\u201cPart of our original pitch for the show was the very last scene,\u201d Lucia Aniello\u2014one of Hacks<\/em>\u2019s three showrunners, alongside Jen Statsky and Aniello\u2019s husband, Downs (who co-stars as beleaguered talent agent Jimmy)\u2014tells me via Zoom. \u201cWe knew how the season would end and how the show would end if we were so lucky as to get to imagine it how we wanted. It\u2019s very full-circle, and there\u2019s a lot of mirroring and callbacks and things. Hopefully people will find it as satisfying to watch as it was to write.\u201d<\/p>\n Jean Smart and Lauren Weedman (as Jo Pezzimenti) in Season 5 of Hacks<\/em><\/p>\n <\/span>Photo: Courtesy of HBO Max<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Delightful as it is to catch up with the show\u2019s myriad side characters, like Las Vegas Mayor Jo Pezzimenti (Lauren Weedman), Ava\u2019s unhinged yet supportive mom Nina (Jane Adams), and Randi (Robby Hoffman<\/a>), the weirdly confident talent assistant, the heartbeat of Hacks<\/em> is still Deborah and Ava\u2014and, per Aniello, Einbinder and Smart are in top form in Season 5.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re better than they’ve ever been,\u201d she says. \u201cAfter five seasons of playing these characters, it\u2019s such a lived-in performance, but they still find ways to be surprising and do things that we don\u2019t expect from Deborah and Ava.\u201d<\/p>\n Below, enjoy an exclusive peek at some of Season 5\u2019s most exciting moments. We can\u2019t wait to tune in.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Image](\"https:\/\/assets.vogue.com\/photos\/69bd84dd44072f9b2655e0f7\/master\/w_1600%2Cc_limit\/Jean%2520Smart%25203.jpg\"\/)
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