Delightfully original, “Hacks” is a clever character study about writing and performing comedy, bridging the generation gap with smart show-business satire. 

For the first two seasons, legendary Boomer diva Deborah Vance (Emmy-winner Jean Smart) has been working in Las Vegas with Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), her combative Gen-Z comedy-writer protégé. Then they go their separate ways.

As the third season begins, Deborah’s stand-up TV comeback special is wildly successful, and Ava has secured a prestigious new writing gig in Los Angeles. Problem is: Deborah misses her provocative young collaborator, and Ava cannot resist the creative challenge.

Deborah’s quest this time is to become the first woman to host a late-night talk show on a major television network – like Johnny Carson. The season explores the pitfalls in pursuit of this elusive prize.

This isn’t a new goal for Deborah; she ‘almost’ snagged it 40 years ago. “I need to be sharper and funnier than I’ve ever been,” she tells Ava, refusing to even consider that she may be past her prime. Their toxic, symbiotic, co-dependent chemistry is the crux of the show.

Septuagenarian Deborah summons her support squad: stalwart CEO Marcus (Carl Clemons Hopkins), personal assistant Damien (Mark Indelicato), beleaguered agent Jimmy (Paul W. Downs) and his delusional assistant Kayla (Megan Stalter). 

Causing relationship complications, there’s Deborah’s resentful daughter DJ (Kaitlin Olson) and estranged younger sister Kathy Vance (J. Smith-Cameron). Plus a full roster of guest stars, including Tony Goldwyn, Christina Hendricks, Helen Hunt, Christopher Lloyd and Chris McDonald as casino magnate Marty Ghilain.

Showrunners Jan Statsky, Lucia Aniello and Paul W. Downs tackle – among other humorous conundrums – the difficulty of racist, sexist, fat-phobic jokes that may have been funny – in the context of their time – but didn’t age well. “I can’t be woke! I’m exhausted,” Deborah wails.

Jean Smart is beyond brilliant, embodying a composite of trailblazing comediennes including Joan Rivers, Phyllis Diller, Kathy Griffin, even Betty White, while Hannah Einbinder, daughter of “S.N.L’s” Laraine Newman and comedy writer Chad Einbinder, has a terrific deadpan and superbly timed delivery. 

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Hacks: Season 3” is a fast-paced, nimble 9. All nine episodes are streaming on Max and it’s just been renewed for Season 4.

Australian director George Miller is an acknowledged master at staging propulsive action sequences – so why did his “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” flop at the box-office?

Costing $168 million – plus more for marketing – it launched the worst Memorial Day weekend result in 43 years, excluding when the coronavirus shut theaters. Subsequent weeks have not fared much better.

Since this is a prequel, speculation centers on the substitution of young Anya Taylor-Joy for Charlize Theron, who originated the role, but Ms, Taylor Joy (“The Witch,” “The Queen’s Gambit”) actually does a creditable job in this origin story.

Instead, perhaps audiences had no desire to see a prequel since there’s little suspense about whether Furiosa survives. We already know that she does, making “Mad Max: Fury Road” into a 2015 hit.  

Ignoring that obvious fact, George Miller and co-writer Nico Lathouris delve into a ravaged, post-apocalyptic world to tell Furiosa’s origin story in five chapters.

With barbarism creeping in all around them, 10 year-old Furiosa (Alyla Browne) and her mother, Mary Jabassa (Charlee Fraser), dwell in The Green Place of Many Mothers, an idyllic spot ruled by the Vuvalini, a benevolent matriarchy – until she’s kidnapped by the Biker Horde and delivered to Warlord Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), who lost his own family and still totes his daughter’s Teddy bear on his back.

When machete-wielding Mary tries to retrieve her daughter, she’s brutally killed. Her crucifixion imagery then haunts Furiosa’s life and ignites her desire for vengeance as Furiosa passes from one captor to another in the blighted wasteland.

Meanwhile, dim-witted Dementus is determined to gain control of the Citadel, the rocky stronghold of diseased Immortan Joe (Lachy Hulme). After suffering horrendous losses in his initial assault, Dementus teams up with Octoboss (Goran D. Kleut). And so it goes…high octane biker battle after biker battle…

As now-grown Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) becomes a full-fledged rebel, she finds a mentor in War Rig driver Praetorian Jack (Tom Burke) and turns out to be the badass Imperator, relishing the vehicular choreography.

FYI: The “Mad Max” saga began in 1979 with Mel Gibson as highway patrol supercop Max Rockatansky, followed by “The Road Warrior” (1982) & “Beyond Thunderdome (1985). When Gibson’s misogynistic, anti-Semitic rants made him a liability, Tom Hardy took over the role. 

On the Granger Gauge, “Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga” goes full throttle with a fierce 5 – playing in theaters.