"There Is No Line" is the

pilot episode A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distri ...

of the American comedy-drama television series ''

Hacks Hacks may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Hacks'' (1997 film), a 1997 American comedy film * ''Hacks'' (2002 film), a 2002 independent American film * '' Hacks: The Inside Story'', a book by Donna Brazile * ''Hacks'' (TV series), ...

''. It was directed by Lucia Aniello and co-written with

Paul W. Downs Paul W. Downs (born November 21, 1982) is an American actor, writer, director, and producer. He is the co-creator, co-showrunner and star of the critically-acclaimed HBO Max series '' Hacks'', for which he has received a Primetime Emmy, Golden ...

, and

Jen Statsky Jen Statsky (born November 19, 1985) is an American television writer and comedian known for her work on ''Hacks'', ''The Good Place'', ''Parks and Recreation'', and ''Broad City''. She won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Co ...

. The episode establishes the plot of the series, which centers comediennes from different generations (played by Jean Smart and

Hannah Einbinder Hannah Marie Einbinder (born May 21, 1995) is an American comedian, actress, and writer known for starring in the HBO Max series '' Hacks'', for which she received nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Golden Globe Award. Early li ...

) who are thrust into a working relationship after separate circumstances threaten their careers. The episode premiered on streaming network HBO Max on May 13, 2021 with an approximate running time of 29 minutes. "There Is No Line" received

Primetime Emmy Awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

for Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series and Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series.

Plot

Deborah Vance is an established comedienne in the twilight of her career with a residency at The Palmetto casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. She is financially successful and content with her regular Friday and Saturday night performances, as well as her frequent

QVC QVC (short for "Quality Value Convenience") is an American free-to-air television network, and flagship shopping channel specializing in televised home shopping, owned by Qurate Retail Group. Founded in 1986 by Joseph Segel in West Chester, Penn ...

sales appearances. She later panics when Marty, the Palmetto's owner, takes her to lunch to celebrate her 2,500th performance and informs her that he is moving her to midweek so that her premium dates can be given to new acts like

Pentatonix Pentatonix (abbreviated PTX) is an American a cappella group from Arlington, Texas, currently consisting of vocalists Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola, and Matt Sallee. Characterized by their pop-style arrangements ...

. Later she finds out that her ex-husband has died via television news but she is unmoved by the news. The newscaster reads copy stating that Deborah burned down his house decades ago after he left her for her sister. When her workaholic

COO COO or coo may refer to: Business * Certificate of origin, used in international trade * Chief operating officer or chief operations officer, high-ranking corporate official * Concept of operations, used in Systems Engineering Management Process ...

Marcus asks if she'd like to take the night off, she declines. Ava Daniels is a confident yet arrogant 25-year-old television writer working in Los Angeles. She's reeling from significant backlash after Tweeting a joke about a conservative congressman's gay son. She's been fired from her job and her manager, Jimmy, informs her that her only option is to go work for Deborah Vance, another client of his. With no other choice, Ava flies to Vegas to meet Deborah, who does not want to work with a writer because she has always written her own material. After Deborah dresses Ava down for not having prepared for the meeting, they trade insults and Ava leaves. However, Deborah chases after her and begins to workshop the joke that upended Ava's career. They tweak the joke until they are both satisfied and Deborah tells Ava she's hired.

Cast

Starring

* Jean Smart as Deborah Vance *

as Ava Daniels *

Carl Clemons-Hopkins Carl Clemons-Hopkins is an American actor, best known for portraying Marcus on the HBO Max comedy-drama series '' Hacks'' (2021–present). They were nominated for the 2021 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series f ...

as Marcus

Guest stars

as Jimmy *

Kaitlin Olson Kaitlin Willow Olson (born August 18, 1975) is an American actress. She began her career in The Sunday Company at the Groundlings, an improvisational theatre and school in Los Angeles, California. She had minor roles in several television series ...

as DJ *

Christopher McDonald Christopher McDonald (born February 15, 1955) is an American film, television, theatre and voice actor. McDonald is best known for playing the villainous professional golfer Shooter McGavin in the 1996 comedy ''Happy Gilmore''. Other notable ...

as Marty *

Megan Stalter Megan Stalter (born September 15, 1990)Zinoman, Jason''The New York Times'' 29 Mar. 2020. is an American comedian and actress. In her videos, Stalter specializes in desperate, deluded characters who are prone to theatricality, frequent mispronunci ...

as Kayla * Rose Abdoo as Josefina *

Mark Indelicato Mark Indelicato (born July 16, 1994) is an American actor, singer, fashion blogger, and photographer best known for his role in the ABC comedy series '' Ugly Betty'', as Justin Suarez, the fashion-obsessed nephew of series protagonist Bett ...

as Damien * Ally Maki as Taylor

Production

"There Is No Line" was written by show creators Lucia Aniello,

, and

, and directed by Aniello. The creators conceived of the idea for ''Hacks'' during a road trip to Portland in 2016. In an interview for Collider, Aniello said that the show aims to highlight the work of women trailblazers in comedy whose contributions have been minimized or who have experienced mistreatment by the media. It was shot in Los Angeles with some exterior shots on-location in Las Vegas. The episode was released on HBO Max on May 13, 2021.

Critical reception

The episode received positive reception. Jean Smart and

were each hailed for their acting.

Glen Weldon Glen Weldon is an American writer, cultural critic, and podcaster. He has written for publications such as ''The Washington Post'', ''The New York Times'', '' Slate'', ''The Atlantic'', and ''McSweeney's''. Weldon currently writes for the NPR Arts ...

wrote for '' NPR'' of Smart's performance, "I don't know if the role of Deborah Vance was written for Smart, but she certainly makes it seem like it was. Moments that could be played for unkind laughs...are instead played for their humanity and vulnerability. As a result, the payoffs prove infinitely more satisfying." Einbinder also received praise from Kristen Baldwin of '' EW'': "Einbinder, an L.A.-based stand-up comic tackling her first leading role, is immensely appealing as Ava. With her precision timing and bored California drawl, the actress brings such compelling confidence to her entitled, condescending character that it's all the more effective when Ava finally begins to face some hard truths about herself."

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
"There Is No Line"
��Full pilot script on '' Deadline Hollywood'' {{EmmyAward ComedyWriting 2021 American television episodes American television series premieres Emmy Award-winning episodes Hacks (TV series)