For its fourth season, Hacks on MAX takes a daring step as Deborah Vance, performed by Jean Good, turns into the primary feminine Late Night time Present host. This milestone demanded a transformative imaginative and prescient from manufacturing designer Rob Tokarz, whose work brings Deborah’s world to life with outstanding element and ingenuity. From the Artwork Deco-inspired late-night stage that echoes the grandeur of Los Angeles structure to backstage areas that mirror Deborah’s journey and duality, Rob’s designs are as a lot part of the storytelling because the dialogue itself.
On this unique DSCENE Magazine interview, Zarko Davinic speaks with Rob concerning the artistic challenges and triumphs of Season 4. They talk about every thing from crafting the long-lasting late-night stage to adapting single areas into a number of distinctive places, all whereas navigating real-world challenges just like the aftermath of the LA fires. Rob additionally shares insights into the evolving position of manufacturing design in Hollywood and the way delicate particulars can elevate comedy. This dialog provides a uncommon glimpse into the behind scenes one in every of tv’s most visually compelling comedies.
Hacks Season 4 introduces Deborah as the primary feminine Late Night time Present host. Are you able to stroll us by way of your artistic course of for designing the late-night present stage, from the Artwork Deco inspiration to the nods to Deborah’s journey? – Once I began designing Late Night time with Deborah Vance, I needed it to really feel like the height of her journey—every thing we’d seen earlier than resulting in this second. I started sketching concepts on the finish of Season 3, realizing this set was coming. Over the hiatus, I examined ideas to see what would evolve and what would stick. The purpose was to offer Late Night time the complete Deborah Vance therapy whereas honoring the establishment of late evening itself.
We first grounded the set within the conventional language of late evening: the desk, the curtain, the band space—all of the acquainted benchmarks the viewers expects. However from there, each design choice needed to really feel true to Deborah. I’ve at all times felt that Deb and Deco go collectively completely, however this time I needed it to really feel distinctly Los Angeles. I pulled inspiration from the Griffith Observatory for the finishes on the columns and the Eastern Building downtown for the band shell, aiming for a way of monumentality within the structural parts.
On the similar time, we needed to layer in Deborah’s private historical past. The columns subtly echo the curves of her Season 2 tour bus. The chevron fl ooring nods to each her bus and her Las Vegas mansion. The star drop recollects her residency on the Palmetto in Season 1. We buried easter eggs all through the set—mapping her journey from Las Vegas to Los Angeles in silhouettes, utilizing header arch particulars impressed by Johnny Carson’s Burbank set from the Nineteen Seventies, and tipping to the marquee lights of Fremont Avenue above and behind her.
Each materials—from the wooden, to the marlite, to the smoky pink velvet curtain and sequins—was chosen to position us squarely on the planet of late-night glamour, however fi ltered by way of Deborah’s distinctive fl air. It needed to really feel iconic. Earned. Hers.
Time development performs a major position this season, with parts like evolving dressing rooms and altering signage. How did you and your group method these delicate but impactful particulars to mirror the arc of manufacturing? – As a lot as we had been in a position to with a decent manufacturing schedule, we needed the present to have the texture of the slog a season is, and significantly how daunting making a nightly present could be. Because the season ramped up, the inside manufacturing areas wanted to mirror that momentum—work piling up, vitality shifting, the world getting messier in a really possible way. That evolution wouldn’t have been potential with out Jen Lukehart and her group. They had been important in monitoring and executing these modifications with precision and care, usually with little or no turnaround time.
One of many causes Hacks works so nicely is our dedication to staying grounded within the actuality of our characters. We by no means tip the joke or overplay it—the world at all times feels actual. However once we get the possibility to construct a one-off or “swing” set, we get to stretch. These units pull the characters out of their routine environments, and we love leaning into the distinctive tone they convey
Ava’s workplace is a good instance. We shot it over a really quick window, nevertheless it needed to really feel more and more chaotic—as if her job was bodily taking on her house. Jen’s group layered in litter, persona, and fatigue in a manner that felt sincere. By means of conversations with our show-runners, real-life reference, and lived expertise, we honed in on what felt grounded and proper. Backstage developed too—we added delicate buildup over time: previous surroundings tucked away, indicators of a present mid-run. Even on the Late Night time stage, which didn’t change dramatically, we tracked particulars just like the situation of the marlite flooring and the model of the desk panel, earlier than or after it was sawed. The desk was designed to accommodate that change seamlessly.
