Episodic Reactions: Hacks Season Two, Week Four
A satisfying end to a shortened second season
Of all the episode counts for a season, eight is maybe the weirdest. Whereas six has a long history in the U.K., and ten has long been standard for premium cable, eight doesn’t have as much of a history. It means that the balance between episodic and seasonal storytelling is inherently less settled: whereas you know there’s a need for efficiency with six, and ten opens up clear possibilities, what to do with eight is more enigmatic.
Hacks’ second season only having eight episodes is probably some combination of the creative goals of the season, production logistics, and potentially even budget depending on how much HBO Max values the Emmy wins and nominations it will be racking up. And on the creative side, I would argue that for the central arc of the season, eight episodes ended up feeling just right. It created enough room for a couple of side quests—the cruise in Episode 4, the Girls Night in Episode 6—but mostly focused its energy on getting Deborah f…