Hacks Season 3 Teases Finally Paying Off 1 Huge Deborah Storyline After 3 Years

Summary Deborah and Ava reunite at a comedy festival, sparking a new late-night hosting gig for Deborah.

Deborah's bitter past with her sister Kathy resurfaces, hinting at a potential reconciliation.

Season 3 drops hints about bringing Kathy back into the story, setting up a possible emotional payoff.

Warning: This article contains spoilers for Hacks season 3.

Hacks season 3 has set up its story arc for Deborah Vance, and it could see a familiar face from her complicated past finally returning to the show to bury the hatchet. In its two-episode premiere, Hacks season 3 brought Deborah and her favorite collaborator, Ava Daniels, back together when they bumped into each other at the Just for Laughs Comedy Festival and rekindled their friendship. When Deborah’s guest spot on a late-night show turned into a guest hosting gig, she called in Ava to help write the show.

Deborah ended up killing in her late-night hosting debut, finally fulfilling her lifelong dream to be a late-night host. When the full-time host, Danny Collins, called her to thank her for taking over the show, he insinuated that he’d be stepping down from the show when his contract was up. Deborah immediately set her sights on succeeding Danny as the host and called Ava down to Vegas to start working on that plan. This late-night hosting storyline could reconcile one of Deborah’s longest-standing rivalries.

Hacks Season 3's Late-Night Show Storyline Hints At Deborah Finally Reconciling With Kathy

Image via Max

When Ava first met Deborah in Hacks season 1, she was bitter and disillusioned. The show gradually revealed how she ended up that way: she came really close to achieving her dream of hosting a late-night show, which would’ve made her the first ever female late-night host, but the show was canceled at the last minute. The failure of her initial late-night hosting gig was tied in with the end of her marriage. Deborah’s husband left her for her own sister, Kathy, who she’s resented ever since.

Deborah’s husband accused her of burning down his house out of spite, and since no one believed her pleas of innocence, she ended up incorporating the story into her act. Ever since the messy fallout of her marriage and the dissolution of her dream, Deborah has been bitter and jaded (and hating her sister was a big part of that). Now that Deborah’s dream is back on track and she’s about to finally host her own late-night show, it might be time to bury the hatchet and make amends with Kathy.

Hacks Season 3 Already Made Several Callbacks To Deborah's Sister In Episodes 1 & 2

Image via Max

In just its first two episodes, season 3 has already dropped a few hints about bringing Kathy back into the Hacks cast. When she was offered a late-night hosting gig and had to confront her past, Deborah’s resentment of her sister came bubbling back to the surface. The writing team behind Hacks is so sharp and razor-focused that they wouldn’t just throw out these hints without having a payoff planned.