Some parts stayed in flux all through the season—just like the skyline behind Deborah’s desk. We labored hand-in-hand with lighting and digital camera to maintain refining the silhouettes and floor remedies of these buildings so that they appeared their finest on display screen. It was all about coordination, layering, and the sort of design teamwork that’s invisible when it’s working nicely.
You needed to rework areas into a number of distinctive places, resembling Ava’s Workplace, Author’s Bullpen, and extra. What had been the largest challenges in attaining this versatility, and the way did you overcome them? – The most important problem in changing a single set into a number of places is time. TV schedules are relentless, and we regularly had only a day or two for full changeovers. What labored in our favor was that 4 out of the 5 units shared sufficient structural element that we may restrict our modifications to probably the most visually impactful parts—making transformation potential inside tight home windows.
Transitioning from Ava’s Workplace to Rob’s required a repaint, redressing, and modifying the hallway to match our precise manufacturing workplace corridors. Rob’s house wanted to really feel prefer it belonged to a seasoned producer—settled and lived-in. After we flipped it into the Author’s Bullpen, we expanded one wall, swapped the exterior-facing home windows to match these at CBS Tv Metropolis, used for our exteriors, and totally redressed the room with particular character touches. Jen Lukehart reached out to every actor to get a way of how they noticed their character, and integrated these particulars into the dressing. The convention room required one other full reset—transferring partitions, repainting, and grounding it within the acquainted look of an actual manufacturing assembly house whereas nonetheless tying into our visible world.
Our last model was a complete departure. The legal professional’s workplace wanted to scream “shady strip mall lawyer.” This was a three-wall set rebuilt round two diamond-mullioned home windows we sourced from our asset warehouse. We put in wooden paneling and aged every thing down—onerous. It leans broad and immediately comedian, which made it a kind of uncommon units we love attending to do. Jen did an unbelievable job—it appeared precisely like how kitty litter smells.
Deborah smashing the kitchen with a hammer was a standout scene. Are you able to inform us the way you created the faux counter tops and layers to attain this with out damaging the actual kitchen? – Whenever you learn a scene like this in a script, you instantly flag it as a problem-solving alternative. My first thought was, “We’re going to need to construct this kitchen on stage.” The fact? We weren’t. As an alternative, we needed to discover a strategy to pull it off on location—in Deb’s L.A. mansion, no much less, the place the householders are extremely protecting of the property’s historic integrity. That meant strict boundaries round what we may and couldn’t contact.
There’s nothing fairly like watching a gag land completely. It’s one of the crucial satisfying moments in manufacturing design.
The specifics of what obtained smashed didn’t come from the script—they got here from what was bodily and logistically potential. Ultimately, we primarily constructed a set on high of a set. We created customized flats that mimicked unique lathe and plaster, constructed to shatter convincingly. The shelf that breaks was mounted on a kind of flats. The countertop was a butcher block overlay—longer and wider than the unique—designed to take sledgehammer hits. We constructed the slats hole and crammed them with sawdust and particles so that they’d break in a extra cinematic manner.
Our tile wall was one other layer: we used bisque-fired tiles, which shatter extra simply, mounted on a flat constructed to match the actual tile and once more backed with fake lathe and plaster. The purpose was for the destruction to really feel tactile, messy, and actual.
Jeanine Ringer, my Artwork Director, collaborated carefully with our Development group to analysis, prototype, and refine every aspect. We examined each piece individually, made tweaks, and finally staged a full run-through on our stage. We mocked up the set to match the actual kitchen and had Jean run the gag for Lucia, Paul, and Jen. Ultimately, we nailed it—multi functional take—with a rubber sledgehammer.
