Suggests: Crafting Complex Characters with the Creators of HBO's HACKS

Join creators and showrunners Jen Statsky and Lucia Aniello to discuss their Emmy and Golden Globe winning television show, Hacks, and how they approach writing compelling characters who often find themselves in moral gray areas.

Hacks is the story of Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), a legendary grande dame of stand-up comedy whose long-running Las Vegas residency is threatened by a new vanguard of live performers, and Ava (Hannah Einbinder), a twenty-something television writer whose only hope of surviving cancellation is a gig modernizing Deborah’s material. Theirs is a fraught but kinetic partnership masterminded by Jimmy (Paul W. Downs). The highly anticipated third season of the show airs on Max in May 2024.

“What makes Hacks season 3 the biggest yet is how effectively the story raises the stakes from the previous seasons. If audiences think that Deborah has run out of stories, the newest installment will prove them wrong in a heartbeat. These characters feel more real than ever as their stars reach heights they never thought possible.” - Mary Kassel, Screen Rant

Jen and Lucia focus on comedies that bring authentic female experiences to the forefront. Their credits include Broad City, Time Traveling Bong, Nora From Queens, and The Baby-Sitters Club (Aniello) and The Good Place, Parks and Rec and Lady Dynamite (Statsky).

For this Spotlight Event, Lucia and Jen will discuss how they approach character development, making secondary characters shine, depicting the climate crisis through comedy, and portraying generational dynamics.

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