There’s something oddly delightful about when a familiar face pops back up in a show you already love. And it happens ever so often. Evan last night when soap icon, Deidre Hall (Dr. Marlena Evans, Days of Our Lives) made a surprise return to Hacks.
If you’ve been keeping up, Hacks, created by Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs, and Jen Statsky, has built a reputation for sharp humor, layered characters, and those little surprise moments that fans can’t stop talking about.
The show, which follows legendary comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), officially kicked off its fifth and final season on April 9, 2026. And right out of the gate, it gave viewers a fun curveball.
Enter Deidre Hall—again.
Hall first appeared back in season 3 as a fictional version of herself, while playing the mother of Jimmy Luaka (Downs). In her appearance, she is featured cooking Christmas dinner and acting alongside Christopher Lloyd.
Deidre Hall Returns to Hacks
This time around, though, she’s on a fictional Salem Town Square set. The iconic set has been a staple for the Peacock soap opera for decades.
Fully in character and mid-scene, when real life (well, Hacks version of real life) interrupts, her phone rings, and in true professional fashion, she pauses to apologize to the cast and crew before picking up.
What follows is a very “only on Hacks” kind of exchange. Her son calls with big news: he has a Fatty Arbuckle movie role for her, but also a last-minute problem.
They’re losing their filming location. Fast.
There, Hall is being asked if she can jump into a completely different project… basically, overnight. Her response? Classic. She casually reminds him that she works in soaps and could be “off book for Hamlet in 20 minutes,” which, while it is a hilarious line, is a nod to the intense pace of daytime television.
Be sure to check out Deidre Hall in the new season of Hacks.
Photo Credit: JPI Studios.
Leave a Reply