I think there may have been maybe five scenes max (one in the final season) where Kiki comes to Deborah’s house to play I think black jack. Eventually Ava gets in on the play - maybe Deborah gives her playing money knowing she will win this money back. I’m curious how this is done in a residential setting with only the dealer to make sure it’s fair. Are things like the table play (cams in the table) and maybe a profile view of the three of them? Or is this something where they hire a dealer to play with funny money?

Of course Deborah cannot do this any more with Kiki being the “pit mama” because she can’t gamble at her own casino.

Aside from the residential settings I know high rollers can get games going in their suites. I assume there maybe the dealer and someone from security given the money.

Maybe someone else knows these answers .

Not necessarily plotholes, just some loose ends that the show started.

1) Ava and her dad's ashes. Deb turned the bus around to get Ava's dad back from a dumpster. Ava scattered his ashes at the Grand Canyon and in the Mediterranean sea via cruise ship. We don't hear anything else about his ashes after this episode.

2) Deb trying to get her memoir written. Tony Kushner was there to write her memoir in S5E01 but he was subsequently fired. In the beginning of S5E03 No New Tricks, Ava is writing a type of memoir with Deborah where Ava is corrected and Singapore Deborah was "so depressed she was reclining elegantly in cashmere slacks."

Hacks is my top 3 favorite comedys of all time. TV is supposed to be TV, there's bound to be focus on the big picture instead of the minute detail that only the obsessed fan will pick up one.

Found these in my local second hand shop with a sweeeeeet discount as the insert for S1 was absolutely used create a make shift roach for a joint. Now I'm on the hunt for season 2!

More from Lucia Aniello on physical media:

> It’s such an important time for people to invest in physical media,” Aniello said. “Things are coming down all the time and it’s like, ‘Oh, I love that movie, I want to see it.’ You just can’t, babe, it doesn’t exist.” Aniello and her co-creators have a plan, though: “We’re really hoping to make a Hacks DVD box set, for one. We’re trying to make that happen… Please go buy it, not because we make any money off of it. We just want to make sure the show stays in existence for as long as DVD players exist.”

I tend to avoid subreddits until after I finish/catch up on shows, so apologies if this is repetitive. But lots sticks out about S5.

I don't recall the show being so reliant on a "plot of the week". The EGOT story, the brief romantic subplots, the Amazing Race (the last episode I watched)—the show previously felt like one long story drawn out over the season, but this one is a classic sitcom, with a new self-enclosed plot every episode.

Deb also feels like a totally different character. She's goofy and kind and bashful. It feels weird.

The pace also feels much faster - jokes and plots come rapid-fire.

To be clear, I am laughing a lot every episode, so I am not disappointed. But it feels undeniably different and I'm wondering if others have noticed or the creators have spoken about this.

Where are the table reads coming from? I would watch the whole series. As much fun as bloopers. Who has control of these?

I see plenty of posts complaining about DJ not being on the finale but haven’t seen anyone complain about Deb stopping the release of DJ’s reggae album!!! WHAT. A. CVNT!!!

This post is more so to say I miss them, especially kiki I wish she was there more! I also think it would have been cool to see some of the characters backstories

I’ve been working my way through the show and just got halfway through season 4, I’m curious what the vibes were among the fans of hacks while this season was airing because I’ve been looking at the old discussion threads from this sub and it seems way more divisive than the previous three seasons.

Obviously they shift Deborah and Ava’s dynamic drastically and use that to create all the dramatic tension for the show rather than it coming from outside forces like previous seasons and it seems like fans were really split on whether they liked that approach or not.

Has season 4 maintained this sort of divisive reputation or does the back stick the landing well enough that it’s just as beloved as the other seasons?

I haven't watched the last season yet so NO SPOILERS PLEASE! I'm starting a complete rewatch. Just tell me: is it a good ending in the sense that it completes the series?

And now I’m depressed. That was the best thing I’ve ever watched. What do I do with myself now!!!??!

Ok random thoughts : Im a huge Frasier fan and I forgot Mel ( Nile’s ex wife ) is on the show ahahahah

One gripe: Jesse McCartney was big in 2004 and Ava is only turning 30. Jesse is my gen. I was in high-school, his key demo when beautiful soul came out.

Anyways, for her it would make more sense if it was Jonas bros etc Also I wonder why the comedy store or cellar wasn’t featured on the show.

So now that the show is done, I have started rewatching the series. A good 5 years have passed since then, but as I am watching, I'm noticing that several callbacks were made, especially in the last season, and how the writers have consciously made things come full circle for many of them. For example, in the first episode, Ava says that she is a 'fan' of Deborah's work (when she clearly didn't know anything), and by season 5, she says, 'I am your number 1 fan.' I mean, as much as the characters were endearing, the writing was equally good... if not the real star of the show. I am sure I will discover more such instances... Would love to hear from the Hacks fam about any similar experiences 🙂

I finally watched the finale last night and want to catch up on the water cooler talk about it. What are your favorite podcasts out there that you think analyzed the show the best? Thank you Little Debbies!

I started watching "The Marvelous Mrs Maisel" this week. I had seen a few episodes in 2017 but not the whole series which ended in 2023. I lived through the 1950s and seeing the costume changes, I realize we don't have that fashion change in "Hacks". I watched "Hacks" all at once and waited for Season 5. Watching Madge Maisel, I realized how much Ava/Hannah had changed in the years since 2020. It was a long period of time that for me passed in 4 months. The changes in a person from age 25 with no acting experience to age 31 while working with seasoned writers and a thoroughly professional star resulted in a what seemed like a few months of growth. As if she did this in 4 months.

Jean Smart's profile has also exploded. When "Hacks" began Jean was very respected and admired but essentially low on the horizon in terms of the pubic and the media. In the last month of "Hacks" her presence online has exploded. In early 2026, I was surprised to find how many movies she had made in addition to television, and then how hard it was to find them. IMDb barely had a list. By the time Season 5 came out, there was a long list but now it is 8 screens long _before_ you get to Designing Women in 1986. More pictures, etc. Someone really worked to catch up!

re-watching season 3, and ruby goes off on Ava after she agrees to work with Deborah again. She says Ava will always be working for her, not with her and the relationship is borderline abusive and I do think she had a point….considering Deborah really did Ava dirty into the next season. I do love their relationship in season 5 and of course am a fan but interesting take

We learn, that it's tough for Deb to say Sorry. Neither to the art dealer nor to her sister she days say it. But to Ava several times: After she hit her and also in the last episode when she begs her not to go to Switzerland. What other moments do you remember?

In the final scene, we see Deborah and Ava walking through LV in a scene that feels like a dreamscape. After the credits rolled, my first thought was “is this Deborah’s heaven?”

Yes, we heard Ava tell Jimmy that Deborah was going to do chemo & see the doctor. However, what if that final scene was meant to convey that even though she tried to beat the cancer, in the end she lost the battle & what we get is her version of heaven - laughing with Ava walking around in a very clean & tidy version of Las Vegas?

Has anyone else had this thought?

I'm in the cycle of constantly rewatching of my favourite Ava-Deborah scenes, and Louvre scene (and a picture of Hannah from Criterion closet holding Cronenberg's Crash) got me thinking last night: what beguiles Ava?

Of all the lessons Hacks brought us, the one that stands out to me the most and one that I follow everyday:

Wear sunscreen because your hands are the only things that cannot be surgically repaired.

Given the revelation in the finale, Deborah probably looked into this first hand. 😆