While Hacks primarily focuses on the love-hate relationship between Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), there's another complicated relationship going on in the background. Fans have latched on to the complicated back-and-forth between Deborah and Ava's manager, Jimmy (Paul W. Downs), and his assistant-turned-business partner, Kayla (Megan Stalter). Downs and Stalter recently talked to Variety about their characters, and if they could ever embark on a romance.
Stalter is aware that, much like Deborah and Ava, Hacks fans "ship" her with Jimmy: "There have been a lot of romantic fan edits of them. People are really romanticizing. Their bond is so strong. I mean, I don't see them as a couple, but I understand why their relationship is so romantic." She's dubious that they'll end up together on the show: "I don't think they'll be a couple, but that would be so funny next season, we open up they're on in the same apartment." Downs, who also created the series with Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky, adds, "Only time will tell. Or they're in Santorini putting suntan lotion on each other." Stalter does have an idea for a future plotline, however: "I really, really want Kayla to be pregnant. She doesn't really know who the father is. It's not Jimmy, but Jimmy steps up as the father." She also implores fans to "keep the fan edits coming."
Who Are Jimmy and Kayla on 'Hacks'? Close
Jimmy is the long-suffering talent manager for both fading comedy queen Deborah Vance and recently canceled comedy writer Ava Daniels. He puts the events of the show into motion when he pushes the two together, suggesting that Deborah freshen up her act by hiring the otherwise-unemployable Ava to write for her. Helping (or hindering) him is his assistant Kayla, whose incompetence and frequent flights of fancy would get her fired anywhere else, but not at their agency, Latitude, which is owned by her father (Brent Sexton and later W. Earl Brown). In the second season, Latitude fires Jimmy, and Kayla goes with him in solidarity; the third season sees them form their own agency, which retains Deborah and Ava as clients. We also eventually learn that Jimmy's mother is, incongruously, long-running Days of Our Lives star Deidre Hall, who cameos in Season 3.
While the end of Hacks' fourth season leaves Deborah and Ava in a strange place, with Deborah having walked away from her dream job as a late-night host after Ava's firing as head writer. But they'll be back, with Jimmy and Kayla in tow, for a fifth season; the series has been renewed, making it Max's longest-running comedy.
The first four seasons of Hacks are now streaming on HBO Max; a fifth season is in the works. Stay tuned to Collider for future updates.
Your Rating close 10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Rate Now 0/10 Like Follow Followed Hacks TV-MA Comedy Drama 9 10 8.0/10 Release Date May 13, 2021 Network HBO Max, Max Showrunner Lucia Aniello Cast See All Jean Smart Deborah Vance Hannah Einbinder Ava Where to watch Close WHERE TO WATCH Streaming BUY
Directors Desiree Akhavan Writers Pat Regan, Ariel Karlin, Carol Leifer, Joe Mande, Guy Branum, Andrew Law, Samantha Riley Creator(s) Jen Statsky, Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs Powered by Expand Collapse
Source: Variety