"Hacks" Delivered One of TV's Best Finales While "Euphoria" Left Fans Divided

This year two of HBO and HBO Max39s most acclaimed Emmywinning dramas reached the finish line One crossed it triumphantly and the other stumbled there bruised battered and seemingly unsure of how it got thereAfter five seasons Hacks concluded its remarkable run on HBO Max with the same sharp wit emotional intelligence and characterdriven storytelling that made it one of television39s most consistent comedies Meanwhile Euphoria wrapped up its longawaited third and final season on HBO after a sevenyear journey that often felt disconnected from the show that audiences originally fell in love withOn paper both series were massive successes Hacksamp160has earned consistently rave reviews and 12 Emmy Awards including four wins for star Jean Smart and a supporting actress victory for Hannah Einbinder Euphoria exits with nine Emmy wins highlighted by two victories for Zendaya39s powerful and vulnerable lead performance Note theyamp8217re likely to earn more for their final seasons at the Emmys this fallYet by the time their finales aired one series felt completely in command of its identity while the other seemed to have lost sight of its ownWhat makes the ending of Hacks so impressive is that it never felt like a show desperately trying to wrap everything up Final seasons often become consumed with nostalgia callbacks and farewell tours Instead Hacks remained focused on what it had always done best exploring the complicated often messy relationship between Deborah Vance and Ava DanielsThe series never sacrificed character for sentimentality It remained as sharp witty and laughoutloud funny as ever while still delivering some of its most emotionally devastating moments The writers clearly understood that closure doesn39t require tying every loose end into a neat little bow It requires giving characters believable futures with which we can drum up our own headcanons as we wonder amp8220where are they nowamp8221Deborah and Ava39s relationship reached new emotional heights during the final season allowing both Smart and Einbinder to deliver some of the strongest work of their careers Smart remained a master class in comic timing and dramatic vulnerability but it was Einbinder who arguably benefited most from the show39s conclusion Ava39s growth over five seasons felt earned messy and authentic culminating in a performance that demonstrated just how much the character and the actress had evolved since the series premiered Itamp8217s especially impressive when you realize this was Einbeinderamp8217s first ever acting roleMore importantly every major character received a satisfying sendoff without feeling artificially packaged for audience approval The finale respected both its characters and its viewersThe same cannot be said for EuphoriaFrom its opening moments the third season felt like a completely different show The decision to implement a significant time jump moved the characters beyond high school and in some cases beyond college entirely In theory this should have allowed the series to explore how youthful mistakes and addictions follow people into adulthoodInstead it often felt as though the show skipped over the very stories audiences had invested in for two seasonsCompounding the problem was the absence of nearly half the principal cast Whether due to scheduling conflicts creative decisions or other circumstances numerous familiar faces simply disappeared Their departures left major storylines unresolved and emotional arcs abandonedThe result was a season filled with narrative gaps that became increasingly difficult to ignoreTo be fair Euphoria still knew how to create tension The season featured several expertly staged sequences and emotional confrontations that showcased the production39s undeniable technical strengths Few television series can match its visual ambition or ability to generate anticipation for a major set piece But tension without payoff eventually becomes exhaustingNo character illustrates that frustration better than Cassie Sydney Sweeney remains one of the most soughtafter performers of her generation yet she spends much of the season attempting to elevate material that frequently borders on the absurd Her commitment never wavers but there is only so much an actor can do when the writing itself loses credibilityThen there39s Nate Jacobs Watching Jacob Elordi39s final season often felt less like Euphoria and more like a particularly gruesome sequel to Saw The character endures an escalating series of physical traumas that become increasingly difficult to take seriously By the time his story reaches its brutal conclusion shock has largely replaced substanceIronically the one character whose journey feels complete is Rue Zendaya delivers another outstanding performance guiding Rue through an arc that is heartbreaking tragic and ultimately consistent with the themes that have defined the series from the beginning Euphoria was never intended to be an uplifting story It has always been about addiction selfdestruction and the collateral damage left behind when people lose control of their livesRue39s ending embraces that reality The problem is that much of the surrounding narrative does not Perhaps the most revealing difference between these two finales lies in how the shows were madeHacks delivered five seasons over six years While production faced challenges including Jean Smart39s recovery from heart surgery and delays caused by the 2023 WGA and SAGAFTRA strikes the creative team consistently maintained a clear vision for the series Every season built naturally upon the one before itEuphoria by comparison produced three seasons across seven years Some delays were unavoidable including the COVID19 pandemic and the aformentioned labor strikes But time alone cannot explain the creative disconnect that emerged between seasons The extended gaps only amplified expectations that the final season ultimately struggled to meetGreat television doesn39t simply require talent It requires clear direction By the end of Euphoria it felt as though the show had become distracted by its own mythology The performances remained strong The production values remained impressive But somewhere along the way the storytelling lost its focusHacksamp8217 finale celebrated everything that made its series special Euphoria served as a reminder that even the most acclaimed shows can lose the plot LiterallyHacks and Euphoria are available to stream in their entirety on HBO Max

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"Hacks" Delivered One of TV's Best Finales While "Euphoria" Left Fans Divided

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Juan Ayala

Ken Dychtwald Has Been Preparing Us for This Moment for Fifty Years - By Jack Myers

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"Hacks" Delivered One of TV's Best Finales While "Euphoria" Left Fans Divided

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