‘Hacks’: Jean Smart Is a Struggling Comedian on the Road Back to Relevancy in HBO Max Series

Jean Smart plays a legendary Las Vegas comedian who hires a young comedy writer in an attempt to resuscitate her career in Hacks, a new series coming to HBO Max next month.

In the new trailer for the show, Smart plays Deborah Vance, a comedy legend who loses her Vegas residency to singing group Pentatonix. Despite a legacy as an influential female comic, the wealthy Vance is reduced to appearing at promotional appearances and ribbon cuttings to stay relevant. Enter a struggling 25-year-old writer (Hannah Einbinder) who is hired by Vance to freshen up her routine.

Hacks also stars Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Kaitlin Olson, Christopher McDonald, and Paul W. Downs, the latter of whom created the series with Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky.

The 10-episode first season will premiere May 13th with two episodes on HBO Max; the streaming service will add two episodes each Thursday for four more weeks, with the season finales set for June 10th.

Hacks marks Smart’s third prominent role on an HBO series in as many years: After appearing in the award-winning Watchmen, the actress can currently be seen as the mother of Kate Winslet’s title character in Mare of Easttown.