Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder to Perform 'Hacks' Characters Live on Stage for One Night Only
Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder will step out of the HBO Max screen and onto a Hollywood stage — in character as their 'Hacks' roles — for the first time outside the series.
The one-night-only event, titled 'Deborah Vance & Friends & Enemies Live!', is set for the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. on a Friday, with a one-hour program starting around 7:30 p.m. Attendees are served drinks, pizza, soft pretzels and popcorn beforehand. The event is already sold out, Variety reports.
The timing is no accident. The show is pegged to the start of Emmy Phase 2 voting — the round where Television Academy members cast their final ballots on this year's nominees. 'Hacks' closed its fifth and final season with 24 Emmy nominations, the most ever for a single comedy season. The previous record of 23 was held first by 'The Bear' and then by 'The Studio' Variety.
'Hacks' is also the reigning outstanding comedy series winner, having taken the top prize in 2025. This year, it is nominated again in that category, along with a sweep across acting, writing and directing fields. Hannah Einbinder and Megan Stalter are up for supporting actress in a comedy series, Paul W. Downs for supporting actor, and Christopher McDonald for guest actor. Five performers — Leslie Bibb, Cherry Jones, Laurie Metcalf, Kaitlin Olson and Lauren Weedman — landed guest actress nominations. Series creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky are nominated for outstanding writing, and Aniello is nominated for directing the finale Variety.
Jean Smart's nomination carries its own piece of history. A fifth consecutive lead comedy actress Emmy win would complete a sweep across the entire run of 'Hacks' — something no woman has achieved in the acting categories. It would also be Smart's eighth career Emmy, tying her with Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Cloris Leachman for the second most acting Emmys won by a female performer Variety.
The live stage event follows an emotional farewell. At a series finale advance screening in Los Angeles in May, Smart and Einbinder shared a tearful goodbye to the show that brought them together Gold Derby.
For fans who secured a ticket, the Fonda Theatre offers something the streaming screen never could: Deborah Vance in the room, live, with enemies in the title and pizza in the lobby.
