HBO's under-appreciated comedy gem gets a thigh-slapping trailer

HBO can't seem to do much wrong at the moment – it has a suite of hugely impressive dramas on its cards, with The White Lotus continuing to win hearts and minds as its third season unfolds. It isn't just the home of great drama, though, but has a nice little line going where comedy is concerned, too.

One of its most impressive series of recent years has been Hacks, which has attracted huge amounts of praise and some shiny awards – and it's coming back for a fourth season very soon. As its release date of 10 April gets closer, HBO just released a full trailer for that season at last, and I hope it can help the show convert critical success into a bigger audience, since it's still a little under-appreciated in terms of raw numbers.

Hacks Season 4 | Official Trailer | Max - YouTube

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As you can see if you give it a watch above, this looks like it's going to be a season of change for the show's main characters, and will have a simmering feud at its heart that might upend your expectations. In the lead roles, Jean Smart as Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder as Ava Daniels are both back – and they're not in good moods with each other.

After spending her time as Vance's shadow writer, Ava is now stepping into the limelight a bit more and spreading her wings, including showing a willingness to use what she knows about Vance to her advantage. That could mean that they continue to shoot daggers each other, but it's also sure to bring some great punchlines too.

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In fact, that trailer shows us at least a few different situations when the two of them will be given opportunities to face off. One is particularly dramatic – it looks like they'll participate in some sort of track day, driving supercars in a race to see who can finish first. As metaphors go, it's not the most subtle, but it should make for good comic fodder.

The big question will be whether they can patch things up in a way that sees them both come out on top, given how mutually beneficial their team-up has been so far. If that's not possible, maybe they'll be in for a long-haul dispute, which could run into another season if HBO sees fit to renew. It's one of the best streaming services because of shows like this, after all.