60 free Hacks TV Show trivia questions with answers — entertainment quiz, new questions added Aug 2026.
This Hacks TV show trivia quiz covers all five seasons of the HBO Max comedy, from Ava's fateful tweet and Deborah's Palmetto residency to the tour bus, the My Bad special and the late-night years. The easy questions cover the leads, the streaming service, the casino, Marcus, Jimmy and Kayla. Medium questions dig into the plots — the British producers' email, the dumb phone, the lesbian cruise, Weed and the ashes, the QVC sellout and the audience member who dies mid-taping. The hard and expert questions are for people who watched the credits: the road trip where the show was born, Paulilu, Universal Television, Jean Smart's Salem ancestor and Marlene Dietrich role, Hannah Einbinder's SNL mother and Colbert debut, and Megan Stalter's Ohio improv beginnings. Every answer was checked against a reference page and each question carries its citation, so the names, dates and plot points can be trusted. Difficulty is shown on every question, which makes it easy to build a round for a TV quiz night or play the whole set. When you finish, try our other comedy series quizzes.
30 of 60 questions with answers and explanations. Play the quiz
Q 01Who plays legendary Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance in Hacks?
Jean Smart
She won four Emmys for the role, in 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025.
Q 02Who plays Ava Daniels, the young comedy writer sent to work for Deborah?
Hannah Einbinder
She is the daughter of original Saturday Night Live cast member Laraine Newman.
Q 03On which streaming service did Hacks premiere in May 2021?
HBO Max
The first two episodes dropped together on May 13, 2021.
Q 04Which trio created Hacks?
Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky
They came up with the idea on a 2015 road trip after working together on Broad City.
Q 05At which fictional Las Vegas casino does Deborah hold her long-running residency?
The Palmetto
Christopher McDonald plays its CEO, Marty Ghilain.
Q 06Why is Ava unable to find work in Los Angeles at the start of Hacks?
An insensitive tweet
Her reputation for arrogance does not help either.
Q 07Who plays Marcus, the COO and later CEO of Deborah's company?
Carl Clemons-Hopkins
They were an original cast member of the Chicago company of Hamilton.
Q 08Which co-creator of Hacks also plays the manager Jimmy LuSaque Jr.?
Paul W. Downs
He was Trey the trainer on Broad City for five seasons.
Q 09Who plays Kayla, Jimmy's chaotic assistant turned co-manager?
Megan Stalter
She earned an Emmy nomination and later starred in Lena Dunham's Too Much.
Q 10Which It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star plays Deborah's daughter DJ?
Kaitlin Olson
DJ sells personal crafts and marries an MMA fighter named Aidan.
Q 11What is the name of Deborah's estate manager, played by Rose Abdoo?
Josefina
Rose Abdoo was also Gypsy the mechanic on Gilmore Girls.
Q 12What is Kiki's job at the casino?
Deborah's personal blackjack dealer
Poppy Liu plays her.
Q 13What is the profession of Wilson, Marcus's love interest?
Water inspector
Johnny Sibilly plays him.
Q 14Which Oscar winner plays network executive Winnie Landell in seasons three and four?
Q 21Because of the pandemic, how did the Hacks cast hold table reads for season one?
Over Zoom
Smart and Clemons-Hopkins did not meet in person until minutes before the pilot was shot.
Q 22Why did season three production pause in early 2023?
The star's heart procedure's heart procedure
She underwent triple bypass surgery at Cedars-Sinai after feeling discomfort on set.
Q 23Where and when did the creators of Hacks come up with the idea?
On a road trip in 2015
Helen Hunt
Christina Hendricks and Christopher Lloyd also guested in season three.
Q 15Which Scandal star plays Bob Lipka, a top executive at the conglomerate that owns Late Night?
Tony Goldwyn
He recurs from the third season through the fifth.
Q 16How many seasons of Hacks were made in total?
5
The series finale aired on May 28, 2026, after 47 episodes.
Q 17How many episodes of Hacks were made in total?
47
Season one had ten episodes and season two had eight.
Q 18Which season of Hacks finally won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series?
The third
The show was nominated in the category five years running.
Q 19How many Emmys had Deborah's actress won for the role by the end of 2025?
4
Her wins came in 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025, alongside three Golden Globes and three SAG Awards by then.
Q 20In what year did Ava's actress finally win the Supporting Comedy Actress Emmy?
2025
The win was for the show's fourth season.
Two of the three, Aniello and Downs, are romantic partners.
Q 24Which Comedy Central series had the three creators of Hacks all worked on before?
Broad City
Downs played the trainer Trey Pucker and Aniello directed the pilot.
Q 25Which studio produces Hacks?
Universal Television
Michael Schur's Fremulon and 3 Arts co-executive produce.
Q 26How old is Ava Daniels in the first season?
25
She has to leave Los Angeles for Las Vegas to take the job.
Q 27What guilty secret is Ava carrying at the start of season two?
An email exposing Deborah's behaviour to British producers
Deborah responds by suing her for violating her NDA.
Q 28What two lifestyle changes does Ava make in season two to become a better person?
Gets a dumb phone and stops drinking
She still ends up drawn to a non-monogamous couple on a lesbian cruise.
Q 29Where does Ava confess to Deborah that she sent the email?
At her psychic's in Sedona
Deborah is livid but asks her to continue the trip the next morning.
Q 30Which actress plays Weed, the cantankerous manager of Deborah's tour bus?
Laurie Metcalf
Weed accidentally throws out the remains of Ava's father.