Hacks remains one of the best shows on the 2025 TV schedule, thanks in large part to the talent of its leads, Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder. Through four seasons now we’ve watched Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels love each other, hate each other, need each other and learn from each other, and if the chemistry between the actresses is this palpable on our screens, what must it be like for the actors around them? Dan Bucatinsky spoke with CinemaBlend about his experience on Season 4 and how he bonded with Smart and Einbinder.
The two leads aside, Hacks is also known for having an exceptional supporting cast, and that’s included Dan Bucatinsky since Season 3. The actor has seen an increased role this season (currently streaming with a Max subscription) as Rob, the executive producer of Late Night with Deborah Vance, and he told CinemaBlend’s Nick Venable he had “such a fantastic” time getting to know Hannah Einbinder and Jean Smart. He said:
It’s going to sound like I’m blowing smoke, but it’s really warranted. I had a really lovely, lovely time on this show. I found Jean and Hannah to be inspiring. They became friends. Who we were to each other and together off-camera, when we were working together over the course of the eight episodes that I worked on, was so rewarding. Hannah and I became extremely close. She’s like a surrogate daughter, but at the same time, she was like my spiritual advisor. I have a daughter in her 20s, and Hannah was like, ‘Let me just tell you…’ She became the person who gave me all kinds of great parenting advice, as did Jean.
Having such strong relationships form between the actors on set sounds like a dream, and not only did Dan Bucatinsky form a father/daughter relationship of sorts with Hannah Einbinder, but the actor connected with Jean Smart because they had children the same age. Bucatinsky continued:
Jean and I both have 17-year-old sons. We had all these intersecting circles that allowed us to really enjoy each other as people. Also, Jean Smart, I mean, when you talk about No. 1 on the call sheet. This is just a thing in Hollywood, like, how are you going to lead as No. 1 on the call sheet? Because everybody follows suit, and you know, it’s a chicken and egg thing. Sometimes it’s the culture of the creators of the show, and in this case, [Jen Statsky] and [Lucia Aniello] and [Paul W. Downs] are fabulous and collaborative. But Jean is a wonderful, grateful, humble, hilarious person who always wants to put people at ease, including every time we were taping Late Night with Deborah Vance.
You always hear that No. 1 on the call sheet sets the tone of the production, and Jean Smart’s “wonderful” attitude toward her colleagues apparently included even those literally in the background. Bucatinsky said:
We had audiences of background artists who were playing the audience of her show. And every single time she would come out, and she’d be like, ‘Guys, I know. This is long. My feet are killing me.’ She just always wanted to make herself and make them feel like we’re all part of the team, and that’s how Jean made me feel. So I loved working with them.
Dan Bucatinsky has been acting, producing and writing television since the ‘90s, so he’s no doubt seen it all when it comes to dealing with people in Hollywood. The fact that he ranks working with Jean Smart up there with Kerry Washington on Scandal (Bucatinsky won an Emmy on the drama for his role as James Novak) is high praise indeed. Whether or not they know it, he said, they’re leading by example.
Jean Smart has won three Emmy Awards and two Golden Globes for the role, but Hacks wouldn’t be what it is without Hannah Einbinder bringing not only her generation’s POV but also buckets of love for her co-star, said Bucatinsky:
By the way, the other piece of the puzzle is that you’ve got two female leads, and there’s an intergenerational mentorship going on there. Like, there were ways in which Hannah — just like she was to me, because I’m old enough to be her dad — she was a mentor to Jean, and Jean was a mentor to Hannah, and they love each other so much. They were so supportive of each other, and this season, they’re not so supportive of each other.
While Season 4 has continued to bring its witty writing, industry commentary and more that make it one of the best shows on Max, some fans have complained about Deborah and Ava’s relationship being so volatile. That’s apparently not just an issue for the audience, though, Dan Bucatinsky said, because he saw the actresses struggle with it too:
I mean, this season, they really came after each other, and in a way that was, I could see, really hard to do, given how they really feel about each other. So it was kind of lovely to watch them work. I feel like they were both at the top of their game. And then also be so supportive of each other off-camera.
As a fan of Hacks, I think it’s pretty wonderful to hear how close Dan Bucatinsky has gotten to Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder and that the love we (sometimes) see between the characters on the screen translates to the actors in real life. Tune in for Hacks Season 4 finale at 9 p.m. ET Thursday, May 29, on Max.
