HBO Max 'Hacks' Season 2: 5 things you never knew about Jean Smart

'Hacks' starring Jean Smart has received a total of 15 Emmy nominations
UPDATED MAY 8, 2022
Jean Smart in 'Hacks' Season 2 (HBO Max)
Jean Smart in 'Hacks' Season 2 (HBO Max)

'Hacks', the critically acclaimed and Emmy award-winning series, is coming back with a new season. Created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W Downs, and Jen Statsky, Season 1 of the show premiered on May 13, 2021, on HBO Max. Starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder, the comedy-drama centers on the professional relationship between a young comedy writer and a legendary stand-up comedienne.

In June 2021, the series was renewed for a second season and is now set to premiere on May 12, 2022. The show has received a total of 15 Emmy nominations including acting nominations for Einbinder and Smart.

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Jean Smart as Deborah 

Jean Elizabeth Smart began her career in regional theater in the Pacific Northwest. She was later cast in a leading role on the CBS sitcom 'Designing Women'(1986-1991). She is a 1969 graduate of Ballard High School in Seattle; it was there that she gained an interest in acting in the drama program. She graduated from the University of Washington Professional Actors Training Program with a BFA.

Smart has appeared in 'The Brady Bunch Movie' (1995), 'Sweet Home Alabama' (2002), 'Garden State' (2004), 'I Heart Huckabees' (2004), 'Youth in Revolt' (2009), 'The Accountant' (2016), and 'A Simple Favor' (2018). Smart was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for the 2000 Broadway revival of 'The Man Who Came to Dinner', and she received two Primetime Emmy Awards for her role as Lana Gardner on the NBC sitcom 'Frasier' (2000–2001). She won a third Emmy Award for her supporting role as Regina Newley on the ABC sitcom 'Samantha Who?' (2007–09). 'Hacks' won her the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and the first Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Television Series Musical or Comedy.



 

Hannah Einbinder as Ava

Hannah Einbinder is a comedian, actress, and writer who became popular with her role in the HBO Max series 'Hacks', for which she was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2021. She has also been nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2022.

Einbinder is the daughter of comedy writer Chad Einbinder and original Saturday Night Live cast member Laraine Newman. In 2019, Einbinder appeared in the Just for Laughs festival's New Faces showcase and was named by National Public Radio as one of the 10 standout comedians to watch. She was also named one of Vulture's best new up-and-coming comedians to watch in 2019; she was recognized for "her refreshingly absurdist charm."



 

The other cast members of 'Hacks' Season 2 include Carl Clemons-Hopkins as Marcus, Kaitlin Olson as Deborah, Christopher McDonald as Marty Ghilain, Paul W Downs as Jimmy LuSaque, Mark Indelicato as Damien, and Poppy Liu as Kiki.

'Hacks' Season 2 is set to premiere on May 12, 2022, on HBO Max.

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