Hacks, Comeback Stars Meet in Final Emmy Showdown
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- "Hacks" Season 5 opens with Jean Smart's Deborah Vance plotting an EGOT campaign, citing her Daytime Emmy for hosting "Begongle" (1992) and a Tony as a producer on "Spamalot" (2005) as her existing wins.
- Jean Smart has collected seven Emmys — two for "Frasier" (2000, 2001), one for "Samantha Who?" (2008), and four for "Hacks" (2021, 2022, 2024, 2025) — and a 2026 win would tie her with Don Knotts and Candice Bergen at five wins for the same character.
- Lisa Kudrow earns her third lead actress Emmy nomination for "The Comeback" (after 2006 and 2015) plus her first writing nomination, sharing the comedy writing nod with Michael Patrick King.
- In the head-to-head, the piece gives Deborah Vance the edge over Valerie Cherish given Smart's four-year winning streak, while noting this is the final opportunity for either character to compete.
- The article tallies roughly 22 EGOT winners, climbing to 28 with honorary awards, and flags that Steven Spielberg reached EGOT status this year via a surprise Grammy combined with a previously undisclosed 2022 Tony as an uncredited "A Strange Loop" producer.
Why it matters: Smart is one win from tying Knotts and Bergen for second-most wins playing the same character, and a 2026 victory would leave her one behind Julia Louis-Dreyfus's six for "Veep." With both shows ending, the 2025-2026 Emmys mark the only ballot where fans of both characters can compare them — and Smart's streak makes her the prohibitive favorite in a race that doubles as a farewell lap for two acclaimed comedies.
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