Silicon Valley - HBO & Mike Judge

brevity

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69V__a49xtw

Mike Judge has been entertaining audiences for years with his own brand of insightful comedy, and now we're getting a longer look at how he plans to skewer the tech world. The latest trailer for his upcoming HBO series Silicon Valley builds upon the basic premise sketched out in the first teaser: it's a show about a group of socially awkward software engineers looking to hit it big, while a pair of dueling billionaires try to stake their claim and help the would-be upstarts. The likes of Thomas Middleditch (The Office) and Portlandia's Kumail Nanjiani make up the cast, while fans of Freaks and Geeks will no doubt recognize a bearded Martin Starr. Given Judge's track record with King of the Hill, Office Space, and Idiocracy, there are sure to be plenty of laughs when the show premieres on April 6th — and no shortage of cultural critique.

http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/23/5440798/watch-the-new-trailer-for-mike-judges-hbo-show-silicon-valley

Looking forward to this.

squonk

Sounds like a Big Bang Theory show that might actually manage to be both
intelligent and funny!

Mr E

Starts tonight. I have high expectations!

Gamayun

Just watched the first episode (there will be eight in the season); I really enjoyed it and will definitely be checking out the next few.

Mr E

Good fun! Not a huge amount of belly laughs, but I enjoyed it. Great setup for the season too....

massy086

Ye enjoyed it too looks like it could have legs

youcancallmeal

Really enjoyed it, definitely going to tune in for the rest of the season.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

Loved it. Will definitely be tuning in every week.

squonk

I liked it too. Had a bit of the feel of Office Space about it which is no bad thing. I know one or two people working at Google and when you hear the sort of brainwashed ****e they come out with at times it makes you glad there's a show like this around taking the piss out of the whole tech cult thing.

Good startup episode. I'll be interested to see where it goes!

PS. If I was the actor who plays Pindi from Franklin & Bash I'd be seriously worried about being typecast at this stage .

miralize

Always like some TJ Miller, Martin Starr and Kumail Nanjiani! Bit of a slow one but it'll set the rest of the season up well.

Shame that one of the main characters dies IRL.

youcancallmeal

miralize wrote: »

Shame that one of the main characters dies IRL.

I don't get ya?

miralize

youcancallmeal wrote: »

I don't get ya?

The guy who plays Peter Gregory died during filming.

squonk

RIP. That's a pity

Skerries

It is too much like the recent Betas by Amazon, team of programming nerds trying to make it big in Silicon Valley

lertsnim

I like it. Will watch again.

miralize

Skerries wrote: »

It is too much like the recent Betas by Amazon, team of programming nerds trying to make it big in Silicon Valley

The premise may be, but I trust Judge to do it better.

Zwillinge

Watched it last night; enjoyed it.

Shall follow it along

Guy:Incognito

Enjoyed that, will keep watching.

Mc Love

That was a pretty good opening episode. That bird that works for gregson is definitely a reason to keep watching!

Seren_

Watched episode 1 earlier and enjoyed it. Hope Martin Starr's character gets used a bit better in the upcoming episodes though.

iguana

Thought the second episode was even stronger. I like Jared's increased role and was in stitches when the others were talking about Big Head.

Mr E

Yeah totally agree, I really enjoyed it. Much stronger than the pilot.

A great collection of characters, all with their own personalities.

squonk

I thought ep 2 was more drama than comedy to be honest but definitely a stronger episode overall.

pickarooney

I'm enjoying this. That guy from the Office is always the same in everything. As is Martin Starr, I suppose.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

pickarooney wrote: »

I'm enjoying this. That guy from the Office is always the same in everything. As is Martin Starr, I suppose.

I think Bill Haverchuck was unique compared to every other role Starr has played... Although you wouldn't find me complaining if he did play Bill Haverchuck all the time...

iguana

He was also very different in the Veronica Mars movie.

IvaBigWun

I almost convulsed from laughing at those last few minutes last night. Very funny stuff.

Overall a solid show so far!

lertsnim

Quality. Some great LOL moments this week.

Also Starring LeVar Burton

I liked that the whole Burger King thing went somewhere... Really enjoying it so far

pickarooney

The Burger King visionary

sadly died in real life after a few episodes

. This episode was very, very funny. The whole bit with Guilfoyle needing to get/renew a visa was class.

Toto Wolfcastle

Watched the first two episodes and I didn't enjoy them. I'll watch the third episode but unless I really enjoy it I think I'll just have to admit defeat. It may not be for me.

The One Who Knocks

I'm loving it!

Very interested in the startup scene

Seren_

Really enjoying this show so far. Glad to see it got renewed for a second season too, although it's a shame that

Christopher Evan Welch won't be a part of it. He's fantastic in it. Awful that he passed away so young.

All the characters are great, although I feel that they could do with developing Monica (Peter Gregory's assistant) a bit more. She kinda seems like just the token woman at the minute.

squonk

It's interesting so far but I expected more. It's fairly low on laughs. Given how good a cult film Office Space is, it's hard to believe that this is also by Mike Judge. I think it's fairly forgettable so far but I'm sure it'll improve as we're only at episode 3 right now.

