Warning! SPOILERS for Hacks season 2.

Deborah and Ava's road trip is exactly what Hacks season 2 needs to continue the HBO show's success. The critically-acclaimed HBO Max comedy focuses on an unlikely partnership between an acerbic, older comedian (Jean Smart) and an entitled millennial writer (Hannah Einbinder). Hacks' first season was a hit, earning Smart an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and the show itself winning the Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy. However, Deborah and Ava going on the road for a cross-country tour is what Hacks needs to keep itself fresh during season 2.

At the end of Hacks season 1, Deborah bombs the last show of her Las Vegas residency after deciding to try out some new material. Seeing potential in the material despite her failure, Deborah recruits Ava for a tour in order to work on the jokes. A large focus of Hacks' second season will be Deborah and Ava road-tripping across the country.

Related: Is Hacks Based On A True Story?

One criticism of Hacks' first season was that the original premise seemed finite and that Ava and Deborah's dynamic, in the state that it was in, could not carry on indefinitely. The second season of Hacks would have to shake things up for its central characters. This is why the road trip plot is so good for the show. It takes Ava and Deborah out of the first season's Vegas setting and allows them to interact with new environments. It can also expand Hacks' already great supporting cast. When Ava and Deborah are in Arizona at the beginning of the tour, the show introduces Deborah's quirky psychic, Diana (Polly Draper), and more interesting side characters are sure to show up in the future. Shaking up the status quo is also beneficial for Hacks because Deborah can't sue Ava again. Deborah needs Ava to help fine-tune her material and be brutally honest, so the loss of this partnership is not ideal. The lawsuit serves to teach Ava a lesson in loyalty after she broke her NDA in an email to the producers of Bitch PM. Once that plotline is done, the show can focus on the highs and lows of the duo on the road.

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Another reason why the road trip storyline will elevate Hacks season 2 is that it will change the dynamic between Deborah and Ava, perhaps to a friendship similar to that of Midge and Susie from The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Now that the two of them have no choice but to spend time on the road together, unlike last season where Deborah was at her mansion while Ava stayed at a hotel, their relationship will surely shift. In an interview (via Cultured), Hannah Einbinder explains that Hacks season 2 actually filmed on the road, driving to different locations from Los Angeles in order to find locations that could be shot to look like different cities: "[Filming season two] really felt like being on the road [...] So yes, the work is inspired by the method used to create it. Even the exhaustion." It's only natural that emotions will run high after traveling for long hours together, which could definitely lead to arguments and perhaps more vulnerable moments between Ava and Deborah as well, elevated by the realism of the show actually filming on the road. This cross-country tour can ultimately serve as an experience that bonds Deborah and Ava together more than Hacks season 1 did.

The great performances from Hannah Einbinder and Mare of Easttown's Jean Smart are the reason why Hacks works so well as a show. However, any good show has to switch things up a bit to keep the premise from getting stale. By having Ava and Deborah go on a road trip, Hacks season 2 is saved from being stuck in a rut and becomes fresh and interesting as a result.

Next: Why HBO's Hacks Will Show The Downside Of Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

Hacks season 2 releases new episodes Thursdays on HBO Max.