Hacks Season 3: Release Date, Trailer, And Other Things We Know About The Next Installment

Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart on Hacks
(Image credit: HBO Max)

If you’re wondering what to know about Hacks Season 3, here is what we know so far. 

Fear not, Hacks fans:  Season 3 of the Emmy award-winner is coming, which is one of the best shows on Max.

We last left Deborah and Ava at a turning point in their relationship: having found success with her self-produced comedy special, Deborah tells Ava that their partnership can’t continue. Ava must carve out her own career or risk being permanently overshadowed by Deborah’s larger-than-life personality.

Will our heroines be split up for Season 3? Will Ava be able to find success without Deborah? Will Deborah be able to find her new voice without Ava? Here is what we know so far about Hacks Season 3.  

Megan Stalter as Kayla on Hacks

(Image credit: HBO Max)

What Is The Hacks Season 3 Premiere Date?

According to Deadline, Hacks Season 3 will come out on May 2, 2024, which means it’ll be a part of our 2024 TV premiere schedule

Back in June of 2022, only a month after the premiere of Season 2, HBO renewed Hacks for a third season. 

Lucia, Paul and Jen—that’s Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky, who previously worked together in the writing room on Broad City—received numerous accolades for the work writing Seasons 1 and 2 of Hacks, so it’s no wonder HBO wanted to bring the creators back for more.

Check Out The Hacks Season 3 Teaser Trailer

If you’re curious about what is to come with Hacks Season 3, be sure to check out the teaser trailer on YouTube. It features our two main characters – now separated – living their own lives and trying to adapt, while hilarities ensue. 

The Main Cast Is All Coming Back

Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart in Hacks

(Image credit: HBO Max)

If you were wondering who was going to be back for Hacks Season 3 when it comes to the cast, we have you covered. That Deadline article above confirmed several main cast members returning, so let’s get into it:

Jean Smart as Deborah Vance

Jean Smart will return as Deborah Vance in Hacks Season 3. Aside from her starring role on this show, Smart has appeared in other TV shows such as Designing Women, 24, Legion, Watchmen, Mare of Easttown and more. 

Hannah Einbinder as Ava Daniels

Hannah Einbinder will return as Ava in Hacks Season 3. Primarily a writer, Einbinder has also acted in the film North Hollywood as well as shows such as History of the World: Part II and Julia. 

Paul W. Downs as Jimmy LaSaque

Jimmy is coming back for Season 3 and so is the person who plays him, Paul W. Downs. The actor has appeared in the TV show Broad City and held roles in films such as Like Father. 

Megan Stalter as Kayla

Megan Stalter is back as Kayla for Hacks Season 3. The comedian/actress has appeared in the films Problemista, First Time Female Director and more, and has had her own comedy special called Yearly Departed. 

Carl Clemons-Hopkins as Marcus

Marcus will return in Season 3 of Hacks and so will Carl Clemons-Hopkins. The actor has appeared in movies like Candyman and Canal Street, and held roles in TV shows like The Chi and Chicago Med

Kaitlin Olson as Deborah “DJ” Vance Jr.

Kaitlin Olson will be back as Deborah in Hacks Season 3. Fans primarily know Olsen from her time on the hilarious FX comedy, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, but she’s also appeared in movies like Leap Year, Finding Dory, The Heat and more. 

Christopher McDonald as Marty Ghilain

Christopher McDonald will be back as Marty Ghilain for Hacks Season 3. The actor is known for many movie roles, from famous films like Happy Gilmore, Requiem for a Dream, Leave it to Beaver, Thelma & Louise and Flubber, among some of his best. 

Mark Indelicato as Damie

Mark Indelicato is back as Dante in Season 3 of Hacks. The actor appeared in the TV show Ugly Betty as a main role for eighty-five episodes prior to his part in Hacks. He’s also a series regular on With Love. 

Rose Abdoo as Josefina

Rose Abdoo is back as Josefina in Hacks Season 3. The actress has appeared in a variety of TV shows, her most prominent being Gossip Girls, That’s So Raven, Parenthood and Reboot. 

Lorenza Izzo as Ruby

Lorenza Izzo will return as Ruby in Hacks Season 3. The actress has appeared in films like Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, Knock Knock, The Green Inferno and many more. 

Talk about a stacked cast – and one I can’t wait to see again.

Several Guest Stars Are Confirmed

Christopher Lloyd as younger Doc Brown in Back to the Future

(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

With any show like Hacks, there is always bound to be an incredible guest-star list, and Variety confirmed in February 2024 that several guests were announced for this third season. Without giving us a million sections to read, the guest stars that were confirmed were Helen Hunt, Christina Hendricks, Christopher Lloyd, Dan Bucatinsky, George Wallace and Tony Goldwyn. 

Then, in March 2024, Variety also announced that Aristotle Athari would have a guest role in Hacks Season 3. 

Hacks Season 3 Will Follow Ava And Deborah Now A Year Separated

Jean Smart on Hacks

(Image credit: HBO Max)

While it felt like we were waiting years to see some kind of update on the story of Season 3 of Hacks, Deadline gave us the basic synopsis of what we can expect. 

Now that Ava and Deborah have split after Deborah fired her, it’s been about a year. Deborah is “riding high” after her comedy special does really well, and Ava is now looking into new opportunities in Los Angeles, hundreds of miles away from Deborah. But, from the trailer, we see that they do eventually come back together in some way – so that’s not the end of their hijinks. 

Deborah’s Path To Redemption Will Continue To Be A Theme

Jean Smart in Hacks

(Image credit: HBO Max)

While Deborah’s growth as a person and as a comedian has been a theme throughout Seasons 1 and 2, that idea of “redemption” will continue to ring through Season 3. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly in June 2022, writer Lucia Aniello had this to say about what we can expect for Deborah in the upcoming season:

I think in general when we pitched this show, a big part of it was about it being a redemption story for Deborah Vance, and the truth is, she's just had a major success with this special as you see in the finale. And so she's continuing on that path to redemption and being reestablished in the culture. But obviously that will come with its challenges, both personal and professional.

Of course, Deborah’s journey won’t be complete simply because she’s made a successful comedy special. There will still be growing and changing for Deborah to do in Season 3—my fingers are crossed that her path just leads back to Ava.

Jean Smart WILL Be Driving A Bulldozer In Season 3

Jean Smart in Hacks

(Image credit: Max)

Heck yeah, this is the news you want to see – the fact that Jean Smart will be driving a bulldozer at some point during the series. Smart revealed that she’d picked up the new skill on the set of the third installment, which she shared during a conversation with E! News at the December 15, 2022 Babylon premiere.

I had to get bench-pressed by Luke Macfarlane, a very handsome young actor, which was kind of embarrassing.

Yeah, that sounds super embarrassing [insert eyeroll]. I’m really more concerned by the bulldozer news, though.

Hacks Season 3 Will Be Nine Episodes

Deborah Vance in Hacks

(Image credit: HBO)

As confirmed by the Deadline article above regarding the release date, Hacks Season 3 will only be nine episodes – and the finale will be on May 30th. This is one episode more than Season 2, so I’m always excited for more stories to see. 

Seasons 1 and 2 of Hacks are available to stream with a subscription to Max. For more info about HBO original series, check out our guide of the best Max Originals so far.

Emily Marek
Writer

She/her. Lover of female-led comedies, Saturday Night Live, and THAT scene in Fleabag. Will probably get up halfway through the movie to add more butter to the popcorn.