One of TV’s best shows finally returns: Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder talk Season 3 of ‘Hacks’

Not a Hackshead yet? Let’s get you up to speed. Comedy writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) tweeted a risqué joke that — along with her generally poor attitude — got her blacklisted in Hollywood, unable to wiggle her way into any more writing rooms. Standup comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart, in the Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning role of a lifetime) became fabulously wealthy off a long-running Vegas residency, but the hotel wants to cut her dates in favour of younger acts like (gulp) Pentatonix. So both surly gals are at risk of being dropped by their agency.

But then their agent Jimmy (Paul W. Downs, who co-created the show with his wife, ”Broad City’s” Lucia Aniello) kills two broads with one stone by sending Ava to Vegas to work for Deborah and start writing jokes for her. Ava stays employed, Deborah might get to keep her dates with fresh new material. It is one of the perfect pilots: fleshed-out characters, a little sad, looks great. Oh, and hilarious.

This being an acidic comedy, nothing goes smoothly; the first two seasons revel in not only the pair’s unlikely bond but their frequent schisms. At the beginning of Season 3, a year has passed since the Season 2 finale twist: Ava’s working on a new show and Deborah is riding high on the heels of her special.

This season comes packed with guest stars, including Tony Goldwyn and Christina Hendricks as luscious love interests, J. Smith-Cameron as Deborah’s estranged sister and Helen Hunt as a ruthless executive (Christopher Lloyd is in there somewhere, too, complete with large bird).

Last month, we attended a chat with “Hacks” creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky, and stars Smart and Einbinder, and have a few nuggets to share about the new season, including:

Deborah and Ava haven’t spoken in a while …

Deborah was being “altruistic” when she canned Ava at the end of Season 2, according to Smart, and didn’t, uh, talk to her for a while. “I think it was good that they were both off enjoying their lives and accomplishing things that they wanted to accomplish. And I’m sure thinking about each other, but thinking — I mean, I had an excuse to say, ‘Oh well, it’d be better for her if I don’t call her,’” Smart said.

… But they do get back together, of course

“Ava’s life, obviously, when we first see her, it’s incredibly together,” Einbinder revealed. “She’s got a live-in girlfriend. She’s on her way to being really high up at this new cool show she’s writing on. But I just think there’s, like, always that little missing piece without Deborah for her.”

Thankfully, our leading ladies are joining forces once more and busting each others’ chops like old times. “I love the way they got back together, because it just felt completely right, just this kind of fake politeness for five minutes and then they start to insult each other,” Smart said.

Despite the ribbing, there is deep love there. “Now they’ve both reached these new incredible heights of their careers and yet they realize they still need each other. Deborah needs Ava to push her. Ava needs Deborah because there is a spark that she doesn’t get from anyone else,” Statsky said. “And so for us, that point of where they separated was always very intentional, because we wanted them to go off in their separate ways to realize what they were missing in each other.”

Deborah is going after her talk-show dream

Downs said the showrunners knew they wanted Deborah and Ava to be on top when we come back to the season, but they’re both underdogs. “They’re better when — it’s a dog with a bone that really wants something,” he said. “And so we knew that having that be their mission for the season — which is the biggest mission of all — was going to be something that would really drive them for all the episodes.”

Everyone was terrified of Helen Hunt

Oscar winner Hunt is one of many juicy guest stars this season, and had quite the effect on cast and crew. “She out-Deborahs Deborah. She really does. I think Deborah is even scared of her,” Smart revealed.

“She’s such a nice person, so warm,” Downs said, “but she’s terrifying as Winnie Wendell, as this network executive. She’s really — she was scary.”

Aniello agreed: “And I’m afraid if any execs are gonna say is this based on me and I’m like, absolutely not. I don’t know anybody that scary, actually, thank God.”

Everyone was obsessed with guest star Carrot Top

“That’s a king right there,” Einbinder gushed.

“He is,” Downs agreed. “Carrot Top is amazing.”

“He is an influence for many comedians. His prop work, his tech work, his lighting work: a lot of comics maybe don’t know that he is an influence for them, but I think he got really roasted in the ‘80s by a lot of mainstream guys who were not giving it up for him being alternative. And I want to just say, put some respect on Carrot Top’s name right now,” Einbinder continued.

Don’t worry: there will be lots more Jimmy and Kayla

Downs and rising star comedian Megan Stalter — who plays buck-wild assistant Kayla — are being promoted to the main cast this season, and get their own arcs and adventures (including one involving Lloyd and the aforementioned feathered friend), allowing them, Downs said, to “try new things” … and even giving Jimmy new perspective on his oft-vexing assistant. “This also gives Meg Salter and myself the opportunity to stretch ourselves as performers. Meg is so great this season because you get to see her … both be laugh-out-loud funny as you’re used to, but also she’s vulnerable and she’s emotional and she gets hurt, and it’s really fun to, I think, see the characters play.”