Third time could be the Emmy charm for Hannah Einbinder (‘Hacks’)
HBO Max’s “Hacks” returned at the top of its game, with season three of the acclaimed comedy series being touted as the show’s best entry yet. Jean Smart still shines as the legendary standup comedian Deborah Vance, who is enjoying an unexpected surgein her career. Meanwhile, her protege, Hannah Einbinder‘s Ava, is still trying to make a name for herself.
Smart has always been the MVP of the show for obvious reasons but Einbinder’s performance in this third outing is undeniable. She matches the might of her co-star step for step and emerges as a force of her own. Critics agree, this is Einbinder’s best work yet.
David Mack (Slate) noted: “Critical to this humor is Einbinder, whose dry and deadpan delivery style is even more charming this season now that her character is no longer wallowing in her own cynicism. She’s never been funnier.”
Alison Herman (Variety) observed: “Einbinder comes into her own as Deborah’s righteous, yet perpetually bumbling, foil. With ‘Hacks’ a returning champion and Ava herself more confident and established, the two leads feel on more equal footing than ever.”
Taylor Gates (Collider) explained: “Einbinder has always been excellent, but it’s clear that she — along with Ava — has become more confident and self-assured with experience. She, too, gives a great performance throughout, though she shines particularly bright in the premiere and the finale episodes when Ava comes into her own in a way we haven’t seen before, finding her voice and going toe-to-toe with her mentor. I kid you not when I say that the finale is reminiscent of ‘Succession’ at its best, and that’s massively due to Einbinder’s masterful performance.”
Einbinder is on track to reap another Emmy bid for Best Comedy Supporting Actress alongside Meryl Streep (“Only Murders in the Building”), Sheryl Lee Ralph (“Abbott Elementary”), Abby Elliot (“The Bear”), Janelle James (“Abbott Elementary”), and Liza Colon-Zayas (“The Bear”).
It’s no surprise that Einbinder is in hot contention here — Emmy voters like her in this role. She contended for both season one in 2021 and season two in 2022. It seems a sure thing that Emmy voters will nominate her for a third time for a show, character, and performance they clearly love.
Emmy voters like nominating the same performer for the same show multiple times. Alex Borstein (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live”), Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso”), Betty Gilpin (“GLOW”), and Anna Chlumsky (“Veep”) all earned multiple bids (at least three) for their respective shows. Once you’re in, you’re in. And Einbinder could join this crowd.
Einbinder makes one half of a terrific duo in “Hacks.” Both she and Smart were nominated for both of the first two seasons and we think they’ll each make it three for three. Emmy voters like recognizing these type of double acts, with one in lead and one in supporting. Borstein (supporting) and Rachel Brosnahan (lead) were both nominated together multiple times for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” Chlumsky (supporting) and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss (leading) did the same for “Veep” while Ralph (supporting) and Quinta Brunson (leading) accomplished this with “Abbott Elementary.”
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