When Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky came up with the idea for “Hacks,” they had a five-season plan in mind. And as the red carpet at Wednesday night’s Season 5 celebration noted, the HBO Max team saved the best for last.
“The show has always been a comedy first, so we hope the legacy is: ‘That show was really f–king funny,’” Aniello told TheWrap. “But also, the core of it is about people who find that they have a lot more in common than they realized. I think that’s a really great lesson for anybody — there’s so much you might have in common with somebody who seems so different, and that relationship, while sometimes tough, can also be rewarding and change you for the better.”
The co-creators were joined at the private residence event by stars Jean Smart, Hannah Einbider, Megan Stalter, Rose Abdoo, Mark Indelicato, Christopher McDonald, Robby Hoffman, Poppy Liu and Lauren Weedman ahead of Thursday night’s linear premiere. Naturally, after winning nine Primetime Emmys since its 2021 premiere, leads Einbider and Smart are proud of their show’s legacy.
“I hope it will go down in television history as a really, really, really smart, really funny show,” Smart said. “And also, one of the most unusual female friendships in film or television. I’m really proud of that.”
“Everything that I’ve learned about acting has been from watching her, which is crazy to say,” Einbinder added. “I’m proud that it was something that brought people from different generations together. Moms and daughters, people who maybe didn’t understand each other, it sort of became a road map for them to have more empathy for each other’s experience.”
The Hollywood party also featured card games straight out of Deborah Vance’s Las Vegas casino, with co-stars Joe Mande, Guy Branum, Alanna Ubach, Dan Bucatinsky, Jesse McCartney, George Basil, George Kareman, Grady Eldridge, Bayne Gibby, Jake Shane, Caitlin Reilly and Hannah Pilkes in attendance. Notable special guests included Casey Bloys, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Kathy Griffin, Jillian Bell, Paul Robalino, Jessica Lowe, Kate Berlant, Matt Oberg, Paul Chirico, Sam Asghari, Mayan Lopez, Michael Garza, Diane Warren, Anna Konkle, Phil Keoghan, Trisha Paytas and D’Arcy Carden.
“Hacks” Season 5 airs Thursdays on HBO Max.
