“Silicon Valley,” HBO’s newest series, premiered last Sunday, April 6, and it seems to hold a lot of promise. Despite its underwhelming pilot, the show as a whole seems to be a smorgasbord of other well-received comedies — particularly prominent in the writing of the characters.
Silicon Valley
B
Series Premiere
HBO
Sundays at 10 p.m.
Intelligently constructed, the show takes place in the titular Silicon Valley and revolves around website and app developers. Unlike Comedy Central’s “Workaholics,” the type of work that the characters do is very much at the show’s forefront. Several times during the premiere, a social hierarchy within the tech world is established. While the writers obviously play up stereotypes (the coders are described as “douchebags” and characterized much like the douchey jocks that can be found roaming the halls of America’s high schools), it seems crucial to the show’s future development. Even within a world that could easily be filled with the dorkiest and smartest kids you grew up with, audiences discover that Richard (Thomas Middleditch, “The Wolf of Wall Street”) and his friends still remain at the bottom of the social ladder, casted as the underdogs.
Some of the secondary characters are brilliantly written. Some personal favorites include Peter Gregory (the late Christopher Evan Welch, “War of the Worlds”) and the doctor (Andy Daly, “Eastbound and Down”). Welch plays Peter Gregory beautifully. In his first scene, Gregory gives a TED Talk with a cadence so painfully awkward and forced that it’s clear the writers are entirely familiar with the banality of the real TED lectures. The doctor gives nods to Dr. Spaceman from NBC’s “30 Rock” through a few slightly incompetent and self-involved mannerisms. His pitch at the end of the visit, which sent Richard into even more of a downward spiral, is similar to the times Tracey visited Dr. Spaceman in “30 Rock.”
But not all of the secondary characters are welcome inclusions; having a hot, yet well-informed techie as a love interest for our socially awkward, but endearing protagonist, seems undeniably trite. Even if Richard does not get romantically involved with Monica (Amanda Crew, “Charlie St. Cloud”), the writers will surely play up the sexual tension. Hopefully HBO doesn’t fall into this repetitive pattern and instead looks to use the character for something more compelling.
The character Gavin (Matt Ross, “American Psycho”) seems like he could have been taken out of a sketch in “Portlandia.” When Richard goes into his office to discuss selling his website, all of Gavin’s employees gush about their employer in a seemingly cult-like manner. While Richard does not prescribe to the vibes of Gavin’s office, the discomfort of the relationships permeated the scene.
While not HBO’s best premiere, “Silicon Valley” has plenty of room to grow. The characters, evoking those of shows past, are solid, and the writers have set themselves up for potential greatness as the season progresses.