“Hacks” Season 3 Will Make You Miss “The Other Two.”

How do you describe the feeling you get when you revisit something you love and realize it’s not as great as you thought? Is it disappointment, frustration, reverse nostalgia?

Whatever you want to call it, it’s my opinion Hacks Season 3.

This season, the Emmy-winning comedy starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder falls into boring routine. Sure, on a superficial level there’s certainly something bigger going on: veteran comedian Deborah Vance (Smart) and young comedy writer Ava Daniels (Einbinder) are reuniting to try to make Deborah the next host of Late at nightthe landmark shows them nearly host at the beginning of her career. But beneath the spectacle – including a lavish roast sequence and Hacks‘ version of a Christmas special – the show’s comedy runs in safe, repetitive circles.

Watch out Hacks Season 3, it’s hard not to wish it was more similar The other twoanother Max original that satirized the entertainment industry. The other two has constantly pushed itself to be riskier and weirder – embrace it as surreal Pleasantville Parody or farce featuring fake Applebees built for a family night. Ava and Deborah are similarly designed to push each other to be better by making each other’s jokes sharper and stronger. But if it is held against it The other twois the brilliant third (and final) season, HacksHis third outing just doesn’t seem as fun. It feels safe for the most part.

Is Hacks past its prime?

Since HacksIn the first season I found her hysterical. I enjoyed Deborah and Ava’s intergenerational argument, especially their loving language as they insulted each other. (Deborah frequently takes aim at Ava’s hands, while Ava berates Deborah for her absurd wealth.) But as I watch the entire third season – and even rewatch old episodes – I wonder if Smart’s star power and chemistry with Einbinder are me blinded you to the truth: Hacks It was never so fun, it was amazing.

Looking back, neither Deborah’s insult comedy is particularly inspired, nor do the excerpts from her confessional stand-up special – which essentially rebooted her career – seem all that revealing. There’s definitely some laugh-out-loud stuff here, like a gag where Deborah tries to find a way around Ava’s new rule of “no more insults about appearance.” But after all the repetition, this humor is starting to feel stale.

Elsewhere, Ava’s horror at Deborah’s more problematic punchlines has become a crutch. The offensive jokes lead to a mini-speech from Ava, then a sharp about-face from Deborah, forcing Ava to admit she’s a hypocrite – or compromise to advance her career. How often can Hacks Repeat this formula for laughs without changing it? Practically non-stop, according to season 3.

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The same goes for the interactions between Deborah and Ava’s frantic manager Jimmy (Paul W. Downs) and his clueless assistant Kayla (Meg Stalter). Kayla often puts her foot in her mouth – like saying she thinks Jimmy’s mom is hot – and then the people around her stop to respond to her statement. With this routine, every dynamic comes to a halt, every joke is scrutinized until it is no longer a joke. Even a well-timed reaction shot would do twice as much work as these longer pieces.

With his lengthy belittlement of Kayla’s many mistakes or Deborah’s politically incorrect jibes, Hacks constantly apologizes for himself. For all the fuss about bold humor, the show holds the audience’s hand and lets them know that a character has said something wrong, rather than leaving the audience to make that judgment for themselves and react to the absurdity within. Instead of honing a joke, these moments soften it.

In contrast, The other two has often focused even more on his jokes and the heightened horrors of his view of the entertainment industry. So you end up with a fake piece with the title 8 gay men with AIDS: A poem in many hours. This is an impressive piece of satire The other two succeeds spectacularly precisely because it commits to it, with an entire episode spanning a day-long run of the show.

Hacks It is certainly not necessary to make such special efforts. But I wish it would find a new joke that could give it the same spark, specificity and freshness The other two held throughout the run. Otherwise, it’s just resting on its now-worn laurels.

Deborah and Ava are still a great TV couple – just especially when things get serious.

Hacks still has a big spark of inspiration up its sleeve. Deborah and Ava’s relationship remains as strangely messy, interdependent and compelling as ever. This season sees this pairing experience some of their highest highs and lowest lows ever, starting from the chase Late at night to a hike from hell. And when they’re not hurling insults at each other, which feels routine at this point, these two women are having some pretty intense, candid conversations.

Take Deborah’s constant struggle with her age. On the surface, that means she uses things like anti-aging straws to stay wrinkle-free. But on a deeper level, that means looking for bigger and bigger shows Late at night, as she fears she won’t have many shots left. Her discussions with Ava on this topic are poignant, relieving Ava’s weaker personal relationship drama and allowing the two to further discuss how to succeed in comedy.

Season three’s focus on family is also poignant, as Deborah tries to make amends with people like her daughter DJ (Kaitlin Olson). Elsewhere, Hacks tackles cancel culture in an episode that might not be complete While the analysis of the matter is successful, it at least takes some interesting risks when it comes to Deborah’s comedic legacy. It’s fascinating to watch Deborah squirm when she has to face her mistakes. And it’s fascinating to watch Ava’s usual lectures Strictly speaking take on more meaning than just preparing an “Ava is performative” joke.

Hacks has never distanced itself from heavier, more dramatic themes. Much of the series deals with sexism in comedy. In Season 1, Deborah confronts a nasty stand-up comedian about harassing female performers. Elsewhere, the series addresses grief: Ava spends much of the second season grieving the death of her father the previous season, while Deborah is still processing her lost relationship with her estranged sister Kathy. Despite all that, Season 3 is the first time I’ve thought to myself, “Like.” Hacks better if it works like a drama.”

Of course, comedy and drama don’t always work on a binary basis: The bear comes to mind, and even The other two could get very dark when necessary. But Hacks is a comedy about comedians – is it too much to ask for it to deliver some laughs?

Hacks Season 3 premieres May 2 on Max, with new episodes every Thursday.