‘Hacks’ Production to Resume in Two Weeks After Jean Smart’s Heart Procedure: ‘She’s Better Than Ever,’ Producers Say

Production on “Hacks” Season 3 will resume the week after next, series producers Paul W. Downs, Lucia Aniello and Jen Statsky revealed to Variety on Sunday. Downs, Aniello and Statsky were at the WGA Awards in Century City, where the trio picked up the win for episodic comedy (for the Season 2 finale “The One, The Only”).

“She’s doing great,” Downs said. “She actually said to me recently that she’s better than ever, which I believe because she is Jean Smart. She’s at home. Obviously, not out on the town tonight. But she’s doing really well.”

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Production on Season 3 of the Emmy-winning HBO comedy was put on hold late last month after Smart revealed via Instagram that she had successfully undergone a heart procedure.

“We’re supposed to go back the week after next, but it all just depends, we have to get back into it cautiously and make sure that everybody is safe,” Downs added.

“Hacks” had been half way through its Season 3 production when the show took the pause. It had already been unlikely that the show would return before the Emmy cutoff of May 31, but Aniello said that it definitely won’t be back until later in the year.

“And that’s totally fine,” she said. “I think we’re all feeling like the most important thing for us is everybody on the crew, including Jean’s health and wellness and well-being feeling taken care of. And so we’re feeling it’s all good. We are getting to take a little more time in the edit early.”

Quipped Downs: “We get to pause, think, reflect and get better, which is really good. I feel like every lead should do this.”

Last week at the SAG Awards, Smart’s co-star Hannah Einbinder also said on the red carpet that the star was doing well. “She’s recovering. We just visited her,” she told Variety’s Marc Malkin. Co-star Poppy Liu added, “She requested a lot of photos from all of us. We will be FaceTiming with her.”

In her Feb. 23 Instagram post, Smart wrote, “February is American Heart Month — a time when the nation spotlights heart health, so it feels important to share with all of you that I am recovering from a recent, successful heart procedure,” Smart wrote on her Instagram account. “I am fortunate to have excellent professional care and support from family and friends while I continue to recuperate. Please listen to your body and talk to your doctor — I’m very glad I did!”

In a joint statement, HBO Max and Universal Television (which produces “Hacks”) gave their support to the star: ” We are so happy that our beloved Jean Smart’s heart procedure was successful and she’s on the mend. HBO Max and UTV send their well wishes.”

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