9 Shows Like Hacks to Watch Next

Hacks just keeps getting better. The showbiz dramedy follows Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), a legendary stand-up diva whose reliable Vegas act has gone stale, and her odd-couple partnership with Ava (Hannah Einbinder), the young and self-centered comedy writer tasked with reviving Deborah's material. Naturally, the two butt heads, even after they realize they've actually come to rely on each other, and the series tracks the ups and downs of their working relationship as they navigate the indignities of the industry together.

If you're looking for more shows like Hacks, we've put together a list of TV comedies (and dramedies) that focus on aging women, the entertainment industry, and odd-couple dynamics.

Before Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello created Hacks, they helped give the world Broad City, Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson's freewheeling sitcom about two best friends trying to make it New York. If you want to see where Hacks' comedic style evolved from, Broad City, in all of its deep weirdness, is the best place to start. Although the tones are very different, both shows pay sincere attention to making you care so much about their central duo that they feel comparable just for that. Downs and Aniello were writers, directors, and executive producers on the series, and Downs also played Abbi's fitness-obsessed boss Trey. -Allison Picurro

Stream on Hulu and Paramount+

For another show about a woman doing somewhat dated stand-up comedy (I joke!), check out The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. The series follows Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan), a 1950s housewife who, after being pushed to the brink by her pathetic husband, finds herself airing out her grievances on stage in front of an audience. And, to her surprise, they actually find her pretty funny! The series follows Midge's various ups and downs as she works to establish herself as a successful comedian during an era when female comedians weren't taken seriously. A lot of the show's best jokes come from the misunderstandings and hiccups of Midge's relationship with her surly manager, Susie (Alex Borstein), which is sure to remind Hacks fans of the banter between Deborah and Ava. -Allison Picurro

Stream on Prime Video

If Hacks is our best showbiz comedy in recent memory, The Other Two is a close second. Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider's satire centers on Cary (Drew Tarver) and Brooke (Heléne Yorke) Dubek, the flailing and forgotten older siblings of a Justin Bieber-esque teen pop star, who is suddenly thrust into the spotlight. Across its three seasons, the series teeters on the brink of insanity as Cary and Brooke struggle to carve out their own careers as they're repeatedly overshadowed by their brother, their mother (played by Molly Shannon), and the other desperate vultures floating around the edges of the industry. It's funny, it's surreal, it's unexpectedly heartfelt, it has Ken Marino giving a powerhouse performance as a pathetic talent manager. What else could you ask for? -Allison Picurro

Stream on Max

The Righteous Gemstones might be the only other show on TV right now that has as many jokes per minute as Hacks. Danny McBride's comedy follows a world famous family of televangelists whose opulent lives are constantly being threatened by outside forces. Charleston is Gemstones' answer to Las Vegas, which is made to look gloriously gaudy under the family's ostentatious wealth. The big, broad comedy and elaborate costumes are enough to earn it a deserving comparison to Hacks, but the two series are also also united by their lovably ridiculous ensembles. And like Hacks, Gemstones succeeds because of how thoughtfully it builds out its world through those dysfunctional characters. -Allison Picurro

Stream on Max

For more jokes about the generation gap, check out Only Murders in the Building. The comedy-mystery hybrid follows a trio of neighbors — an actor with one old TV hit (Steve Martin, who also created the show with John Hoffman), a washed-up Broadway director (Martin Short), and an enigmatic artist (Selena Gomez) — who start a podcast while investigating murders in their Upper West Side building. Only Murders has been described as cozy so often that it's become a cliché, but it is cozy, and it comments on the entertainment business in a way that Hacks fans should enjoy. Plus, Gomez's dynamic with longtime collaborators Martin and Short is delightful (and more familial than whatever Ava and Deborah have going on). It's inspired casting. -Kelly Connolly

Stream on Hulu

Much like Hacks, Grace and Frankie is about aging and womanhood, but what will really keep you watching is its titular odd couple. The comedy stars Jane Fonda as the uptight Grace and Lily Tomlin as the free-spirited Frankie, and it follows the duo as they end up moving in together after their husbands (played by Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston) leave them for each other. Much like Deborah at the beginning of Hacks, Grace and Frankie are forced to reinvent themselves in their 70s and learn to lean on each other through business ventures, romantic mishaps, family drama, and more. -Allison Picurro

Stream on Netflix

In another world, a young Deborah Vance could have palled around with the characters on I'm Dying Up Here. The series follows a group of comics in 1970s Los Angeles who perform regularly at a comedy club as they work toward their big break. Some are doing well for themselves while others share closet-sized apartments, and the show explores how they're all struggling in different ways. If your favorite part of Hacks is all the inside baseball comedy world stuff, you'll love I'm Dying Up Here. -Allison Picurro

Stream on Paramount+

GLOW technically doesn't move to Vegas until its third season, but the spirit of Vegas is in this show from the beginning. Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch's glittery yet bruising comedy follows a ragtag group of women in the 1980s as they become the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, taking on exaggerated characters in the ring and wrestling with personal ambitions outside it. The heart of the show is the fractured friendship between struggling actress Ruth Wilder (Alison Brie) and former soap star Debbie Eagan (Betty Gilpin, giving an electric, unmissable performance), whose trust in Ruth has been broken by a personal betrayal. Like Hacks, GLOW is a thorny exploration of the obstacles women face in show business, where ruthlessness and complicated loyalty collide. It's the kind of story Deborah Vance would feel right at home in. If Hacks has you itching for more sequins, you've got to watch GLOW. -Kelly Connolly

Stream on Netflix

Created by Lisa Kudrow and Sex and the City's Michael Patrick King, The Comeback follows the career woes of Valerie Cherish (Kudrow), a B-list '90s sitcom star who, after falling out of the spotlight for years, receives a career resurgence when she's cast on a new sitcom. Her struggles with returning to a more youthful Hollywood than the one she left behind is further complicated by the reality show cameras that Valerie has agreed to let document her every move. A scathing and prescient satire of the entertainment industry, The Comeback is the ideal post-Hacks watch. -Allison Picurro

Stream on Max