This article contains spoilers for Hacks Season 5 Episode 2
Hacks continues an already strong Season 5 with “Number One Fan” on April 16. The series began its final act by stripping Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) of everything that once defined her – her image, her platform, and control of her own story. If “EGOT” sets the stage for a farewell driven by legacy and defiance, Episode 2 makes clear that reclaiming that legacy will depend not just on Deborah herself, but on the audience she has spent years both cultivating and neglecting.
Episode 2 opens in New York with Deborah, Ava (Hannah Einbinder), Jimmy (Paul W. Downs), Kayla (Meg Stalter), and Damien (Mark Indelicato) attempting to secure Madison Square Garden. Last week, Deborah set her sights on a comeback show at the Garden once her contract ends, positioning it as both a return to form and a statement against ComStar’s restrictions.
The meeting with MSG booker Amanda makes it clear that this will not be easy. She counters that announcing a show before securing the venue is not how things work; had Deborah come to her first, she would have been told she is not right for the Garden. Amanda suggests Radio City or Webster Hall instead, citing Deborah’s lack of touring in recent years and limited social media presence. Deborah may see herself as an institution, but the industry no longer treats her as one.
Deborah insists she will sell out, even offering to cover the rental costs, but Amanda stresses it is not about the money. The Garden sits at the centre of the cultural conversation and carries the weight of New York’s history. Ava, hilariously, points out that a live true crime podcast is playing there that night. Desperate, Deborah reframes the event as historic rather than stand-up. She will take down Bob Lipka, challenge his censorship, and speak truth to power. Amanda declines. The setback stings, though the episode makes clear this was never going to be easy.
From there, “Number One Fan” pivots to Deborah’s next move. She gathers her Little Debbies at an autograph convention on Ava’s birthday, promising affection while angling to mobilise a grassroots push for Madison Square Garden. What begins as a comic power play deepens into something more pointed, as the episode balances a critique of parasocial relationships with a genuine appreciation for fandom.
The writing excels in the convention sequence, where the Debbies air their grievances one by one. Fans believe Deborah has gone too Hollywood, particularly given that she has not issued Deborah’s Do’s and Don’ts in two years. They spiral further: she left QVC; they miss Marcus (Carl Clemons-Hopkins); Damien never sends locks of her hair; she did not endorse a political candidate, so one fan did not vote, and now her children will not speak to her. Each complaint grows more absurd than the last, a deft escalation that reflects a culture in which fans build their lives around figures who do not owe them every moment of their lives.
Yet “Number One Fan” refuses to settle for satire alone. When a fan presents Deborah with a piece of homemade art – poorly executed but earnest – Smart plays the moment with remarkable restraint. Deborah calls it beautiful, but the lie is evident. Learning that the fan’s mother has died since it was made cracks the façade, and Deborah steps outside, shaken.
The arrival of Ann O’Dowd, adorned in blue face paint with antennae, is perfectly timed. Their exchange is one of the episode’s finest. Deborah admits the art is ugly but recognises the time and care that went into it. O’Dowd argues that fans love doing this. They support you, so you show up for them. Deborah confesses she has not shown up and, worse, that she came to exploit them because she needs their help.
O’Dowd insists she tell them what she needs. The relationship may be transactional, but it matters because they believe it does. While O’Dowd’s Guest Emmy chances are slim – Cherry Jones and Leslie Bibb will likely battle it out for the win with Episode 7 – it’s a welcome cameo that showcases how precisely the Hacks casting team nails its guest appearances.
Deborah’s return to the convention pays off on that emotional groundwork. She admits the Garden will not book her because she is not big enough, and that she came to rally them despite neglecting them. The fans shift from disillusionment to outrage, insisting MSG would be lucky to have her. If the Debbies get her to the Garden, she promises to meet them halfway with cut-price tickets and revived fan perks. While Deborah may have lost ComStar’s backing, her audience remains fiercely and unpredictably loyal.
Given Schaefer & LuSaque’s financial and client struggles, Jimmy and Kayla need any good news they can get. Renee O’Connor, star of Xena: Warrior Princess, appears at the convention, leaving Jimmy starstruck. After lining up for an autograph and photo, he asks if she has ever considered a rewatch podcast, noting how popular they are. He convinces her there is an audience for it, and later, she offers herself as a client. It is a lighter subplot, but one that reinforces the season’s broader focus on the instability surrounding Deborah’s team.
While Hacks remains consistent in its knack for showcasing Smart and Einbinder, Season 5 leans into their dynamic as the show’s heart. Whereas previous seasons often placed the pair in an adversarial position, this season highlights their affection as the finale approaches. Deborah and Ava return to a surprise party for Ava’s birthday, filled with friends, family, and even Jesse McCartney performing a long-held teenage fantasy. Once the guests leave, Ava questions Deborah’s motivations, recalling that in Singapore Deborah mocked the idea that she was Ava’s only friend. Ava suspects that guilt prompted the party, but Deborah insists Ava deserves to be celebrated.
The conversation that follows is one of the episode’s most revealing. Deborah admits she once relied on her fans as substitutes for real friendship, but meeting Ava changed that. She no longer needed them in the same way. Ava counters that it makes sense – she is Deborah’s number one fan, a line that neatly ties into the episode’s themes.
Hacks takes on fandom culture and wins as the Little Debbies offer Amanda no peace. Amanda remains adamant that it is not a good idea to give Deborah a show at Madison Square Garden, but eventually relents. The catch is that September 11 is the only available date, so Deborah gets what she wants, but at a potential cost.
“Number One Fan” closes as a sharp, funny, and unexpectedly tender mediation on what it means to need an audience – and what happens when that audience needs you back.
