One of HBO Max’s best shows is back and better than ever. The highly anticipated fifth and final season of Hacks debuted this week to rave reviews and a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. Following the Season 4 finale, Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance is back at rock bottom, declared dead by the tabloids and her reputation trashed, facing claims that she “killed late night TV.” The Season 5 trailer shows Deborah reassembling her team, including Hannah Einbinder’s Ava Daniels, to claw her way back to the top. I didn’t anticipate an Amazing Race crossover to be part of that comeback, but apparently the writers had it planned all along.
The Emmy-winning HBO comedy will release new episodes Thursday nights in the 2026 TV schedule, and Hacks creators Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky revealed to Variety that Episode 5, titled “D’Amazing Race,” will feature a crossover with the popular CBS reality show. While this may seem like a random plotline, it’s a dream come true for Amazing Race super-fan Aniello, who says this idea was years in the making:
