The Incredible TV Series Everyone Seems To Have Forgotten
"Silicon Valley" remains every bit as incredible as it was when it premiered more than a decade ago.
I've been on a weird kick lately of crushing old shows that I used to enjoy back in the day. I have no idea why, but I'm not mad about it. It's been a lot of fun to walk down memory lane.
The other day, I got the weird urge to fire up "Silicon Valley." All of a sudden, I found myself transported 10+years into the past enjoying myself like I haven't in a long time watching TV.
I realized it's time we give "Silicon Valley" the respect it deserves.
"Silicon Valley" remains as great as when it first aired. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)
"Silicon Valley" is bro television at its finest.
The HBO series about a group of tech programmers and engineers premiered in April 2014, and developed a bit of a cult following by the time it ended in December 2019.
It's hard to believe we're already coming up on the five-year anniversary of the series ending. Time sure does fly.
The series, while tech focused, is really about friendship. It's about a group of guys who are all social rejects coming together to pursue incredible success in Silicon Valley.
For every high Pied Piper - the company started by young genius Richard Hendricks - manages to achieve, there is always a downfall lingering right around the corner.
Yet, through it all, the story never strays away from really being about how a group of buddies refuse to quit. No matter how much garbage is talked, how much taunting is done or how mean it might get, they're all just dudes on the same team at the end of the day.
In many ways, "Silicon Valley" represents an era and mindset rarely seen on TV these days, but one we should get back to. Would a show about a bunch of guys bonding as they pursue the goal of getting rich with pretty limited diversity ever be made today? I somehow doubt it, and yet, we're less than five years removed from "Silcon Valley" ending. Times sure have changed.
The series also does an incredible job of skewering tech billionaires in a way that is even better than I remember. None of the billionaires in the show coming off look like good people. Yes, they have positive attributes, but all are so disconnected from reality that they lack any level of self-awareness of how the real world works. Sound familiar? It probably should because I'm fairly confident that's how many tech billionaires are in real life.
There are plenty of shows from over the years that are constantly referenced in pop culture and in just the way people talk. "Silicon Valley" isn't one of them, and that's insane to me, seeing just how amazing it is as a series.
The entire cast gave A+ performances, with Martin Starr giving one of the best performances in TV history as Gilfoyle - a genius engineer who is also a Satanist.
T.J. Miller - who left the show before it finished - also gave TV an all-time great character in Erlich Bachman. The lovable incubator leader whose sole goal is success, even when it's so clear he'll never have it.
It's a damn shame I waited so long to watch "Silicon Valley" again because it's really TV at its finest. It's a love letter to dudes broing out as they chase their dreams. We need more of that on TV - not less. For that reason and so many more, you all need to check out "Silicon Valley" on Max if you haven't already. Let me know your thoughts at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.