‘Hacks’ Guest Star Christopher Briney on Romancing Jean Smart’s Deborah Vance

Hacks dove into the deep end of age-gap romances for its latest episode, “No New Tricks,” which introduced Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) to up-and-coming singer, Nico Hayes, played by The Summer I Turned Pretty‘s Christopher Briney. Warning: Spoilers for Hacks Season 5 Episode 3 ahead!

Meeting him at a party in Las Vegas, Deborah was beckoned to Nico’s side as he wished to meet her amid the kick-off of his residency. He told her about how impressed he was by her career, and explained how his own experiences with falsified news stories led him to understand that her departure from late-night was more important than the breakdown others had presented.

When Nico invited Deborah out to a date, she thought it was a PR stunt, and agreed because she could use all of the free press she could get in order to hype her MSG show, but she was shocked and delighted to learn that Nico’s invite was of genuine interest in her. Things even get steamy with a kiss. “I thought it was legitimately hot,” showrunner Lucia Aniello says of the moment shared between Nico and Deborah.

In order to boost her star power, Deborah called her paparazzi friends to catch her and Nico on dates, but when one photographer mentioned her antics, Nico shut down the relationship, angered that she’d betray his trust.  “I’m shipping them,” fellow showrunner Jen Statsky shares, adding, “I’m really still rooting for Deborah and him.”