[Opinion] How ‘Hacks’ Botched Its Yiddish Line

How ‘Hacks’ botched its Yiddish line

In the most recent episode of HBO Max’s critically acclaimed comedy-drama Hacks, Robbie Hoffman, who plays Randi, an ex-Hasidic assistant to agents who represent stand-up comedian Deborah Vance (Jean Smart), says a line in Yiddish. Unfortunately, as any fluent Yiddish speaker will confirm, it’s grammatically incorrect. In the episode, “The Garden” — referring to Madison Square Garden — Vance’s nemesis Bob Lipka (played by Tony Goldwyn) manages t…

Robby Hoffman’s Mom Wrote That Yiddish Line in ‘Hacks'

Editorial note: Spoilers ahead for season five, episode nine of “Hacks.” Robby Hoffman has long deserved an Emmy for her work as Schaefer & LuSaque’s resident queer, ex-Hasidic assistant Randi in “Hacks.” And now, in our humble opinion, her mom does too! In the latest episode “The Garden,” Randi has a line in Yiddish which Robby credits her mother with writing. In the episode, Ava (Hannah Einbinder), Jimmy (Paul W. Downs), Kayla (Meg Stalter), R…