'Hacks' Has Become a Greatest Hits Cover Band of Itself

You’ll never guess what happened on the latest episode of HBO’s Hacks: Ava and Deborah had their zillionth clash of personalities, Deborah lashed out to cover up her anxiety, the supporting cast made sad noises about how unfortunate it is to see them fight, and finally they made up once they realized how much better they are together. It’s also what happened in the episode before and during the two-part premiere and last season and the season before that. Hacks has become like a band with one hit album, and all they ever do is play the same hits that made them popular in the first place. It’s great to see Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder do their thing, but the season four reprise of the same song and dance is growing staler by the moment.

Season four’s inciting incident comes from the final moments of season three’s finale when Ava (Einbinder) blackmails Deborah (Smart) into giving her the head writer job she was promised. This pseudo-justified backstab-flavored conflict is identical in effect to season two’s set-up in which Deb is suing Ava for violating an NDA. Lashing out at one another when they feel hurt is a well-worn cycle for Hacks, and even more worn out is how the world of the show reacts to this predictable tension. Jimmy, Kayla, Josefina all reliably furrow their brows with disappointment in every other scene they have and urge them to work it out. In this season’s third episode, “What Happens in Vegas,” Hacks contrives an excuse to return to the titular city on a writer’s retreat. Deb and Ava can barely be civil to one another as the writers around them shift uncomfortably. Kiki (the always wonderful Poppy Liu) becomes the kajillionth supporting character to comment on how “sad and dark and horrible” the blackmail situation is. It seems like instead of developing this thread, deepening it in any way, or taking it to a new place, Hacks is content to wallow in it. What’s worse is how tedious it feels; viewers know they’ll eke out a victory at the last moment when they finally re-re-realize they’re better together than apart.

Take the most recent episode (“I Love LA”) as a prime example. Ava and Deb’s squabbling has become so incessant that HR loon Stacey (Michaela Watkins) is assigned to be with them at all times to prevent more conflict. Stacey joins the chorus of sad sighs that these two brilliant women just can’t put their differences aside. Deb has a panic attack during dress rehearsal for the new late-night show, and she lashes out at Ava because Deb feels vulnerable. Can they work out their troubles in time?! Yeah, duh: Carol Burnett swoops in like a magical comedy fairy and tells Deb to perform for just one audience member in the crowd, and wouldn’t you know it, when the first taping comes around, that person turns out to be Ava. When Deb later whacks her head on a go-go dancing cage and has to be rushed to the hospital, it’s Ava who comes to comfort her. Though things are still frosty between them, Ava sneaks Deb out of her hospital room to watch the airing of her first episode. It’s lovely, it’s affecting, it’s warm and sweet, but it’s also the umpteenth time we’ve seen these characters do this. Hacks has proven that no matter what kind of fight Deb and Ava have, they’ll always come back to these affirming moments together. Even though it’s a heartwarming ending, its inevitability robs the conflict of much weight or meaning. The lawsuits, the blackmail, the casual sabotage, it begins to feel tedious when viewers can expect it all to blow over. When the bulk of the plot is driven by these conflicts, it makes the show feel stale.

Hacks can’t seem to break its rigid pattern, which is a shame because there’s so much to enjoy about the series. The talent behind and in front of the camera feels a little wasted on this fourth go-round. Even with its silly Hollywood world rich with storytelling possibilities, Hacks replays what we’ve already seen. The characters don’t necessarily need to grow or change, but the show definitely does. Hacks should be able to tell a new story, but this season is looking like more of the same.