The Exciting Announcement
After a long wait, Hacks season 3 finally has a release window. The comedy starring Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder has been a success story for Max, netting dozens of awards nominations and wins across its two seasons. While the Hacks season 2 ending offered some closure for the characters, it also set up a few intriguing possibilities for another season. Luckily, Max renewed Hacks for season 3 just a couple of weeks after the finale aired in June 2022.
Now, Max has revealed, via the official Hacks Instagram account, that Hacks season 3 will debut in Spring 2024. The caption reads: 'Steppin’ on out. Hacks returns this spring on Max.' The image accompanying the announcement doesn't reveal any additional details about season 3, but it is a fun tease, with shoes belonging to Smart's Deborah and Einbinder's Ava in view.
Instagram article posted by hacks
The Hacks Season 3 Delay Explained
There was almost exactly a year between Hacks' first two seasons, with the season 1 premiere released on May 13, 2021. Meanwhile, the season 2 premiere came on May 12, 2022. Since the show was renewed for season 3 so soon after the season 2 finale, it seemed to be on track to maintain that yearly release schedule.
Hacks began filming season 3 in late 2022, furthering the likelihood the new episodes would drop as quickly as prior seasons. However, in February 2023, production paused temporarily as Smart recovered from a heart procedure. It resumed again in March 2023, but after only a couple more months, the show halted work again, this time for the WGA strike in May.
As Hollywood's actors joined the writers in striking, Hacks season 3 remained on a production pause. While Hacks is joined by plenty of other shows that faced delays due to the strike, there aren't as many that will have such a long wait between seasons. For example, many network shows are already back with new seasons or will be at around the same time Hacks season 3 begins. The difference is that most of those shows were last on the air in Spring 2023, making the wait between seasons a lot shorter. Hacks simply got unlucky with its production schedule and when the strikes hit.
Considering the delay, it will be satisfying to see what Deborah and Ava are up to once Hacks season 3 finally debuts this spring.