Jean Smart returns to her comedic roots in new Hacks trailer for HBO Max

Jean Smart, the actress probably best known for her five-season stint as Charlene Frazier in the hit comedy series Designing Women, is getting back into the comedy game in the trailer for her upcoming HBO Max series, Hacks.

The dark comedy finds Smart’s Deborah Vance, a legendary comedian with a Las Vegas residency, struggling to stay relevant as she is beginning to be passed over in favor of more youthful acts.

Hannah Einbinder plays Ava, an up-and-coming writer who is tasked with working for Deborah to develop new material. An unlikely mentorship is formed as both women come to terms with where they are at in their lives.

You can view the trailer for Hacks below:

The series is comprised of ten episodes that will be released two at a time every Thursday, starting May 13 and concluding on June 10. Additional cast members include Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Kaitlin Olson, Christopher McDonald, Mark Indelicato, and Poppy Liu. The series was created by Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky; all three will also serve as show runners.

Smart was most recently seen in the HBO drama Watchmen, where she played the famous original comics character Laurie Blake, and the Kate Winslet-led Mare of Easttown where she’s currently playing Mare’s mother, Helen. Aside from her voice work on Big Mouth, this marks Smart’s first comedic role since her supporting turn as Katherine Miller in Bravo’s Girlfriends Guide to Divorce back in 2016.

Going by the looks of the trailer, this appears to be a strong entry for Smart during award season, showing off both her comedic talents as well as an underlying seriousness about fighting ageism in the entertainment industry. Einbinder’s Ava seems like the perfect foil for Smart’s Deborah and we can’t wait to see these two ladies light up the Vegas strip in Hacks.

Are you glad to see Jean Smart returning to a comedic role? Let us know in the comments section below.