I have to admit I was a latecomer to Hacks, the multi-award-winning comedy-drama that stars Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder as a world-famous stand-up comedian and her assistant / aspiring comedy writer, respectively. Within the first few episodes, I could immediately tell why it had won so many awards: the writing is sharp, the delivery of jokes is even better, and there’s a healthy dose of character development that has you both rooting for (and against) the pair throughout.
Considering a lot of Hacks’’ three-season (and almost fourth) success – including earning a spot on our list of the best Max shows – is down to the writing, I thought I’d check out some other shows from the team behind the camera while I eagerly await the new season.
Fortunately, I didn’t have to look too hard, as my partner already knew of The Other Two, which lists Paul W. Downs – one of the main writers and stars of Hacks – as a screenwriter. Paul is also heavily involved in another excellent sitcom Broad City, a sitcom I had previously heard of, and subsequently binged (which also deserves your attention).
I hadn’t come across The Other Two at all, but given Downs was a part of the team, I figured I a sleeper hit on my hands. And boy was I right.
A familiar story, ripe for satire
The Other Two is pure satire through and through. It follows the lives of aspiring gay actor Cary and his sister Brooke in the wake of their teenage brother Chase’s overnight rise to fame through social media. Chase’s meteoric rise to internet stardom is immediately a storyline many of us will understand. Every man and his dog now has a podcast, TikTok account or a jam-packed Instagram feed, with many hoping to achieve global notoriety (and freebies from companies and brands).
Due to the ubiquitous nature of social media and how quickly someone can become a viral influencer, it’s apparent that Cary and Brooke are, deep down, jealous of Chase’s overnight success. Despite working hard, they never seem to be able to catch their big break.
On the side, they have their loving and doting mother (played by Molly Shannon) who, at first, struggles to split her time between her adult children and making sure 13-year-old Chase is safe in ‘the industry’. That is, before she uses Chase’s fame to catapult herself to the title of the most famous woman in the world.
The whole story arc across the three seasons (10 episodes per season, all around 30 minutes each) is easy to follow. There’s no “wait, who’s that again?” going on here. This allows the jokes to take center stage, and man are there a ton of jokes in this show. Take a look at the trailer for the first season below.
Dumb can be clever
I love dumb humor, and it’s littered throughout The Other Two. So many of the jokes are akin to your typical dad joke, but they’re not just random words thrown together in the hope they’ll get a laugh (something I personally find industry heavyweight Will Ferrell guilty of). Instead, they’re far more intelligent and so cleverly written. Throughout the entire show I found myself saying to my partner, “I wonder how many rewrites that one joke had” because I could just tell that specific words or references were chosen for distinct reasons. The result is one of the funniest shows I’ve ever seen.
Pin-sharp comedic timing
Of course, good writing is only as good as the cast delivering the lines and I think the casting here is absolutely perfect. Heléne York and Drew Tarver, who play Brooke and Cary Dubek are totally believable as brother and sister, with an instantly likeable nature. Although, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say my partner and I did find ourselves struggling to side with Cary’s in the final season. He’s a narcissistic character, but the narcissism levels are dialled up to 11, which did become a little grating.
Molly Shannon is an excellent mom to her kids, taking on the role of ‘most famous woman in the world’ like a duck to water. Ken Marino, who has an endless list of TV and film acting credits, plays Chase’s manager and I can only liken him to a golden retriever. He has oodles of love to give, but can be so hilariously dim-witted that you’re always excited to see him on-screen.
Wanda Sykes and Richard Kind also have recurring roles in the series and given their comedic backgrounds, you just know they’re going to deliver some knockout jokes. There’s a whole host of guest stars throughout the show’s run, including “Marvel’s Simu Liu” (how he’s referred to in the show) as Molly Shannon’s boyfriend in season three.
A true weekend watch
To top it all off – and as I’ve already alluded to – it’s such an easy TV show to binge-watch, with three seasons comprising 10, roughly 30-minute episodes. That’s approximately 15 hours all up — meaning you could feasibly watch the entirety of it in one weekend. I did, and I have no doubt I’ll do it all again in the future.
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For more Max-based recommendations, read our guide on all of the new Max movies to arrive this month. Alternatively, see what the best Max movies are or get the lowdown on how much a Max subscription costs.
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