‘Hacks’: Production Designer Rob Tokarz on Making the Palm Springs Pride Installation Scream Deborah Vance — Even When She Didn’t Show Up
Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor This is Deborah Vance’s world, and we’re just living in it. “Hacks” showrunners Lucia Aniello, Paul W.
Downs and Jen Statsky have spent the last few seasons establishing the visual aesthetic of Deborah (Jean Smart) — it’s big, bold and splashy; production designer Rob Tokarz, who landed an Emmy nomination for his work on the Max comedy, sought out ways to expand on that vision whenever the opportunity arose, especially when it came to new spaces.
In episode 8, Tokarz’s Emmy-nommed “Yes, And,” Deborah finds herself double-booked. She’s scheduled to appear at a Palm Springs Pride event, and she’s being given an honorary degree at UC Berkeley.
She’s faced with a tough choice, but she needs to get some buzz going, and the university is the place to do it. It’s the final push for her to get a hosting gig on a late night show, and a lot is riding on it.
