SO7 Episode 06: Screen Bitches – Why We Love Hacks

There could be no greater gift to Screen Bitches than finding the HBO-Max series Hacks, starring Jean Smart. We brought together three of our most dedicated Old Bitch streamers – Malaga Baldi (literary agent), Aruna Rao (women’s rights thinker and consultant), and Debbie Zimmerman (head of Women Make Movies and world-recognized expert on women and media) – to explore what is so powerful and ground-breaking about 69-year old Jean Smart’s mesmerizing portrayal of an aging comedian (think Joan Rivers) whose Las Vegas career is stalling.  In pairing Smart with a young comedian – played by Hannah Einbender – who is sent to freshen up Smart’s material, we see the way women of different generations confront and embody the sexism and ageism of the entertainment world. As Megan Garber wrote in The Atlantic, this is a genre-defying series, part psychodrama, part satire, sometimes an intergenerational character study and other times a classic workplace comedy. We all agreed that Emmy-winning Smart offers a “Smart-a-licious” portrayal of aging. As Debbie noted, “for God's sake, how often do you see a woman in her sixties get laid on television?” You can see Hacks on HBO-Max. It’s a subscription service, so you’ll have to pay. You can watch the first episode for free on YouTube. And, as you listen to the podcast, you’ll hear excerpts of Smart’s biting and self-effacing humor throughout. Let us know if you’ve seen movies, streaming series, podcasts or other media that you think offer unique representations of gutsy, defiant older women. Write us at [email protected] and maybe you, too, can be a Screen Bitch!