Sky Sets ‘Hacks’ Final Season UK Premiere For April

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‘Hacks’ is returning to UK screens this April, with Sky confirming the award-winning comedy will be back for its fifth and final season. The multi-Emmy-winning series, which has built a huge following on both sides of the Atlantic thanks to its sharp writing and superb performances, will launch exclusively on Sky and streaming service NOW in the UK.

The comedy-drama has become one of the standout TV success stories of recent years, mixing biting industry satire with a surprisingly emotional story about ambition, reinvention, ageing, and the deeply complicated relationship between two women who can barely stand each other half the time. That central dynamic between veteran stand-up Deborah Vance and younger comedy writer Ava has always been the engine of the show, and it looks like the final season is throwing them straight back into the thick of it.

This time around, Deborah and Ava return to Las Vegas following mistaken and rather unfortunate reports that Deborah has died. It is not exactly the sort of legacy planning most comedians hope for, but it does leave Deborah more determined than ever to take control of how she is remembered. For Ava, that likely means being dragged back into Deborah’s orbit once again, with all the professional friction, emotional damage, and razor-sharp back-and-forth that comes with it.

Jean Smart (Mare of Easttown) returns as Deborah Vance, in a role which has become one of the defining performances of the show, while Hannah Einbinder (Julia) is back as Ava. Their chemistry has been a huge part of what has made ‘Hacks’ so successful, balancing comedy and cruelty with just enough vulnerability underneath to stop it ever feeling one-note. Also returning for the new season are Paul W. Downs (Broad City), Megan Stalter (Too Much), Carl Clemons-Hopkins (Candyman), Mark Indelicato (Ugly Betty), and Rose Abdoo (Gilmore Girls).

The final season will also feature a strong line-up of guest stars, including Robby Hoffman (Verified Stand-Up), Tony Goldwyn (Scandal), Kaitlin Olson (High Potential), Christopher McDonald (Hacks), Jane Adams (Twin Peaks), Lauren Weedman (Looking), Poppy Liu (Dead Ringers), Johnny Sibilly (Hacks), Luenell (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm), Angela E. Gibbs (On My Block), and Caitlin Reilly (Loot). Joining them for the season are Christopher Briney (The Summer I Turned Pretty), Leslie Bibb (Palm Royale), Cherry Jones (The Handmaid’s Tale), and Ann Dowd (The Handmaid’s Tale).

Created and showrun by Paul W. Downs (Broad City), Lucia Aniello (Broad City), and Jen Statsky (The Good Place), ‘Hacks’ has earned huge praise throughout its run for managing to be both savagely funny and surprisingly heartfelt. What could easily have been a straightforward showbiz comedy has instead turned into something much richer, digging into questions about creative relevance, female success, generational tension, and the personal cost of staying on top in entertainment.

That is probably part of why the show has resonated so strongly. Deborah is not just a washed-up comic trying to claw back relevance, and Ava is not just the young upstart there to modernise her. The series has always been much more interested in the uncomfortable overlap between the two, showing how each woman frustrates, challenges, and reshapes the other. Even when they are at their most vicious, there is usually something a bit sad, revealing, or weirdly affectionate bubbling underneath.

Heading into a final season, that gives ‘Hacks’ a lot to play with. Deborah’s legacy has always been one of the show’s key themes, but now it is right at the centre of the story. With the setting shifting back to Las Vegas and Deborah more focused than ever on what she leaves behind, there is plenty of room for the series to reflect on where she has been, what Ava means to her, and whether either of them can actually move forward without dragging the other along too.

It also feels like the right point to bring the show to a close. ‘Hacks’ has been remarkably consistent across its run, and ending with a fifth season gives it the chance to finish on its own terms rather than hanging around past its best, which is something Deborah Vance herself would probably have some very strong opinions about.

For UK viewers, the final run lands just a day after the US launch, so there will not be too long a wait to see how Deborah and Ava’s story wraps up. Given the show’s track record, expect more blistering insults, more emotional collateral damage, and probably at least one moment where you feel bad for laughing before immediately laughing again.

‘Hacks’ Season 5 premieres Friday, 17th April 2026 on Sky and NOW.

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