There’s nothing fairly like watching a gag land completely. It’s one of the crucial satisfying moments in manufacturing design.
Comedy usually lives within the particulars. Might you share a number of the hidden design parts or delicate touches you added throughout Season 4 to emphasise the humor? – One of many causes Hacks works so nicely is our dedication to staying grounded within the actuality of our characters. We by no means tip the joke or overplay it—the world at all times feels actual. However once we get the possibility to construct a one-off or “swing” set, we get to stretch. These units pull the characters out of their routine environments, and we love leaning into the distinctive tone they convey.
Late Night time gave us a couple of nice swings this season. The palanquin was one—equal components spectacle and problem-solving. It needed to appear to be it belonged to Deborah, operate cinematically, and safely transport her on stage. Main Jo’s Zamboni was one other: we imagined how a Late Night time artwork division may slap it collectively in a single day. Foam core, blue vinyl, and white tape on high of a flooring sweeper sourced by our transportation group—campy, scrappy, and completely on model. After which there was the Antoni cooking section, which gave us the proper excuse to go playful with big peanuts and strawberries—a nod to the over-the-top enjoyable of a late-night comedy bit, by way of Deborah’s lens.
Units like The Boiling Crab or the legal professional’s workplace allow us to discover humor rooted in authenticity. Even the beachside restaurant in Episode 6—regardless of being referred to as The Slippery Oyster—was designed to really feel like a spot that would truly exist. Backstage, we sprinkled in fictional crew inside jokes—just like the chunk of amethyst in Deb’s workplace, a present from her psychic, Diana, or a spinning prize wheel from some unseen, long-past section.
The Author’s Bullpen was one other favourite. Jen’s group reached out to the actors for character insights, then layered these particulars into the dressing. And there have been loads of smaller moments we cherished—just like the glowing get together bus, the breakaway arms for the gate crash gag, or Aidan’s actual UFC posters tucked into DJ’s dwelling health club. It’s in these particulars that we get to stretch our artistic muscle mass whereas protecting the world sincere.
One oddball problem? – Ava’s tram scene. We couldn’t use an actual Common tram as a result of legal responsibility issues, so we tracked down a retired one, refinished it, and gave it a brand new life as a generic facsimile. That’s the enjoyment of it—discovering methods to push the design whereas protecting one foot firmly planted in actuality.
The aftermath of the LA fires had a real-world influence on the manufacturing. How did you and your group navigate the challenges of capturing at Deborah’s LA mansion, and the way did you help householders of their rebuilding efforts? – After the fires hit Los Angeles, we discovered we’d misplaced two key places: the historic Rand McNally Home from final season, and Deborah’s L.A. mansion—a recurring set this 12 months. Fortuitously, we had already accomplished filming at each, and we remained in shut contact with the householders. In response to the fires, our business moved rapidly to assist these affected, launching scoutphotos.org in partnership with USC. The positioning was created to assist householders who’ve hosted movie crews join with Location, Artwork, and Set Dec departments to help with insurance coverage claims.
After we scout and shoot at a location, we generate an infinite quantity of visible and technical documentation—lots of of reference images, detailed surveys, and flooring plans. Our purpose is at all times to return an area in pretty much as good or higher situation than we discovered it. On this case, that archive turned an important useful resource for serving to each units of householders assist their claims with correct data.
The one fire-related loss that immediately impacted manufacturing was our incapacity to return to Gladstones. The tip of Episode 6 was initially scripted to make use of each the restaurant and the seashore in entrance of it. Fortunately, Gladstones itself survived principally unscathed—however environmental situations on the bottom and within the water made capturing there inconceivable. We pivoted rapidly, relocating to Cabrillo Seashore in San Pedro, the place we constructed a beachside restaurant from scratch to finish the scene.
The manufacturing design of Hacks blends performance with storytelling. How do you stability the sensible wants of a set with the emotional and narrative parts you need to convey? – On Hacks, the manufacturing design at all times begins with operate—how the scene is staged, how the actors transfer by way of it, how the digital camera must work. However as soon as these sensible wants are locked in, the subsequent layer is story. Each element is there to assist the emotional tone of the scene, not distract from it.
