Listen, we don’t know Paul W. Downs very well. But from our few interactions with him so far, we are going to guess he’s a somewhat humble guy for someone working toward the high echelons of Hollywood’s creatives. Why you may ask? Well, for someone who has a significant role in his hit series “Hacks,” in a key set of over 140 images provided to the press for season three there is just one solo photo of Downs.

Continue reading Paul W. Downs Is Ready To Step Into The Acting Emmy Spotlight & Teases They Have Too Much Material For ‘Hacks’ Season Four [Interview] at The Playlist.

One of HBO Max’s breakout hits (well, at least that’s what social media tells us), “Hacks” has been the third jewel in the Jean Smart renaissance that began with “Watchmen” and was followed by definite ratings hit, “Mare of Easttown.” Of course, you could argue that the veteran Hollywood actor never went anywhere or that her “comeback” really started with an Emmy-nominated turn in the second season of “Fargo” or maybe her run in another FX standout, “Legion.” Whatever the case, Smart has gotten more deserved attention and admiration than she has in years, and her fans are here for it.

Continue reading ‘Hacks’ Showrunners On Jean Smart’s Personal Loss During Filming at The Playlist.

After already landing a buzzworthy breakout with “The Flight Attendant,” HBO Max has done it again with the critically acclaimed dramedy “Hacks.” Created and produced by Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello, and Jen Statsky, the series focuses on a legendary Las Vegas comedienne, Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), who finds herself dealing with a “canceled” television writer, Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), who wants nothing more to return to her life in Hollywood.

Continue reading Jean Smart Renaissance Continues As ‘Hacks’ Renewed For Season Two at The Playlist.

How “How It Ends” ends: badly, and not soon enough. How it begins is not much better, and has the added disadvantage of being even further from the end than the end. Everything in the middle is great, though! Just kidding. The middle is likely the worst part. “How It Ends,” directed by husband-and-wife team Daryl Wein (“Lola Versus,” “White Rabbit“) and Zoe Lister-Jones (“Band Aid“), who also stars, delivers almost precisely the film you might have feared in darker moments, way back at the beginning of this ungodly pandemic, that someone was going to think was a good idea: a wildly self-indulgent, toothcrackingly twee feature-length therapy session for people whose experiences during this period of isolation and alienation, contrary to the popular notion that we’re all going through much the same shit, are clearly so deeply, existentially different from yours that you end up feeling lonelier than ever.  

Continue reading ‘How It Ends’: The Film You Worried Covid Might Produce Is Here [Sundance Review] at The Playlist.