Hacks Season 4 Just Fixed One Of My Biggest Deborah & Ava Concerns After Season 3’s Ending

WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for Hacks season 4, episodes 1 & 2.

I’m relieved that Hacks season 4, episode 2, ended up fixing what I was concerned would be a season-long problem with the Emmy-winning comedy series. Deborah and Ava are back with a vengeance for each other, of all people, after their cutthroat power moves in the Hacks season 3 finale. This tension brilliantly carries over into the premiere episode of Hacks season 4 as Deborah and Ava exit a network meeting room with very different – and very uncomfortable – professional and personal dynamics.

Deborah and Ava have surely had their ups and downs throughout the first three seasons of Hacks but they have never been at full-blown odds with each other as they are at the start of Hacks season 4. I have a feeling that Ava’s indignant blackmailing move will teach Deborah a lesson about relationships while also giving Ava a reality check about how difficult it is to be a head writer of a late-night network show. Ultimately, with both of the Hacks season 4 premiere episodes set in LA, I’m looking forward to Deborah and Ava returning to Vegas in episode 3.

Hacks Would Feel Incomplete Without Returning To Las Vegas In Season 4

Vegas Is Essentially A Character In All Previous Seasons Of Hacks

Hacks, and Deborah Vance for that matter, go hand in hand with Las Vegas. Even when Deborah and Ava hit the road for Deborah’s stand-up tour in Hacks season 2, they (mostly Deborah) still carried a larger-than-life Vegas energy with them. If Hacks season had remained in LA or elsewhere the entire time, the series would have lost a key part of what makes it great and iconic. Vegas has become a character itself in the show, so it’s great that they’ll be going back, even if it’s just for a writer’s retreat.

It will be interesting to watch Deborah, who lives for the live applause and attention of the crowd, adjust to a smaller studio setting for her late-night show. She’ll need to rely on Ava’s constant feedback, especially given that the late-night audiences are still cued by signs and producers on when to laugh and applaud. I can totally see Deborah returning to her safe space in Vegas to check on the quality of her material in front of a live crowd later in the season. Deborah may just discover that she doesn’t really want to live out the reality of her childhood dream.

Hacks Season 4’s Las Vegas Return Keeps Some Beloved Original Characters In The Show

Episode 3 In Vegas Could Feature Fan-Favorites Like Kiki, Marty & DJ

Bringing Hacks back to Vegas in season 4 also makes it more likely for some series favorite supporting characters to return, particularly Poppy Liu’s Kiki and Christopher McDonald’s Marty. Hopefully, Kaitlin Olson’s DJ Vance, Deborah’s neglected daughter, will make an appearance as well since she is always funny. The Vegas scene could bring about more surprise guest cameos as well, particularly after the Emmy-winning success of Hacks season 3. Deborah may continue to try pushing Ava out of the picture now that she’s back on her home turf in Hacks season 4, episode 3.