Hacks Just Caused A Minor Upset At The Emmys, And We're Not Mad At It

This just in, many "Ted Lasso" fans just lost money in their Emmy award pools. Though most predictions were forecasting a sweep for the much loved AppleTV+ series, the Lasso award train was derailed by none other than Jean Smart. And honestly, who could possibly be upset about that?

That's right, one of the biggest surprises out of the Emmys came from "Hacks," the HBO Max comedy starring Smart and Hannah Einbinder. Best Writing in a Comedy Series and Best Direction for a Comedy Series felt like a lock for the Jason Sudekis-led soccer show, but, as it turns out, he can't win them all. Best Direction is especially surprising, given the Lasso submitted episodes included the emotionally devastating season 1 finale, "The Hope That Kills You." The final moments of the season are likely seared into the mind of all who endured it, but evidently, that was no match for the "Hacks" pilot, "There is No Line (Pilot)."

Not only did "Hacks" walk away with these two awards, it quickly followed up with a big win for its star, Jean Smart, who won Best Actress in a Comedy Series for her performance as legendary standup comic, Deborah Vance.

Clearly, the main takeaway from these categories is that we should all be watching "Hacks” — we're obviously missing out. As if Jean Smart isn't a big enough selling point, it's got writing and direction to rival one of the year's most beloved comedy shows. Even before these wins, the show was getting plenty of love across the board. And, I really can't reiterate this enough, it has Jean Smart!

"Ted Lasso" fans, fear not. The show has an insane 20 nominations tonight and has already made its mark on the performing categories, including a win for Jason Sudekis as Best Actor in a Comedy Series. But enough about "Ted Lasso," let's give some more love to "Hacks!"

If the show's many wins tonight isn't enough to convince you (and if somehow Jean Smart's presence isn't all you need to get on board), here's what you need to know about "Hacks."

The half-hour comedy series tells the story of a legendary Las Vegas stand-up comedian, Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), and a down-on-her-luck twenty-something-year-old writer recently "canceled" for a controversial tweet. Against her better judgment, Deborah is impressed by young Ava's (Hannah Einbinder) comedic stylings and decides to hire her. The show mines some comedy from the generational conflict between the two, but the characters always take center stage. Watching them clash — unbeknownst to all that unites them — is one of the show's greatest joys. The synopsis for the series is below:

"Hacks" explores a dark mentorship that forms between Deborah Vance, a legendary Las Vegas comedian, and an entitled, outcast 25-year-old.