Once in a while , a TV show comes along that inspires a generation and changes pop culture forever. I don’t think this is going to be one of those shows.
A tech based sitcom called Silicon Valley will premiere on HBO. The premiere is scheduled for April 6, 2014. It’s created by and stars Mike Judge. That’s right: the same Mike Judge that gave us Beavis and Butt-Head, King of the Hill and Office Space back in the 1990s. It also stars Thomas Middleditch? and Josh Brener, among other young rising actors. Middleditch’s character, Richard and his friends live with a dot com millionaire for free so long as they help the millionaire run his affairs. But he also works for online company Hooli. Eventually, Richard gets caught in a bidding war between his boss at Hooli and billionaire venture capitalist vying for Richard’s services. This season is expected to last eight episodes and it may or may not get picked up for a second.
I say don’t hold your breath. I better warn you, this is not family entertainment! I’ve seen a 30 second trailer and in that trailer there were at least 5 dirty words and sexual references. But the reason I’m pessimistic about Silicon Valley is because we’ve seen this all before. A bunch of introverted geeks with a token woman in the show: sounds like Big Bang Theory to me. And wasn’t The Intern movie based on the Silicon Valley? When I think of movies dealing with bad bosses, I can think of Office Space, Horrible Bosses, the lists goes on and on. Now I like good racy humor, but even Southpark can go 30 seconds without cussing everybody to death. These kinds of characters have been seen so many times it’s becoming stereotypical: the introverted nerd, the mean boss, and the hot chick that nobody can get. The reason Mike Judge succeeded back in the 1990s is because those shows had originality. I don’t see much here. Do you think Silicon Valley will be picked up for a second season?