How ‘Hacks’ Proves Women in Comedy Deserve More Recognition

After sweeping its categories at last year’s Emmys, Hacks has proven itself to be one of the most iconic comedy series of this decade. 

The show follows Deborah Vance, a veteran comedian struggling with her career, and her complicated relationship with the young up-and-coming writer Ava Daniels. The dry comedy presents a realistic portrayal of the challenges that women in comedy careers face, as illustrated by Deborah’s career rise and Ava’s moral decline.

TV shows about the entertainment industry are nothing new. However, few shows have been able to confront the brutal barriers women in comedy face like Hacks has.

Deborah begins her career as a stand-up comedian. Later in the show’s run, she begins to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a late-night talk show host — and finally achieves it in Season 4. 

Hacks doesn’t shy away from showing her complicated, laborious journey to the top.

One of the biggest obstacles Deborah faces is overcoming the expectations placed on her due to her gender. 

In Hollywood, the younger a woman is, the more she is valued. The surface-level values surrounding beauty and age for women influence how Deborah constantly has to push back against skeptics who wonder if it’s too late to revitalize her career. 

Deborah never shies away from emphasizing that her focus will always be on comedy first. After all, it is her job to be funny. Yet, she can’t have a platform to share her jokes if nobody believes her voice is valuable.

So, she rubs shoulders with male executives whom she isn’t fond of. Years in the comedy world have sharpened Deborah’s abilities to stop at nothing to get what she wants. She never loses sight of the endgame and goes to impressive lengths to achieve her goals.  

Unfortunately, this comes at a cost.

Deborah has no choice but to pour her entire life into her career to ensure she has equal footing with her male counterparts. This frequently leads to Deborah mistreating the people in her life. 

For example, Deborah’s daughter, DJ, holds a grudge against her mother for prioritizing her career over her. Unfortunately, DJ’s reaction illustrates the sad reality that many women often face when trying to succeed professionally and as mothers.

It’s not just her biological family that Deborah loses touch with because of her career; she also risks jeopardizing her relationship with her found family.

Deborah constantly belittles Ava because she believes doing so will push Ava to become a better writer.

But she learns the lesson time and time again that treating people kindly can go a long way. Deborah may have to put on a tough front for people in the industry. However, she realizes that she can rely on those in her life to support her, rather than fighting for what she wants. 

Therefore, Hacks offers a compassionate and beautiful portrayal of how there’s still room to grow and change for older women in the comedy industry, despite all the challenges they face. 

Ava enters the world of comedy with a bright-eyed and hopeful outlook. Yet, by the end of Season 4, she has become significantly more jaded. 

On her journey alongside Deborah, Ava witnesses how cruel the industry can be to women. Despite this, she tries to hold onto her morals. Over time, she learns from Deborah that sometimes to achieve success, one must go to extreme lengths and sacrifice one’s beliefs. 

A key moment where Ava’s moral downfall becomes clear is the final episode of Season 3.

Deborah initially offered Ava the job of head writer, but was persuaded by executives to choose a man for the job instead. 

In retaliation, Ava blackmails Deborah by threatening to tell others that she slept with the head of the network. She gets the head writer’s job but completely ruins her relationship with Deborah.

While Deborah has some power over Ava, the roles have been reversed now that Ava has blackmail material. This is a stark contrast to the early days, when Ava firmly believed that women should always support one another rather than become opponents. 

Hacks does a great job of portraying how women often have to sacrifice their morals and their desire to support fellow women in the industry to get recognition. This heartbreaking tradeoff illustrates yet another point: the industry pits women against one another in competition.

Ava even has a catastrophic breakdown that leads her to quit her writing job because she can no longer bear the weight of her actions and her destroyed friendship with Deborah.

Fortunately, Ava and Deborah work through their anger and become friends again. Still, they are both fundamentally changed by the experience.

Hacks brilliantly provides insightful commentary on the struggles women in comedy face, bringing audiences along on the wonderfully flawed journey of Ava and Deborah’s relationship and careers. 

—

Hacks is streaming on HBO Max. 

Follow us on X and on Instagram!

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!