Jean Smart's 99% RT Comedy Show That Beat The Bear At The Emmys Last Year Just Premiered Season 4 & It's Funnier Than Ever -

Hacks, Jean Smart’s Emmy-winning comedy series with a near-perfect Rotten Tomatoes score, is back and just may be better than ever. After dethroning The Bear’s Emmy dominance at the 2024 Emmy Awards by winning Outstanding Comedy Series, HBO/MAX’s Hacks is already in top form right out of the gate with its two-episode season 4 premiere. The entire main cast of Hacks returned for its highly anticipated fourth season, which debuted on MAX on Thursday, April 10, 2025.

Hacks still has a ways to go to catch up to the Emmy success of The Bear, which won 21 Emmys for its first three seasons. Hacks, now in its fourth season with a fifth on the way, won nine by comparison. While The Bear season 3 was the least critically acclaimed of the series so far, Hacks continues to get better with each new installment. Following its season 3 finale, which was its highest-rated episode, Hacks season 4 smartly picks up exactly where season 3 left off, creating unforeseen elements of tension (and hilarity, of course) between protagonists Deborah and Ava.

Hacks Just Premiered Season 4 & The Show Is Now At Its Most Intense Arc

Hacks Got Even Better By Raising Tension & Stakes While Still Being Hilarious

Still running hot off its big night at the 2024 Emmys, Hacks season 4 looks to be the best installment of the celebrated comedy series based on its first two episodes alone. Without getting into spoiler territory, legendary stand-up comedian and entertainer Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) gets an incredible career opportunity that her loyal writer, Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), forces her way into after Deborah tried boxing her out. Deborah and Ava, who have become great friends over the course of Hacks seasons 1-3, are now very much at odds as coworkers and rivals.

Even with the uptick in tension and drama, Hacks season 4 maintains its status as the funniest show on television. Deborah and Ava’s feud is just as hilarious as it is fierce, while long-standing supporting characters, like Paul W. Downs’s Jimmy and Megan Stalter’s Kayla, pack in plenty of non-stop punchlines and funny moments. The joke-writing and comedic banter in Hacks have always been some of its most elite aspects. Season 4’s newfound dramatic elements make the show even more addictive and compelling.

Hacks Season 4 Looks Like It Will Continue The Show’s Incredible Awards Streak

It’s A Near Lock To Be Nominated For Outstanding Comedy Series Again

Deborah-and-Ava-from-Hacks-season-4 — Custom Image by Yailin Chacon

With the exceptional start of Hacks season 4, it’s projected to once again be one of the best television shows this year, period. It is nearly expected to be in contention for Best Comedy Series at the 2025 Emmy Awards once again, with Jean Smart and Einbinder likely to be up for individual awards as well to add to their previous nominations. Smart has won three Best Lead Actress Emmys for Hacks (2021-22, 2024), while Einbinder has earned three supporting noms.

Hacks season 4 could also spawn another guest actor or actress win, like it did for Laurie Metcalf in season 2, and garner nominations in writing, directing, and other technical categories. If you haven’t checked out Hacks yet, it’s the best current comedy series you aren’t watching.