It’s a story that feels like it was taken straight out of “Hacks.” When series co-creator and star Paul W. Downs called Megan Stalter to tell her that the Emmys nominated her for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series. Initially, she didn’t believe him.
“I FaceTimed her, and she didn’t pick up. She was watching reality [TV],” Downs told TheWrap. “I texted her ‘Meg,’ and then she’s like, ‘What? What’s going on?’ And I was like, ‘You don’t know what’s going on?’ She’s like, ‘Well, I guess ‘Hacks’ is nominated, that’s great.’ And I was like, ‘Meg, you’re nominated, you’re nominated for an Emmy,’ and she’s like, ‘Are you pranking me?’”
Downs noted that on Monday, Stalter made her Broadway debut in “Oh, Mary!” which is probably why the comedian and actor was a bit distracted on Emmys nomination day. Regardless, the interaction reminded Downs of his practical and exasperated character Jimmy and Stalter’s intense whirlwind of a character Kayla.
“It was so Jimmy and Kayla,” Downs said. “Once I convinced her that I wasn’t pranking her, she was shaking. She couldn’t believe it. She didn’t even know today was the day.”
That sweet moment sums up the tone of “Hacks” this Emmys season. A longtime awards darling, it was expected that the HBO Max comedy would put up a good showing for its final season. But Season 5 surpassed expectations, scoring 24 nominations — one less than this year’s most nominated show, “The Pitt” — and breaking two records. “Hacks” Season 5 is now the most Emmy-nominated season of a comedy ever, and “Hacks” as a whole has earned more nominations for its final season than any other comedy in history, beating a record previously held by “Schitt’s Creek.”
Those nominations weren’t just for the series’ three showrunners — Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky — or its main cast members — Jean Smart, Hannah Einbinder, Downs and Stalter — though all six received nominations. (In addition to their writing noms with Statsky, Downs was nominated for acting and Aniello was nominated for directing). “Hacks” was also honored for production design, casting, cinematography, costuming, picture editing, hair, makeup, music and lyrics as well as music supervision. It also included a staggering six guest actor and actress nominations between Christopher McDonald, Leslie Bibb, Cherry Jones, Laurie Metcalf, Kaitlin Olson and Lauren Weedman.
This victory doesn’t just belong to the creators and stars of this HBO Max series. Like Deborah Vance, the awards story around “Hacks” Season 5 is one about a force in the industry finally getting the mass acclaim it’s so long deserved.
TheWrap: “Hacks” has always been a love letter to the industry. What’s it been like to see that love returned this morning through these Emmy nominations?
Lucia Aniello: What’s so amazing is that so many people are being acknowledged for the first time. Because it’s our last season, it was the last time, and we really, really hoped that they would be acknowledged. People like Meg Stalter, Lauren Weedman, our composers [Carlos Rafael Rivera and David Stal], our music supervisor [Matt Biffa] and multiple editors [Peggy Tachdjian and Jon Philpot] — people who have put so much love and time and care into the show for five seasons. For them to finally break through is what today’s been all about for us.
I’ve spoken to you over the years about “Hacks,” and I know that your crew is so vital to this show. They are what has made “Hacks” so magical. Heading into this Emmy season, did the three of you make a more concentrated effort to push for Emmy nominations for those categories that are often a little bit overlooked?
Jen Statsky: We definitely knew that this was, obviously, the last go round for the show, and those people on our crew are so deserving of the nominations. We just hoped that the work would stand for itself and what they did would be seen and recognized. We feel so lucky that it was. There are so many people who come together to make a TV show, and they’re all so important to the final product. To get to see everyone in these individual categories that don’t always get the attention or love finally be recognized — especially some of them for the very first time in its final season — is just so, so lovely. It always was what we were hoping for from today.
Especially for a comedy. I feel like, with dramas and limited series, the below the line work is always taken a bit more seriously. But especially with “Hacks” and “Widow’s Bay,” what you all have accomplished is phenomenal. It shows up on the screen every single episode.
Aniello: Thank you. I know we’re just saying the same things here, but it’s true. All of those people — our production designers, set decorators, costumes — everybody really is treating this like art. They put in so much extra time on the weekends, just researching and making sure that the story is being told through their departments. That’s not to say that other comedies aren’t doing that, but I really feel that we’ve been so lucky to have those artisans working at an extremely high level.
Is that part of what you want “Hacks’” legacy to be? This sort of elevated treatment of the people in comedy who don’t get as recognized?
Paul W. Downs: That’s the Deborah Vance story. It’s about someone who’s cast aside and overlooked, someone who is outside of the industry striving for dignity. That’s true of both Deborah [Smart] and Ava [Einbinder], these people that keep getting knocked down and having to get back up. Whether you’re in show business or not, it’s a very universal feeling. So I hope the legacy of the show is that it really made you laugh, and it really made you feel. I hope, in telling the final chapter, people feel satisfied but also that that story can live on for them so that they can think about these characters. I hope that jokes will revisit them when they’re moving through the world. Something will trigger it, and it will bring a little bit of joy to their life as they as they continue on, as Deborah and Ava will.
Who has been the most fun person to talk to as you’re getting these texts?
Aniello: Jen, you weren’t on this one, so I’m sorry, but Lauren Weedman. She’s been so funny since Season 1 of the show. I don’t think she’s been nominated for anything before ever, and she’s been working for a very long time. She’s always the funniest person in any scene, and she’s been doing solo shows since the ’90s. She’s still doing solo shows. Somebody like her deserves to be acknowledged, and it’s about time. She appreciates something like this 10 times, 100 times more than than most actors because she knows she deserves it and has earned it.
Statsky: It’s a Deborah Vance-like story in that way,
Downs: And you saying, “What do you hope the legacy of the show will be?” I’m not negating my answer; I stand by that. I hope people move through the world and think about jokes that they like, and it brings people a little bit of joy and laughter. But I also hope the legacy of the show is the thing that brings us the most satisfaction: Getting to let people like Lauren, like Leslie Bibb, who’s been funny in everything for so long, letting them shine in a way that they haven’t before, giving them a chance to show what they can do. Jean is also a person that we feel so lucky that we have. She is so good and has been forever. But it does feel like she’s gotten to show sides of herself that she hadn’t before, and she’s gotten a recognition for that.
Aneillo: [“Hacks”] was her first time being number one on a call sheet.
Downs: I hope the legacy of this show is that it’s a place where we have all, together, enjoyed the work of really funny people that have maybe not had a moment to show all they can do before.
Aneillo: That goes for everybody, even just our under-five actors.
Also your writing team — you three obviously included — have done such a phenomenal job over the years of writing in a way that showcases these actors and comedic voices, that really elevates them and does not tamper down what makes them funny. Your writing is always so respectful.
Statsky: We feel so lucky to have the tremendous team of writers, many of whom were with us from day one, Season 1 and stayed all the way to the very end. We have an enormously talented group of writers that we work with, and we share this with them today. We really couldn’t have done it without them.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
