THE STORY – In the bubble of Silicon Valley, the unorthodox relationship between a wannabe tech titan and his therapist illustrates the Valley’s madness and failings.
THE CAST – Billy Magnussen, Sarah Goldberg, Rob Corddry, Meaghan Rath, Simon Helberg, Paul Adelstein, & Lucy Punch
THE TEAM – Jonathan Glatzer (Showrunner & Co-Writer)
If Jonathan Glatzer’s career so far has shown networks one thing, it’s that the award-winning writer is ready to take his shot at spearheading a series. It’s all but warranted for someone whose work on popular prestige dramas like “Better Call Saul,” “Bloodline,” “Bad Sisters,” and most notably “Succession,” has catapulted him into one of Hollywood’s most consistent writers for hire. It’s only fitting that AMC, the last of the network cable’s strongholds in programming, was ready to take a chance, even doubling down with an early season two renewal for Glatzer’s latest venture, “The Audacity.” The series, which spotlights the loathsome enclave of some of the worst personalities in Silicon Valley, is an unfortunately tame attempt at a scathing takedown of said individuals who fascinate Glazter so much.
Here, the wealthy are, as expected, depicted as out-of-touch elites desperate to create the next thing or, more so, the next con to keep them on said board of trustees. Glazter’s best creative decision was to center the chaos of it all around Billy Magnussen’s tech disrupter Duncan Park, the CEO of Hypergnosis, whose leaking of discussions surrounding a potential acquisition could tank the last lifeline he so desperately needs to keep his head above water. His marriage is crumbling, he lacks respect amongst his peers, and he’s out of ideas that would somehow spare him from the legitimate potential of legal fallout. That is, until he decides that his relationship with his therapist, Joanne Felder (Sara Goldberg), might be the Hail Mary worth crossing an additional ethical boundary for what is not only the beginning of a skeptical partnership but one that could be far more lucrative for them than they could ever imagine.
Glatzer’s time alongside Jesse Armstrong certainly left an impression, as his writing here skewers towards dialogue filled with tech-based buzzwords and chippy one-liners. It’s a drama that tries to dabble in comedy, but many of its jokes fall flat. That includes Lucy Punch’s Lili Park-Hoffsteader assembling a roundtable of professionals and body-shaming her daughter to guarantee her college admission, and Zach Galifianakis’s disconnected billionaire Carl Bardolph, navigating his raging temper tantrums. It’s evident that the humor certainly lives or dies by the investment these characters garner from the audience, which remains limited. There’s a clear effort to show how these adults are not only affecting the world they live in, but also their children, who inherit their worst traits, only continuing a cycle of mindsets that seem to run rampant in Silicon Valley.
At least Magnussen’s performance is enjoyable, tapping into an erratic energy that brings life to “The Audacity,” which spends most of its time treating characters as chess pieces for inevitable moments later in the series rather than as characters in their own right. His over-the-top characterization, while ridiculous at times, looms so large over the series that when it focuses more on Goldberg’s character, mainly her dynamic with her son, it’s all but tedious. Even Goldberg tapping into that manic energy she captured so well in previous works like “Barry” isn’t enough, whenever she and Magnusen aren’t on screen together. Their dynamic, while fascinating, takes too long to get going. However, time is devoted to Simon Helberg’s Martin Phister, an aloof “well-intentioned” billionaire aiming to create an adaptive A.I., and Rob Corddry’s Tom Ruffage, a veteran who aims to use Big Tech to help unsupported veterans. These are all but check points far more essential to the bigger picture than most individual moments spent deepening their boorish individual arcs.
By the halfway point of the season, “The Audacity” finally starts to gain some traction, as the pieces begin to finally fall into place for where Glatzer’s more isolated storylines begin to converge. It’s a bit too patient, albeit uninteresting, but the gears begin turning, especially when Carl becomes more involved in Duncan’s world, dabbling between potential partner and adversary. But the time taken to get to where “The Audacity” is at a slightly amusing place is still hours of setup that isn’t all that worth it. The progression is there, and maybe its freshman season sticks the landing hard enough that Mangussen, Goldberg, and crew can continue stealing everyone’s data for more cons and, hopefully, more successful laughs.
THE GOOD – Billy Magnussen’s performance, as well as those from Sara Goldberg and Zach Galifianakis, make for an entertaining trio of personalities to anchor Jonathan Glatzer’s style of screenwriting.
THE BAD – Its slow pacing, inconsistent humor, and fleshing out of storylines that are further from Duncan and Joanne’s direct relationship only make the first half of the season tougher to get through.
THE EMMY PROSPECTS – None
THE FINAL SCORE – 5/10
