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“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
Credit score: Prime Video/YouTube
Since its premiere in 2021, HBO Max’s comedy Hacks has earned near-universal acclaim, an Emmy for Finest Comedy Collection, and a military of followers. The present follows legendary (learn: “older”) stand-up comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Good) as she reluctantly groups up with younger, disgraced comedy author Ava (Hannah Einbinder) in a determined bid to revive her profession.
Hacks has maintained its sharp writing and nice performances over 4 seasons—a uncommon TV trait. HBO confirmed {that a} fifth season is on the way in which, however no launch date has been introduced, so Hacks followers should placed on their ready footwear. Within the meantime, listed below are 5 exhibits that may assist fill the Hacks-shaped gap in your viewing schedule and your coronary heart.
Broad Metropolis (2014-2019)
When you solely watch one present when you watch for Hacks, make it Broad Metropolis. The 2 exhibits share comedy DNA: Hacks show-runner and co-creator Paul W. Downs was a author and govt producer on Broad Metropolis; Hacks co-creator Jen Statsky was a author and producer on Broad Metropolis, and Hack’s third co-creator, Lucia Aniello, served as govt producer, author, and director on the sooner sequence. It isn’t simply the creatives behind the scenes: Each Hacks and Broad Metropolis concentrate on the experiences and relationships of feminine lead characters, but when Hacks is about surviving in showbiz, Broad Metropolis is about surviving your 20s, with an analogous mix of messy friendships, self-discovery, and sharp observations. You may stream Broad Metropolis on Hulu, Paramount+, Roku, Disney+, and Prime Video.
The Studio (2025-present)
Seth Rogen-created comedy The Studio and Hacks could stream from competing platforms, however they happen in the identical fictional universe. The Hacks crew makes a cameo on a Studio episode set on the Golden Globes, and Rogen seems as himself on Deborah’s late-night present on Hacks. It is like that point George Jetson visited The Flintstones, however with extra passive-aggression and fewer dinosaurs who wash dishes. Past the shared fictional universe, each exhibits supply an of-the-moment, meta tackle the leisure business and have characters navigating the uneven waters of the distinctive personalities and practices of the enterprise of present. You may stream The Studio on Apple TV+.
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017-2023)
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is a non secular prequel to Hacks. Rachel Brosnahan performs Miriam “Midge” Maisel, a comic book on the come-up in early Sixties New York. Whereas the timeline would not work out for it to really be Deborah’s backstory, the parallels are clear: Each ladies are whip-smart performers combating for relevance in a male-dominated comedy world. Maisel captures the identical spirit of a girl combating to make it within the male-dominated world of comedy. Maisel’s stylized tackle the leisure enterprise contextualizes the world Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels reside in. It’s additionally an usually painful reminder of how little has modified. You may stream Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Prime Video.
What do you assume thus far?
Completely Fabulous (1992-1995)
Early 90s British cult-sensation Completely Fabulous options a sooner tempo and broader humor than Hacks, however the relationship between trend P.R. maven Edina and her no-nonsense daughter Saffron mirrors the push and pull between Deborah and Ava in Hacks. Each Ab Fab and Hacks discover the challenges of getting older in industries obsessive about youth, and each characteristic brash ladies combating towards irrelevance. Simply do not count on any sentimental heart-to-heart talks on the extra biting Completely Fabulous. You may watch Completely Fabulous on Peacock, BritBox, Hulu, Prime Video, and Disney+.
Barry (2018-2023)
When you like Hacks‘ darkish tackle the leisure business, why not go even darker with HBO’s Barry? Barry’s title character, performed by Invoice Hader, is a superb hitman who turns into a horrible actor with the assistance of a washed-up performing coach performed by Henry Winkler. Like Hacks, Barry revolves across the collision between ambition and self-delusion, framed via the connection between a struggling artist and an older mentor. Like Hacks, Barry excels at discovering humor within the usually brutal realities of making an attempt to make it in leisure—although Barry takes that darkness to significantly extra excessive locations. You may stream Barry on HBO Max.
