Sky Atlantic’s latest import, Silicon Valley, arrives on our shores with the same quiet fanfare as shows such as Workaholics and Broad City.  It certainly has an impressive pedigree, coming from the mind of Mike Judge, creator of cult hits Beavis and Butthead, King of the Hill and Office Space. It’s the sort of show that people on reddit dream about, The Big Bang Theory done right. Yet, for all its promise, the show falls flat.

When programmer, Richard Hendriks (Thomas Middleditch), creates a data compression algorithm that will revolutionise the tech world, he finds himself caught between two enticing offers. Accept a ten million dollar buyout of his start-up company from his boss Gavin Belson, CEO of internet giant Hooli, or build the company himself under the tutelage of genius, venture capitalist, Peter Gregory.

The Big Bang Theory (TBBT) presents us with a group of socially-inept “nerds” coming into contact with the wider world, and mocks them for their inability to fit in. By contrast, the nerds in Silicon Valley run the world. Of course, this is helped hugely by the setting; Silicon Valley is its own microcosm where nerds fulfil every role. Jocks, losers, Steve Jobs-style CEOs with messiah complexes claiming to save the world one iOS update at a time. Silicon Valley may make an obscure reference, but, unlike TBBT, won’t spend half an hour smugly tugging itself off for having the foresight to pick up a comic book.

When Mike Judge released Office Space in the late nineties, it provided a near-perfect satire of admin work, mostly due to the charm of its leading cast.  Silicon Valley may be an updated satire for the internet age, but its cast is instantly forgettable and its lead has as much personality as a wet blanket. The Big Bang Theory may make use of the laziest, racist and sexist stereotyping to define its characters, but, perversely, at least that makes them memorable characters. Silicon Valley has its moments, but at the moment it’s going out with a whimper.

Benjamin Cook