Goodbye for now, ya buncha Hacks

Jean Smart will be back, never fear. Plus: In The Heights, Legendary, and a bemused Dwayne Wade

By Allison Shoemaker | June 10, 2021 | 5:00am

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Jean Smart in Hacks Photo: Courtesy of HBO Max

Here’s what’s happening in the world of television for Thursday, June 10. All times are Eastern.

Top pick

Hacks (HBO Max, 3:01 a.m., first-season finale): HBO Max knows it’s a stressful time, so they did us (and by that we mean the TV-loving populous) a solid, and announced a renewal of this excellent Jean Smart-led series before we had time to worry about its fate! Viva Hacks! Now prepare to say goodbye, for now, to Deborah Vance and company.

Regular coverage

Why Women Kill (Paramount+, 3:01 a.m.)
Clarice (CBS, 10 p.m.)

From Film Club

In The Heights (HBO Max, 3:01 a.m.): “Watching this effervescent movie musical, a loving tribute to the Latinx communities that have made Washington Heights their home, you’d never guess it had such an arduous journey to the big screen. Chu, Miranda, and screenwriter Quiara Alegría Hudes (the librettist for the original musical) preserve much of the intimacy of the Broadway show while ramping up the splendor and significantly expanding the time frame. Though Miranda reunites with Olga Merediz, who reprises the role she originated on stage, and with Christopher Jackson, an alum of In The Heights and Hamilton, this buoyant adaptation goes beyond merely re-creating its source material for the screen. Here, the timeless quality of Miranda’s original story, which combined wanderlust and an exploration of the Latin American diaspora, meets a timely discussion on dehumanizing immigration policies. Not all of the updates are seamless; some of the meaningful tension from the original is sacrificed for an unambiguously happy ending. Still, In The Heights’ irrepressible energy—transmitted by a big cast of rising stars and veteran performers—is the perfect note on which to kick off this summer’s blockbuster season.” Read the rest of Danette Chavez’s film review.

Wild cards

Time for another wild card lightning round, premiere/finale edition!

Full Bloom (HBO Max, 3:01 a.m., second-season premiere): Step inside the cutthroat world of botanical artistry (or, more accurately, watch nice people make pretty things with flowers.)

Legendary (HBO Max, 3:01 a.m., second-season finale): Read more about this reality gem in our interview with MC Dashaun Wesley and judge Leiomy Maldonado.

The Greatest Race (Peacock, 3:01 a.m., premiere): This one’s for you, Olympics nerds!

Starstruck (HBO Max, 3:01 a.m., series premiere): Rose Matafeo created and stars in this comedy, which follows “a millennial living in East London juggling two dead end jobs and navigating the awkward morning-after-the-night-before when she discovers the complications of accidentally sleeping with famous film star Tom.”

Weekend Getaway With Michelle Buteau (Discovery+, 3:01 a.m., series premiere): It’s like Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee, only it’s comedians in Michelle Buteau’s car taking weekend trips because she deserves a break. (Please, Michelle, take vacations without cameras, too!)

Younger (Hulu and Paramount+, 3:01 a.m., series finale): We wish Younger were ending on a higher note, but all the same, thanks for the memories, Sutton Foster and company!

The Cube (TBS, 9 p.m., series premiere): They should have just called this reboot of the hit U.K. game show of the same name “A bemused Dwayne Wade watches you fail on television.”

Rebel (ABC, 9 p.m. and 10 p.m., back-to-back episodes, first-season finale): It’s all Rebel all the time tonight, as this double-length finale follows a 20/20 special, “The Real Rebel: The Erin Brokovich Story” (ABC, 8 p.m.). Presumably there’s less Katey Sagal in that one.