‘Hacks’ Creators Want DVD Box Set To Ensure Show “Stays In Existence” Amid Hollywood Mergers: “It Is Really Scary”
EXCLUSIVE: In perfect Deborah Vance fashion, the creators of Hacks are trying to preserve the show with a physical media release.
While discussing the fifth and final season of their HBO Max series, Lucia Aniello, Paul W. Downs and Jen Statsky revealed to Deadline that they’re planning to release a full series DVD box set following the show’s May 28 finale, as the future of streaming remains precarious amid the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger and other Hollywood acquisitions.
“It’s such an important time for people to invest in physical media because you’re right, things are coming down all the time and it’s like, ‘Oh, I love that movie, I want to see it.’ You just can’t, babe, it doesn’t exist,” said Aniello. “That does really put so much power of the distribution of art in the hands of algorithms and people’s whims and certain executives not liking somebody’s brother, so they take down their movie or show or whatever. It is really scary, the idea of censorship, especially as more and more companies are bought up by other companies.”
Aniello added, “And so, we’re really hoping to make a Hacks DVD box set, for one. We’re trying to make that happen. That’s an exclusive. Please go buy it, not because we make any money off of it. We just want to make sure the show stays in existence for as long as DVD players exist.”
Although there are currently no official plans to release the box set, Aniello wants to give fans something “packed with DVD extras” and deleted scenes.
“But yes, as we’re talking about all these things, it has become only bleaker,” she said. “So, I don’t know where that leaves us. Power of community, I guess?”
Jen Statsky, Paul W. Downs and Lucia Aniello attend the ‘Hacks’ Season 5 premiere on April 8, 2026 in Los Angeles, California.
Jesse Grant/Variety
Debuting on HBO Max in 2021, the Hacks finale comes amid the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, which has been opposed by many in Hollywood.
