Forgot password
Enter the email address you used when you joined and we'll send you instructions to reset your password.
If you used Apple or Google to create your account, this process will create a password for your existing account.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Reset password instructions sent. If you have an account with us, you will receive an email within a few minutes.
Something went wrong. Try again or contact support if the problem persists.

Silicon Valley Series Premiere Review: “Minimum Viable Product” (Season 1, Episode 1)

Mike Judge has been more successful on the small screen than on the big one. Compare the huge success of Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill to the cult status of Office Space and outright obscurity of Idiocracy and Extract and you’ll see what I mean. Sure, he flopped on TV with his last show The Goode Family, but in light of how enjoyable the first episode of Silicon Valley is, that misstep can be forgotten.
This article is over 10 years old and may contain outdated information

silicon-valley-s1e1-2

Recommended Videos

There are some other minor shortcomings to the episode, too. Besides Monica being telegraphed as Richard’s future love interest, the Google stand-in Hooli and its instantly dislikable leader Gavin Belson seem to be set up early on as Richard’s antagonist. It’s easy to see events play out where the coders at Hooli try to reverse engineer Richard’s code after he spurned Belson’s offer to buy out the technology for a cool $10 million. Hopefully Judge will avoid making it a predictable slobs versus snobs comedy where Richard and his rag-tag group of friends are constantly butting heads with the bullies at the bigger, more entrenched tech company.

Not all the jokes in the episode land, either. Early on there’s a joke about a dating website for people with Asperger’s that is little more than an observation that people with Asperger’s are socially awkward. Later on there’s a shot of a comically small car where the joke is, “Hey, look at how small that car is.” These are the sort of low-hanging fruit that The Goode Family swiped at and missed, and if Silicon Valley is going to avoid the fate of that rather dreadful show then it’s going to need to try harder than that.

If it seems like I’m nitpicking, that’s only because overall I’ve really enjoyed what I’ve seen of Silicon Valley so far, and I want it to live up to its full potential. With Middleditch in the lead as Richard, Judge has given us a character that is a rarity in cable sitcoms these days: a well-intentioned, affable person whom viewers can root for. Compare that to, say, Girls, where the writers almost dare audiences to like the generally awful characters. There’s something to be said for that approach, too, but it’s a breath of fresh air to be given characters that are likeable for a change.

There is a lot of potential for some hilarious satirization of real-life Silicon Valley culture with this show as well. Judge is a brilliant satirist when he’s at his best, such as with the MTV culture-skewering Beavis and Butthead and the corporate culture-skewering Office Space. The success of the show will depend on the strength of the characters, which should be easy given the acting talent involved, and the Judge’s ability to make it relatable to non-geeks who might not know what a compression algorithm is or why a really good one might be so desirable as to warrant a $10 million dollar buyout offer.

If Judge can deliver on the promise of the show, then Silicon Valley could very easily end up being another comedy hit for HBO. It’s got the talent both behind and in front of the camera to succeed, and just needs to avoid veering into the disappointing terrain of Judge’s recent cinematic and TV misfires. The tech industry has long been due for a really good satire, and this may very well be it.


We Got This Covered is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy
Author
Image of Jeremy Clymer
Jeremy Clymer
Jeremy Clymer is a freelance writer and stand-up comic who lives, works, and keeps it real in the Midwestern state of Michigan, USA. No, not that part of Michigan. The other part.