Hacks is pulling no punches in its Season 4 return as new late-night host Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) continues to spar with self-appointed head writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder). As viewers will recall, Ava blackmailed her way into the gig after threatening to expose Deborah’s one-night stand with conglomerate CEO Bob Lipka (Tony Goldwyn), a.k.a. her new boss. But Ava’s actions weren’t without motivation after Deborah had initially hinted she’d name her protegee head writer, before chickening out. Now, “the gloves are definitely off in Season 4,” Smart tells TV Insider. “The gloves are off, which surprised even me at times,” she reiterates, hinting at the extremes Deborah will likely go to make Ava’s job more difficult. “The shirts are off,” Einbinder jokes, echoing her costar’s sentiments. But despite Deborah and Ava being at odds, fueling an ugly feud, comedy still prevails. “It works,...