As a teenager living in the center of Silicon Valley, I knew immediately that I had to watch the show named after this thriving land of business, innovation, and technology. Silicon Valley, an award-winning, fan-favorite series on HBO, satirizes this culture of tech companies and startups. Perhaps about a seemingly boring topic, this sitcom combines comedy and drama in a way that no other show has been able to and even with a lack of character development, its unique story and cast allows for non-stop, unexpected, and original humor.

The show follows Richard Hendrix (Thomas Middleditch) and his friends through their adventure of starting their tech company, Pied Piper, in the hub of innovation and cutthroat competition known as Silicon Valley. Richard, the CEO, is a prodigal coder but not nearly as legendary at anything else, like talking and writing, which creates a roller-coaster journey for the company, including notorious investors, lawsuits, and several other unimaginable events. Although their product could revolutionize the world and truly “make the world a better place” (as satirically quoted multiple times in the show), the company sure knows how to mess up badly enough, and repeatedly, to keep things interesting.

Much of the primary cast, including Middleditch, T.J. Miller, who plays Erlich Bachman (incubator for Pied Piper), and Zach Woods, who plays Jared Dunn (dorky and awkward Pied Piper employee), have backgrounds in stand-up comedy and knew each other prior to the show. This dynamic group takes director Mike Judge’s brilliantly scripted scenes and jokes to the next level through humorous improvisation and a sense of natural chemistry. This “geeky” show is not so much geeky—although the technical details are not lacking or inaccurate—as it is comedic, with every scene delivered almost as a joke. Hence, even people who despise computers or technology will still find Silicon Valley wildly hilarious and engaging.

Although this series fails to develop an intimate, emotional relationship between its characters and the audience, it makes up for it by providing an ever-changing and frequently surprising plot filled with drama and original comedy. And when they are not joking about race, sexual preferences, rich people, or nerds, there is a frightening point being made about the shallowness, lack of morals, and other traits which are common in the Valley. Without a doubt, Silicon Valley, one of the weirdest and funniest shows in television, is a must-watch and I definitely recommend everyone to check it out.  

Rating: 4.8/5