What You Need To Know About The Final Season Of Hacks

Hacks, the beloved HBO comedy-drama about the fraught relationship that develops between a legendary older comedian and her millennial ghostwriter, is back on Crave for its fifth and final season.

Since its 2021 premiere, the series—which co-creator Paul Downs (who also plays agent Jimmy on the show) once characterized as a “dark mentorship”—has snagged 12 Emmy Awards, including a 2024 win for Outstanding Comedy Series. In 2025, stars Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart both won Emmy Awards for their performances.  

Here’s everything you need to know about the final 10-episode season, which has new episodes airing weekly.

Season five has ambitious goals

Spoiler alert: Season four of Hacks ended in flames for comedian Deborah Vance and her writing partner, Ava Daniels. After achieving her dream of getting her own late-night talk show, Deborah was summarily booted for refusing to be censored. Making matters worse, she also suffers the ignominy of being prematurely declared dead by TMZ.

The plot centres on a comeback arc

In a callback to its first season, the final season of Hacks sees Ava and Deborah join forces to help Deborah mount another comeback. The bar for success is high; Deborah is gunning for an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) and wants to sell out Madison Square Garden. She has an uphill battle ahead of her—and a powerful enemy in the form of her former late-night network boss Bob (played by Tony Goldwyn), who has effectively banned Deborah from performing for the next 18 months via a non-compete clause in her talk-show contract.

Everybody’s back

A significant part of Hacks’ appeal is its ensemble cast, which has exponentially grown over the years and includes its fair share of incredibly talented comic performers including Meg Stalter (who also starred in Lena Dunham’s 2025 series, Too Much) and Canadian comedian Robby Hoffman, who is always a delight to watch.  

But of course, the poignant (and occasionally toxic) relationship between Deborah and Ava is what drives the show. Their relationship takes a less back-bitey and betrayal-infused tone than previous seasons—but rest assured the laughs don’t suffer as a result.