful reminder of how little has changed. You can stream The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Prime Video .
Absolutely Fabulous (1992-1995)
Early-’90s British cult sensation Absolutely Fabulous has a faster pace and broader humor than Hacks , but the relationship between fashion PR exec Edina and her down-to-earth daughter Saffron mirrors the push and pull between Deborah and Ava in Hacks . Both Ab Fab and Hacks explore the challenges of aging in youth-obsessed industries, and both feature feisty women battling irrelevance. Just don’t expect any sentimental heart-to-hearts in the more acerbic Absolutely Fabulous. You can watch Absolutely Fabulous on Peacock , BritBox, Hulu, Prime Video, and Disney+.
Barry (2018-2023)
If you liked Hux’s dark take on the entertainment industry, why not go even darker with HBO’s Barry ? Played by Bill Hader, Barry’s protagonist is a brilliant hitman who becomes a terrible actor with the help of a seedy acting coach played by Henry Winkler. Like Hux , Barry revolves around the clash of ambition and self-delusion, framed by the relationship between a struggling artist and an older mentor. Like Hux , Barry thrives on finding humor in the often brutal realities of trying to make it in entertainment, though Barry takes that darkness to significantly more extreme places. You can stream Barry on HBO Max .