In the fifth and final season of Hacks, comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) tries to get back on track and make her mark with considerable obstacles in her way but the greatest possible asset at her side: writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), who is finally on the same page and fighting to make sure everyone knows how valuable and funny this comedy legend really is.
Awards Buzz spoke with editor Jon Philpot about his work on the finale:
“It carried all the pressure and all the weight. I think I am actually just now coming down from it. It definitely took me a second after it was done to be like, okay we did it, because it was just every scene that I cut, I was like, oh this is the last time I’m doing this and this is the last time I’m doing a scene with Deb and Ava and they’re like having an emotional moment, or, this is the last joke between the two of them that I was cutting.” It’s the last! It’s the last. Everything is the last. I felt in a way like the process of doing it was reflecting my life at the moment. It was a heavy, heavy lift. For that last episode, it was kind of a big one, so they shot a lot and there was a lot to go through, because I think they were also like, this is the last time we’re going to do this. So everybody was on their last things and trying to put it all in. I was just searching through music, like, which songs have I not used since season two and I’ve like been trying to get in? We ended up getting some in. So it was it was definitely a version of me dragging myself along as we went through it. But I think it turned out really cool.”
Watch the video above to hear about the show’s creators having an end in sight and how this show’s particular tone compares with an even more specific tone from a past project of his, Search Party.
Hacks is streaming on HBO Max.
