‘Hacks’ pulls back the curtain on ruthlessness as the secret sauce in Hollywood success

Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers about the “Hacks” Season 3 finale, “Bulletproof,” which premiered May 30.

Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers about the “Hacks” Season 3 finale, “Bulletproof,” which premiered May 30. The third season of “Hacks,” the Emmy-nominated Max comedy series, has in one respect felt strangely dated, with veteran comic Deborah Vance pursuing a late-night TV show as a capper to her career, at a time when those series have lost much luster from their heyday. Yet the show also contains what feels like a timeless lesson about Hollywood and doing anything to get ahead. The finale articulated that clearly, after Deborah (Jean Smart) lied to her writer/confidant Ava (Hannah Einbinder), telling her that the network had prevented her from installing Ava as the head writer on her show. As luck would have it, Ava had an encounter with the network boss (Helen Hunt), who made clear that choice belonged to Deborah, who later admitted as much, saying she didn’t want to do anything that might risk her blowing this belated shot at late-night stardom. “You have to be selfish,” she told Ava, adding, “This show has to be bulletproof, and it has to work. I’ve lost way too much for it not to.” While Ava’s first impulse was to quit out of principle over Deborah’s betrayal, the final scene marked a turning of the tables, with Ava blackmailing Deborah into giving her the head-writer position. When Deborah asks if she’s willing to use that tactic to get what she wants, Ava responds pointedly, “I would. Wouldn’t you?”