Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder are comedy gold in this HBO series that follows the aging career of stand-up comedian Deborah Vance (Smart) and her new writer Ava (Einbender) as they try to reinvigorate Deborah’s career after she loses her Las Vegas residency.
Whip smart and with genuine humor, this dynamic duo has a love/hate relationship. They can’t stand each other most of the time, but they also know they’re better together. Ava is pushing Deborah to create new material, to talk about her past that has been both exaggerated and vilified by audiences over her career.
Starting over at 60 isn’t easy, and while Deborah has all the wealth and possessions she could ever need, she’s lacking when it comes to human connection. She is prickly and a little bit hard to love, but beneath the thorns lies a true, human heart that is searching for love and acceptance just like the rest of us. This series is seriously a must-watch! (18 26- to 35-min. episodes)
—Anna Starkey
This article appears in Aug 18-25, 2022.