Mc Love

I love it!

Just after watching the first two episodes and alongside Enlisted this is the comedy of the year for me. Well I say comedy but much like Enlisted, dramedy is more apt.

The opening episode had a real Office Space feel to it, the monotony of the day to day like of employees working in a place that is soul crushingly reminiscent of all those things we hope to escape when we leave school. Having recently suffered through the Internship, (which incidentally enough also starred Josh Brener is almost the same role he plays here) I was expecting something rather similar. Thankfully Judge isn't pandering to the majesty of Google and seems more interested in poking fun at the ridiculous work place novelties as well as showing up some of the unethical tactics that all tech giants employ.

The biggest laughs in the opening episode comes from the utter philosophical nonsense spouted by Gavin Bell,he's a caricature that is strangely reminiscent of many "enlightened" individuals who. His musing over the importance of how programmers group together is exactly the kind of crap that I've heard spouted by similar individuals whom are attempting to appear deep.

What really makes the show a success is the manner in which episode 2 is more interested in the drama than it is cheap laughs. It would be incredibly easy to present a comedy about an Internet start up and rehash the same tired jokes but Judge and his co-creators do seem genuinely interested in the world and want to explore it in a little depth. The hooker scene is a little overtly familiar but it worked well, even if Kumail Nanjiani seems to think that he's still shooting Franklin and Bash. It's also refreshing to have a series such as this where each week the dynamic is reset so that the writers can tell an isolated story. Much like How to Make it in America, Silicon Valley feels like a show more interested in the evolution of these characters above all else. Many people have compared it to the Big Bang Theory but that does this show a huge disservice. Two episodes down and already it's ten times the show that the BBT every hoped to be. It doesn't pander to the audience or resort to cheap insulting cliches.

I had planned to watch episodes 3 and 4 over the weekend but the first two were so good that I'll be watching them once I finish this.

S.M.B.

Who's comparing it to TBBT? That's madness. Such a superficial comparison, the two shows are nothing alike.

squonk

S.M.B. wrote: »

Who's comparing it to TBBT? That's madness. Such a superficial comparison, the two shows are nothing alike.

Agreed. TBBT is humorless, unwatchable crap whereas SV is actually quite good!

S.M.B.

S.M.B. wrote: »

Who's comparing it to TBBT? That's madness. Such a superficial comparison, the two shows are nothing alike.

Lazy comparisons were always going to be made between the two, characters and situations are similar yet worlds apart and many casual viewers will always go for the easiest comparison.

Watched episodes 3 and 4 and the show is just going from strength to strength. The writing in particular is much stronger which I think may be a result of not having 3 people working on each, there's a more refined approach and it's a joy to see something as small as the Burger King gag being used so well. It's perhaps the finest piece of product placement I've ever seen and actually benefits the overall plot. Episode four had the biggest laugh, which considering that it's a vomit joke really is hard to believe. I can't recall that last time someone being sick was funny and you have to tip your hat to anyone who can make something so cliched work so well.

Mc Love

Ep 4 was the best one yet! I can see awards for this show in the not too distant future

The One Who Knocks

Just finished episode 6, absolutely brilliant!

It just keeps getting better and better, poor Jared hahah

lertsnim

I really enjoyed that. Lots of funny moments in it.

This has really impressed the hell out of me, while this weeks episode was a little far fetched in some aspects it was still one of the funniest things in awhile. The slapping scene was a thing of beauty and gave me the biggest laugh of any show this year.

With last weeks episode being the last to feature Christopher Evan Welch I was curious as to how they would handle it. Rather than kill off Peter Gregory it seems that they are going to keeping him offscreen, it's going to be interesting to see how it plays out but I'm glad they didn't just have some token off screen death occur. Really is a shame that Welch passed, he was a great actor and watching Silicon Valley you could easily see it establishing him as one of the finest working actors around.

miralize

"You just brought piss to a **** fight you little c-" *slap*

Hilarious!

pickarooney

I hopre Jared doesn't just magically reappear in Palo Alto next week as if nothing happened. What a nightmare!

IvaBigWun

pickarooney wrote: »

I hopre Jared doesn't just magically reappear in Palo Alto next week as if nothing happened. What a nightmare!

Did anyone else find it a little too "suspend your disbelief there now please" when he was getting locked up in the container?

He was clearly banging the rear view mirror and could be seen by the two lads who were closing it up

IvaBigWun

IvaBigWun wrote: »

Did anyone else find it a little too "suspend your disbelief there now please" when he was getting locked up in the container?

He was clearly banging the rear view mirror and could be seen by the two lads who were closing it up

I assumed that either there was a lot of noise in the docks drowning his screams out or the car may be soundproof.

Seren_

The last few episodes had to be totally rewritten in a short space of time when Welch passed away, so I think I'll give a little leeway on the Jared getting stuck on a ship plot. Definitely a mis-step, but Jared is probably my favourite character so I don't mind seeing such a ridiculous plot too much when it's him involved.

The kid who smacked Richard is a great wee actor!

miralize

I could see myself easily watching this repeatedly

lertsnim

One of the great scenes from this year.

LaVail

liking this show a lot...some great scenes in it so far