The seven-episode programme concerns the phone-hacking scandal from the perspectives of investigative journalist Nick Davies and Met Police Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Cook.
It stars the likes of David Tennant, Robert Carlyle and Toby Jones, and is written by Jack Thorne, who recently won an Emmy award for his work on Netflix hit Adolescence.
The official synopsis reads: “Set between 2002 and 2012, the drama deftly interweaves two real life stories, the work of investigative journalist Nick Davies, played by David Tennant, who uncovered evidence of phone hacking at the News of the World, and running parallel, the story of the investigation into the unsolved murder of private investigator Daniel Morgan, led by former Met Police Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Cook, played by Robert Carlyle”.
The first episode aired last night (Wednesday, September 24), and there were some mixed reactions from viewers.
ITV’s The Hack ‘trying too hard to be clever’
Plenty of people took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to share their thoughts on the show, and some found it hard to get into.
One wrote: “Cant help but feel the writers of #thehack are trying too hard to be clever. It’s not working.”
Another shared: “Watching the much-hyped #TheHack – my goodness, it’s poor. All-star cast in comedy wigs do nothing to lift it, it’s so confused.”
Some people weren’t a fan of the fourth wall breaks within the narrative.
One said: “Was really looking forward to #TheHack. Can’t watch it though; this talking to the camera nonsense. Does ANYONE think that is a good idea??”
However, there was still plenty of praise to be found, particularly for David Tennant’s performance as Nick Davies.
One commented: “Wow! David Tennant is excellent in #TheHack (not that I expected anything less!)”
Another said: “The main thing I feel from the first episode of #TheHack is that David Tennant is doing a great job with a very complex story.”
A third shared: “Enjoying The Hack, great acting and like the breaking of the 4th Wall.”
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Some had more mixed feelings, as one shared: “I enjoyed #TheHack, but I do think it went in too deep, too fast, too quickly.
“Lots of friends and family switched off because they got confused or didn’t understand what was going on.”
The Hack airs its next episode at 9pm on Wednesday, October 1, but all seven episodes are also available to watch right now on ITVX.
