The third season of the Emmy-winning comedy premieres May 2 on Max.
Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder say that when it came time to film their NSFW scenes on the set of Hacks season 3, they were honored to take on the burden of getting steamy with some incredible new guest stars.
Talking with ET's Denny Directo ahead of the May 2 premiere on Max, the 72-year-old Designing Women alum and her 28-year-old co-star shared that when producers first approached them about coupling up with Tony Goldwyn and Christina Hendricks -- as teased in the recently released trailer -- they really put up a fight on behalf of their characters, Deborah Vance (Smart) and Ava Daniels (Einbinder).
"You know, it's a dirty job. I took one for the team," Smart, who won back-to-back Emmy Awards for the show in 2021 and 2022, joked. "The worst."
"Sorry," replied Einbinder -- a two-time Emmy nominee and comedian both in and out of the Max series. As for her own racy scene with the recently married Mad Men star, 48, the actress shared that her reaction to getting to kiss Hendricks was a little less subtle and tempered than her co-star's.
"God is real," Einbinder said of finding out the Good Girls alum would be her love interest for the new installment. "Next question."
While Hendricks and Goldwyn, 63, are two of the biggest names to join the show for the upcoming season, the Hacks team certainly did not pull any punches when scouting new recruits to join the roster. Previously announced guest stars also include actors like Helen Hunt, Christopher Lloyd, Dan Bucatinsky, George Wallace and Aristotle Athari.
Returning from the first and second season are Paul W. Downs, Megan Stalter, Carl Clemons-Hopkins, Kaitlin Olson, Christopher McDonald, Mark Indelicato, Rose Abdoo, and Lorenza Izzo.
Smart and Einbinder say that while the casting department really upped the ante for season 3, they still have a few people in mind who could cameo in potential future seasons -- including one singer who lent his song to the trailer for the new season.
"Elton John," Smart said of her dream guest star. "He has let us use a couple of his songs."
"Yeah, Elton John, that'd be cool," agreed Einbinder. "And he's gay so he's halfway there."
Fans will have to hold their breath on a possible appearance from "The Rocket Man," at least until after season 3 has fully released and the show gets the green light for a fourth edition. That pause will be a breeze, however, after Hacks viewers were forced to wait two years for the third season.
In February 2023, Smart revealed that she had undergone a "stressful" heart procedure that pushed production back several weeks as she recovered, causing the show to miss the May 31 Emmy deadline. Several weeks later, her co-stars attended the 2023 SAG Awards and gave ET an update on her recovery, saying the Frasier alum was on the mend.
"She's doing better," said Johnny Sibilly. "She is stronger than probably everyone in this room, and I feel like we're all just sending her love. We wish she could be here, but we're happy that she's well."
Unfortunately for impatient watchers at home, Smart's return from her surgery ran almost consecutively with the historic WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes that took place through the spring, summer and early fall. While the writers signed a new deal in September, the actors picketed into November before coming to an agreement with the AMPTP.
Smart and Einbinder shared with ET that the delays, while not ideal, were necessary as they worked to secure fair and updated contracts alongside the show's other actors, creators and writers -- who won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series writing for the show's pilot.
"I think it was tough for a lot of our union members who were in the position of, like, not being able to work and, you know, especially people have such a gross misunderstanding of, like, the nature of the rank-and-file member of SAG and of the WGA," Einbinder said.
Smart agreed, adding that even the non-WGA and non-SAG-AFTRA members who worked on the show thankfully had a basic understanding of the underlying causes of the respective strikes, even if it did mean being out of work for several months while the pickets continued.
"They understood why the actors were doing this, that it wasn't just about actors wanting more money or something," Smart said. "This was, to me literally, I think it was almost the survival of the industry."
Now, six months out since the actors reached a deal, Hacks season 3 is finally premiering and the two actresses are promising nine unforgettable new episodes for the fans to laugh along with throughout the summer. Einbinder says that while the first two seasons are beloved by critics and audiences alike -- the series has racked up 32 Emmy nominations already -- the new season is sure to become an instant hit.
"What everyone's doing is hitting a stride at this moment," Einbinder said of the acting and writing in the third season.
If it's anything like the trailer that Max released in April, she is right on the money. The one-minute video showed Deborah and Ava doing what they do best -- finding the funny by going for the other's throat -- and striving to outdo themselves once again both in wit and humor.
After walking away from the other at the end of season 2, the pair run into each other inside a Las Vegas elevator and it quickly becomes apparent they still have a lot of bite in them.
"Some of your more problematic material, it's gaining traction," Ava tells Deborah.
"Which minority group is upset?" Deborah asks, to which Ava replies, "I don't think minority is the proper term anymore."
"What are they called?" Deborah wonders, dismayed when she's told that's not the correct terminology. "I thought everybody was 'they' now!"
Watch the trailer for Hacks season 3 in the player below:
The new season consists of nine episodes, with the first two hitting the streaming service on May 2.
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