OnWriting: A Podcast of the WGA East

Episode 61: Jen Statsky, "Hacks"


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Host Geri Cole is joined by Jen Statsky—co-creator and showrunner of the HBO Max series HACKS—to talk about the show's journey from an idea on a road trip to a hit series, why writing about people's flaws can bring out the best in a character, and the challenges of writing a comedy series about writing comedy.

Jen Statsky is a TV writer and comedian who cut her comedy-writing teeth on Twitter. Her posts were popular, and she eventually found herself with enough of a following that, in 2011, the account helped her land her first TV writing job at LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON. Since then, she has written for a number of hit comedies, including BROAD CITY, THE GOOD PLACE, and PARKS & RECREATION (all while maintaining her Twitter account, of course).

She currently serves as the showrunner of the comedy-drama series HACKS. The series, which Statsky co-created with Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs, follows legendary stand-up comic Deborah Vance (played by Jean Smart) as she works to maintain relevancy through a reluctant partnership with struggling millennial comedy writer Ava.

The show premiered in May 2021, and was recently renewed for a second season. It's available to stream on HBO Max.

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Before it was a podcast, OnWriting was a print publication. Check out OnWriting: The Print Archives.

Read shownotes, transcripts, and other member interviews: www.onwriting.org/

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OnWriting: A Podcast of the WGA EastBy Writers Guild of America East

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