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Yahoo
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘The Studio' and ‘Hacks' Are Two of the Best Shows Ever About Hollywood — But Are They Too Inside or PTSD-Inducing?
Hollywood seems to always take that cliché 'write what you know' to heart when it comes to producing scripts about Hollywood. I enjoy those tales, of course, but that's because my chosen profession is to report on this fascinating business. There's clearly enough money, creativity, mystery, farce, scandal, glamour and spectacle for us to cover every single day at Variety. And all of the stuff that makes for good copy also makes for entertaining TV and film plot lines. So perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that three of this year's biggest Emmy comedy contenders play in that space: 'Hacks,' 'The Studio' and 'Only Murders in the Building.' All three have quite a bit of fun with industry tropes, and come a little too close for comfort with some of its satire. And they even crash into each other: 'Hacks' creators Lucia Aniello, Jen Statsky and Paul W. Downs cameo as themselves on an episode of 'The Studio,' while Ron Howard is among this year's hot TV trends, playing himself on both 'The Studio' and 'Only Murders.' More from Variety How 'The Studio,' 'Yellowjackets,' 'Monsters' and 'White Lotus' Make Bad Behavior Appealing Emmy Voters Don't Forget: The Powerful Women of 'The Righteous Gemstones' 'Handmaid's Tale' and 'Day of the Jackal' Producers on Rewriting Literary Worlds With TV Adaptations So, we always ask, do audiences outside Hollywood get the jokes, or care? Sometimes, yes. The entertainment business as a series setting goes back to the early days of TV, as even 'I Love Lucy' had a bit of showbiz as its backdrop. Then came 'The Dick Van Dyke Show,' a TV show about the making of a TV show that won the outstanding comedy Emmy three times. HBO built an entire network partly on the premise of shows about show biz — 'The Larry Sanders Show,' 'Entourage,' 'Curb Your Enthusiasm,' 'The Comeback.' (I'm not including 'The Idol' there, for obvious reasons.) One of Netflix's best early shows was the animated 'BoJack Horseman.' But just as often, it seems like shows about the biz nail it with critics and awards, but audiences are less interested. In TV circles, we still talk about Fox's groundbreaking 1999 comedy 'Action,' about a nasty Hollywood producer played by Jay Mohr, but it was canceled after eight episodes. They added a laugh track to ABC's 'Sports Night' in a desperate attempt to make it work. NBC's '30 Rock' won three consecutive comedy Emmys and is beloved by many — yet was never a megahit. Comedy Central and HBO Max gave us three fantastic seasons of 'The Other Two,' but I'm still angry at all of you who didn't watch. I think audiences are watching 'Hacks' (especially this season as Deborah Vance tackles talk), 'The Studio' (the best biz parody in years) and 'Only Murders' (which addressed Hollywood this season) because they're just damn good. But in the industry, they're elevated because we feel a special kinship with them — and that's OK. I'm hearing from a lot of execs in the business who bristle at 'The Studio' because some of its cringe is a little too close to home. I decided to do an experiment on LinkedIn and ask other industry folk whether these shows give them PTSD. I was delighted to learn that, for the most part, it's a no, that they enjoy seeing the satire. 'It's fun for this 10-year Warner Bros. vet to get more glimpses of that classic old lot,' one exec says of 'Hacks.' Former CBS research exec Eric Steinberg says he sees 'lots of relatable moments in 'Hacks' now that the main character has her own show. It will be no surprise to you that I found the audience research episode particularly fun. And, the exteriors at TV City bring back lots of memories. PTSD? Hardly!' Communications exec Stacey Luchs adds, 'There are moments that really hit home — the kind of thing people outside the entertainment world probably wouldn't believe. Sometimes it feels like I'm in on an inside joke, and it just makes me smile.' My former (and longtime) Variety colleague Steve Gaydos perhaps says it best: 'The writers of 'Hacks' and 'The Studio' have been reading our mail. But Billy Wilder turned it into art 75 years ago with 'Sunset Boulevard.' He didn't just shoot fish in a barrel. His fish had souls, and their fates mattered — then and just as much now, on stage with music and on screens of all sizes in black and white. That's the ultimate achievement and though these current TV shows contain moments of pathos, it will take time before we can measure their memorability.' Best of Variety What's Coming to Netflix in June 2025 New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Sci-Fi Surges, FYC Crunch Pressure, and Comedy Category Shakeups Across 94 Races
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Everything We Know About ‘Hacks' Season 4 So Far
Humor and hatred of the Hacks brand will return in full force in the show's fourth season. The latest installment of the Emmy-winning Max comedy series will feature its star dynamic duo Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) and Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) fighting with each other once more. More from Deadline 'Hacks' Season 4: Jean Smart & Hannah Einbinder Want Elton John To Guest Star; Showrunner Jen Statsky On What's Coming Next 'Hacks' Renewed For Season 4 At Max After Season 3 Finale 'Hacks' Renewed For Season 5 By Max Read on for everything we know about Hacks Season 4: The comedy returns to Max April 10, 2025. Season 4 will contain 10 episodes, and their rollout is a bit unique with some episodes paired while others air solo. RELATED: RELATED: The fourth season will premiere with two episodes, then one episode a week for four weeks. Episodes seven and eight debut together on May 15, and the penultimate ninth episode airs solo on May 22. The season finale arrives on May 29. Aside from Einbinder and Smart, the Season 4 cast will include Paul W. Downs, Megan Stalter, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Mark Indelicato, Rose Abdoo, Dan Bucatinsky, Helen Hunt, Tony Goldwyn, Kaitlin Olson, Jane Adams, Lauren Weedman, Christopher McDonald, Poppy Liu, Lorenza Izzo, Johnny Sibilly, Paul Felder, Polly Draper, Luenell, and Aristotle Athari. RELATED: New guests this season will include Eric Balfour, Julianne Nicholson, Bresha Webb and Robby Hoffman. There will also be some surprising cameos as previously hinted at. Entertainment Weekly gave an exclusive first look at two appearances by none other than comedian queen Carol Burnett and late night host Jimmy Kimmel. Comedian and internet personality Jake Shane, who has a large influencer following, also revealed that he will appear in a handful of episodes of the comedy series' newest season. Still more guests include Merrill Markoe and Jasmine Ashanti. Katie Couric appeared in the penultimate episode. Hacks hails from Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky. RELATED: The series is executive produced by Downs and Aniello via their Paulilu banner, Statsky via First Thought Productions, as well as Michael Schur via Fremulon, David Miner for 3 Arts Entertainment, and Morgan Sackett. The studio is Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group. Deborah's former writer Ava (Einbinder) now runs Deborah's late night-talk show. The pair have been at odds before, but the trailer for the next installment teases new levels of tension. Yes, the Season 4 trailer arrived early in March 2025. RELATED: The series has not yet been renewed for a Season 5, but the creators have considered spinoff ideas. Deadline asked about a Kayla and Jimmy spinoff, and Statsky didn't say no. 'Demand it,' Jen Statsky told Deadline. 'We're building up the world, you know?' 'We're ready, we're ready,' chimed in Aniello. 'We have Randi the new assistant,' she says, referring to a new character played by Robby Hoffman, assistant to Kayla and Jimmy. RELATED: Best of Deadline 'Hacks' Season 4 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out? 'The Last Of Us': Differences Between HBO Series & Video Game Across Seasons 1 And 2 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery
