‘Hacks’ star Jean Smart is back for Emmy #3
We may have had to wait two years for the third season of HBO Max’s “Hacks” to hit our screens but, boy, was it worth it. Ths third edition is a showcase for Jean Smart who plays Deborah Vance, a veteran stand-up experiencing a resurgence in her career. Hannah Einbinder co-stars as Ava Daniels, a comedy writer working to kick-start her career.
The relationship between those two women is at the heart of the show and season three is no different, with the chemistry between Smart and Einbinder reaching new levels. This is, still, however, the Jean Smart show. She aces every moment of comedy, perfectly embodying the Joan Rivers type of comedian that Deborah is. But what elevates the character and Smart’s performance to the next level are the touches of humanity and vulnerability sown into the role.
Critics agree, Smart is turning in career-best work.
Brian Tallerico (Roger Ebert) observed: “Smart has always responded to great writing, and she nails every emotional turn this season—she embeds a sense of age-related urgency in Deborah this year, making for a fascinating counter to Ava… Smart knows how to take a character who could have been unsympathetically cruel in the wrong hands and make us understand her.
Judy Berman (Time) stated: “Deborah has always been the role of a lifetime for Smart, and in the new episodes, the creators reward her virtuosity by giving her more fodder for introspection and growth than ever before.”
LaToya Ferguson (The Wrap) declared: “Jean Smart is better than ever in Max Comedy’s anticipated comeback… It’s perhaps preaching to the choir to praise Jean Smart’s performance — and she remains tremendous in this role… Smart remains crackling with every insult she delivers, truly capturing a character who just can’t turn it off.”
As a result — and this will be a shock to the grand total of zero people — we are predicting that Smart will be nominated for Best Comedy Actress alongside Ayo Edebiri (“The Bear”), Quinta Brunson (“Abbott Elementary”), Kristen Wiig (“Palm Royale”), and Selena Gomez (“Only Murders in the Building”).
It’s obvious why we are predicting Smart to earn his nomination — Emmy voters adore her. She won Best Comedy Guest Actress twice (in 2000 and 2001) for her stings on “Frasier” and she earned a Best Drama Guest Actress bid (also in 2001) for “The District.” She was then nominated twice for “24” — for Best Drama Supporting Actress in 2006 and Best Drama Guest Actress in 2007. In 2008, she won her third Emmy — Best Comedy Supporting Actress for “Samantha Who?” Then, in 2012, she reaped another Best Drama Guest Actress bid — this time for “Harry’s Law.” She then secured a trio of Best Limited Series Supporting Actress nominations — in 2016 for “Fargo,” in 2020 for “Watchmen,” and in 2021 for “Mare of Easttown.” Smart then won consecutive Emmys for Best Comedy Actress for seasons one and two of “Hacks.”
That’s five wins from a dozen nominations across nine shows. Emmy voters are in love with this performer but, crucially, they adore her in “Hacks.” Not only was she nominated for the show’s first two seasons, she won each time. Emmy voters will surely three-peat here and hand her, at the minimum, another Emmy nomination for season three.
Emmy voters also love repeat nominations in this category with plenty of actresses often returning for their second, third, or fourth bids for the same show. Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Issa Rae (“Insecure”), Tracee Ellis Ross (“Black-ish”), Lily Tomlin (“Grace and Frankie”), and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss (“Veep”) all secured multiple bids for their shows (at least three). Hacks could join this club.
We also know that Emmy voters like shows that depict or concern the entertainment industry, with Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Lisa Kudrow (“The Comeback”), and Tina Fey (“30 Rock”) all receiving citations for such shows.
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