COMEDY HACKS

ACERBIC LIFE LESSONS

Great roles for older actresses don’t come along too often, and Jean

Smart really grabbed this sharp US comedy with both hands. Her husband actually died during filming, but she carried on anyway in the role of veteran Las Vegas comedian Deborah Vance, a woman in danger of falling victim to cancel culture after an insensitive tweet. She finds a fresh perspective in young writer Ava, but Hacks isn’t a story of hugs and learning. The two hate each other on sight, and it’s their vicious, funny sparring that fuels this show, along with the emotional vulnerability that sits way, way, beneath the surface of these formidable women.

with stunning visual verve, taking us inside a US divided between Nazi and Japanese spheres of influence. We meet members of the resistance, and of the new ruling class, such as SS Obergruppenfuhrer John Smith (Rufus Sewell, left), in a story that has plenty of space to evolve over 40 episodes. The exploration of this richly created world is a compelling experience.