Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance heads on tour in ‘Hacks’ season two trailer

A full-length trailer for Hacks season two has been released – you can watch it below.

Jean Smart plays Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance in the HBO series, which follows her dynamic with young comedy writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder).

In the second season, Deborah and Ava embark on a cross-country tour to test out their new stand-up material – joined by a roster of new guest stars, including Laurie Metcalf (The Big Bang Theory) as tour manager Alice who, as mentioned in the trailer, is nicknamed ‘Weed’ by Pete Wentz.

Other new guest stars for the second season include Martha Kelly (Baskets), Ming-Na Wen (The Mandalorian) and Susie Essman (Curb Your Enthusiasm), while Margaret Cho and Devon Sawa will also make appearances.

They’ll join returning cast members Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Christopher McDonald, Kaitlin Olson, Paul W. Downs, Poppy Liu, Rose Abdoo, Mark Indelicato, Meg Stalter, Angela E. Gibbs, Johnny Silbilly, Joe Mande, Ally Maki and Lorenza Izzo.

A synopsis for season two reads: “The dark mentorship between legendary Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance and her young, entitled writer Ava continues to evolve as the two travel across the country workshopping Deborah’s new stand-up act.”

Hacks is created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky. The show won three Emmys last year, including Outstanding Lead Actress for Smart, Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Directing.

Hacks season two will premiere May 12 on HBO Max in the US. A UK release date has yet to be announced, although the first season is available on Amazon Prime Video.

HBO has a busy slate ahead, with miniseries The Staircase also set to premiere next month. The show, based on a real-life murder trial, stars Toni Collette, Sophie Turner and Colin Firth.