We deal with every house prefer it’s actual—as a result of in our world, it’s. Whether or not it’s a manufacturing hallway or a flashy superstar dressing room, it has to really feel lived in and true to the characters. That realism offers the actors one thing stable to play in opposition to, and it offers us room to string in narrative cues.
We deal with every house prefer it’s actual—as a result of in our world, it’s. Whether or not it’s a manufacturing hallway or a flashy superstar dressing room, it has to really feel lived in and true to the characters. That realism offers the actors one thing stable to play in opposition to, and it offers us room to string in narrative cues. With somebody like Deborah Vance, for instance, we’ve constructed a really particular visible language—so each aspect in her world, from a smoky pink curtain to a chevron flooring, says one thing about who she is and the place she’s been.
Balancing utility and emotion is the job. The set must work, nevertheless it additionally wants to hold story weight—even within the smallest methods.
Many set designers are struggling within the present business local weather. What are your ideas on the challenges going through manufacturing designers immediately, and what modifications would you wish to see to assist the craft? – The very fact is, our business is at a novel inflection level—one we’ve by no means fairly confronted earlier than. The media panorama has remodeled dramatically within the 20 years I’ve been doing this, and it’s no shock that movie and tv are feeling the influence. There’s at all times been unbelievable work occurring in different cities and international locations—I’ve been lucky to work with gifted crews around the globe—however nowhere has the infrastructure that Los Angeles has for telling human, character-driven tales with coronary heart.
The depth of our levels, our amenities, and our artistic sources is unmatched. It takes a large machine to make a present; our print retailers, our lumber yards, dry cleaners, eating places, and all of the myriad prop homes who’ve curated a set of historical past with out parallel. However greater than that, it’s the below-the-line employees right here—the craftspeople, the crews, the union groups—who kind the spine of this business. They’re a part of what makes Los Angeles a real dream manufacturing facility. Tv is an industrial course of, and in some ways, it sits on the very coronary heart of Southern California’s id.
Appears business is going through artistic challenges as nicely. AI is turning into a sizzling matter in artistic industries. Do you see a strategy to incorporate AI into manufacturing and set design with out compromising the artistry? What are your issues or hopes for AI’s position in the way forward for Hollywood? – I can see AI as a sort of analysis assistant—serving to uncover new reference supplies, shortcut sure estimates, and handle massive volumes of knowledge. The place I can see it being simplest is in organizing information and breaking down complicated particulars into usable components. I see actual worth in AI as a compilation of information instrument, particularly if there have been a safe, personal strategy to enter scripts, schedules, and different manufacturing paperwork to help with artistic and logistical planning. Something that reduces the drudgery helps us reclaim time for the artwork and soul of the work.
A lot of how I method design is rooted in analysis. I’m always trying to find new and weird sources of visible inspiration. One in all my private tips is that I keep away from utilizing different movies as direct references for manufacturing design. I deeply admire the work of those that’ve come earlier than me—they encourage and encourage—however their imagery is already a curated response to a distinct temporary, beneath totally different situations. I consider the artistic course of as a mixture of structured analysis and spontaneous spark.
That’s the place I see AI being most helpful—not in producing photos, which regularly really feel like copies of copies, however in serving to uncover unique sources I wouldn’t have discovered alone. Generative photos aren’t attention-grabbing to me, they really feel like a parlor trick. They lack context, specificity, and texture. What excites me extra is utilizing AI’s language capabilities to unearth main supply artists, actions, or obscure references that may gasoline the actual artistic work. A artistic search engine, constructed for creatives. If there have been an actual path that protected the photographs that artists create from being stolen, regulation on the best way distinctive work was used, and we deal with the actual environmental influence that AI has, solely then can we discover positive aspects that really feel good.
Hacks premieres each Thursday, with the ultimate Season 4 episode scheduled for Might twenty ninth. Streaming on MAX.
Uncover extra of the unique backstage photos and manufacturing design sketches from Hacks in our gallery:
