BROADCASTS.com

b'

There could be no greater gift to Screen Bitches than finding the HBO-Max series Hacks, starring Jean Smart. We brought together three of our most dedicated Old Bitch streamers \\u2013 Malaga Baldi (literary agent), Aruna Rao (women\\u2019s rights thinker and consultant), and Debbie Zimmerman (head of Women Make Movies and world-recognized expert on women and media) \\u2013 to explore what is so powerful and ground-breaking about 69-year old Jean Smart\\u2019s mesmerizing portrayal of an aging comedian (think Joan Rivers) whose Las Vegas career is stalling.\\xa0 In pairing Smart with a young comedian \\u2013 played by Hannah Einbender \\u2013 who is sent to freshen up Smart\\u2019s material, we see the way women of different generations confront and embody the sexism and ageism of the entertainment world. As Megan Garber wrote in The Atlantic, this is a genre-defying series, part psychodrama, part satire, sometimes an intergenerational character study and other times a classic workplace comedy. We all agreed that Emmy-winning Smart offers a \\u201cSmart-a-licious\\u201d portrayal of aging. As Debbie noted, \\u201cfor God\'s sake, how often do you see a woman in her sixties get laid on television?\\u201d

You can see Hacks on HBO-Max. It\\u2019s a subscription service, so you\\u2019ll have to pay. You can watch the first episode for free on YouTube. And, as you listen to the podcast, you\\u2019ll hear excerpts of Smart\\u2019s biting and self-effacing humor throughout.

Let us know if you\\u2019ve seen movies, streaming series, podcasts or other media that you think offer unique representations of gutsy, defiant older women. Write us at 2obpodcast@gmail.com and maybe you, too, can be a Screen Bitch!