Review: Silicon Valley Seasons 1 and 2

Catching up on TV shows is a constant battle. There are so many good shows coming on and not enough time to watch them (nor do we have cable). I recently had a chance to sit down and watch both seasons of Silicon Valley, HBO’s comedy around a startup software company.

The critically acclaimed show lives up to the hype. The situation seems real enough and the characters are funny and relateable.

Thomas Middleditch, as Richard Hendricks, is the lead of the show; the creator of Pied Piper, a software that compresses data. Middleditch comes off as many tech-savy guys do in real life…a little awkward socially, but very smart. He’s put in very tough situations and typically is smart enough to get out of them (even when his awkwardness is responsible for them).

T.J. Miller is on the board of Pied Piper and owns the house where Hendricks lives and operates his company. Miller is brash and abbrasive, but also the guy with the most business sense. He’s the perfect guy to play off Hendricks. Because of this role, I’m even more excited about seeing Miller play as Weasel in the Deadpool movie. His comedic timing makes a typically dispisable character likable.

Martin Starr and Kumail Nanjiani play developers Gilfoyle and Dinesh, who are constantly taking digs at each other. Each believe they are better than they other and will stop at nothing to one-up each other. Starr and Nanjiani have the chemistry to pull off this relationship.

Rounding out the Pied Piper team is Zach Woods as Donald Dunn, AKA Jared. Jared left the rival Hooli to join Pied Piper and was the key to the season 2 finale. He’s very much in his Gabe from the Office role and is kind of the moral compass of the company.

There is also a strong supporting cast. Amanda Crew’s Monica appears to be a potential love interest for Hendricks, but it never seems to work out; granted, they might be better off to focus less on the romance of the relationship and stick with what has worked. Matt Ross, who plays Hooli CEO Gavin Belson, is much like Hendricks but a little more hearless; it’ll be interesting to see where season 3 takes him.

Season one focused on the building of the company while season 2 was more about a legal issue between Pied Piper and Hooli and the attempt to get funds for Pied Piper. Each seasons has many little issues that the company also faces along with the overall season story.

The biggest aspect of what works on the show is the relationship of the Pied Piper guys. While the situations are funny, it’s how they react that gets the biggest reactions. It’s a typical Mike Judge creation.

There are changes coming after the season 2 finale, but like the of the series, the company will adapt and continue to make light of their situation. I look forward to it starting.