Continuing the Home Box Office network's Bay Area fascination, the simply titled Silicon Valley from the mind of Beavis and Butthead and Office Space creator Mike Judge will debut on cable and borrowed HBO Go accounts everywhere on April 6th.
The series was inspired by Judge's previous life as a computer programmer and follows main character Richard (Thomas Middleditch) as he goes about his days living in a hacker hostel and working in a startup incubator alongside a cast of misfit pals played by Josh Brener, Martin Starr and Kumail Nanjiani. All five of them live under one roof paid for by an eccentric dotcommer played by T.J. Miller who asks for nothing in return other than a stake in whatever disruptive ideas they come up with. In true Mike Judge form, the conflict comes when down-on-his-luck Richard, fresh off a failed VC pitch, finds himself in the middle of a bidding war for a search algorithm he created.
The Contra Costa Times' Chuck Barney got an early peek at the first two episodes, saying it's got "all the makings of another comedic hit for HBO," before sharing what precious few plot details the network would let him get away with:
...essentially Richard doesn't want to be a "lifer" at his huge fictional tech company and he just might have created an incredible search algorithm that could set him free. But he's so quivery and awkward and spineless that he may not have what it takes to capitalize on his success. Middleditch absolutely nails the role, and you can't help but root for him.With its band of tech brothers, "Silicon Valley" comes with the nerdy-guy types we've all seen before. (There are the usual jokes about how they aren't exactly chick magnets.) But with some sharp writing and nuanced acting, these characters still manage to feel fresh and distinct.
Judge directed four of the eight episodes and shares the writing credits with his longtime partners John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky, among others.
While we're here: Looking HBO's "real life" comedic drama about 20-something gay men looking for love and navigating the local scene debuts next Sunday, January 19th so now would be a good time to ask your friend for their HBO Go login.
Previously: 'Office Space' Creator Mike Judge Filming HBO Pilot In Silicon Valley
[TV By the Numbers]
[Contra Costa Times]