“Your sexuality isn’t a choice, but whether or not you examine it is.” This piece of wisdom is the cornerstone of the latest and queerest season of Hacks, imparted by Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), the series’ disgraced young comedy writer and bisexual Gen Z queen.
When Hacks debuted in 2021, it never positioned itself as exclusively gay. Its intentions weren’t to appeal only to LGBTQ+ audiences. Instead, it aligned itself as a cleverly written take on women in comedy, subtly weaving in queer storylines as Ava decamped to Las Vegas to work with legendary comic Deborah Vance (Jean Smart). Still, it truly made my gay heart flutter. Although its first instalment introduced Ava’s sexuality outright – with Deborah bluntly asking her, “are you a lesbian?” – it was never explicitly portrayed beyond that, apart from the endless yearning for her ex-girlfriend. Instead, Ava engaged in one-night stands with men, making me wonder if the show would ever go gayer. To my delight, it has.
