Kaitlin Olson Goes Full Clown In The ‘Hacks’ Season Five Trailer
Kaitlin Olson Goes Full Clown In The ‘Hacks’ Season Five Trailer
Keegan KellyMon, March 23, 2026 at 9:45 PM UTC
0
The story of Deborah Vance is about to enter its final chapter. Send in the clowns.
On April 9th, the 12-time Emmy-winning comedy Hacks will return to HBO for the start of its fifth and final season. At its core, the massive critical success of Hacks comes down to talent – the series about two brilliant, flawed and personally/professionally codependent comedians from very different generations blessed the TV world with the rise of Hannah Einbinder while reminding us that Jean Smart could probably run Hollywood if she really wanted to.
Hacks is also a hub for some of TV's best guest stars, including titans like Laurie Metcalf, Carol Burnett and, of course, Kaitlin Olson, whose performance as Deborah's erratic, rock-tumbling daughter Deborah Vance Jr. is the highlight of any episode any time the series is lucky enough to list her in the credits.
So when HBO released the official trailer for Hacks Season Five over the weekend, we were overjoyed to see DJ prominently featured in the action. We were also happy to see how, exactly, the jeweler intends to contribute to the comedic value of the final season, though, seeing as we're also It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia fans, we do have some questions – first of all, how did they get Dee's feet to fit into shoes that small?
Advertisement
Last season, Olson delivered a downright Emmy-worthy performance in the episode “D'Christening” – although, in proper Emmys fashion, the snooty award ceremony declined to even nominate the Always Sunny star. When last we saw DJ and her family, she had recently converted to Catholicism to match her husband's faith, a move that invoked the ire of her hilariously sacrilegious mother.
Now, however, Deborah seems to have changed her tone when it comes to the Catholic Church, since the trailer clearly shows her dancing alongside her more reverent offspring in front of stained glass. Why, exactly, are Deborah and DJ performing a clown routine in a church? Perhaps there is a religious exemption baked into Deborah's exclusive 18-month contract that, as of the Hacks Season Four finale, has hamstrung her resurrected career.
Of course, we learned later in “D'Christening” that DJ's desire to find God was also a savvy business move, as Christians are notoriously easy marks for unconventional jewelry sales. So, maybe, the upcoming church clown episode is more about DJ's professional ambitions than those of her mother, and the entire act is an elaborate sales tactic.
But whatever inspired the makers of Hacks to stick Olson and Smart in clown outfits and film them tap-dancing in a church, we're just grateful that they gave us a taste of it in the teaser.
Get more Cracked directly to your inbox. Sign up for Cracked newsletters at Cracked News Letters Signup.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
