In an era of TV focused on evil rich people’s problems, The Audacity echoes much of the sentiment shared by similar shows.
It blends the corporate greed emulated by Industry and Succession with the satirical take on tech in Silicon Valley, carefully walking the line between despairing drama and dry comedy.
The following episodes certainly have some heavy lifting to do to keep our attention.
But as a television viewer, I don’t know if the pilot was necessarily enough to sell me on the show.
There was one bright shining spot, though: Billy Magnussen’s performance.
What Didn’t Work So Well
Even though The Audacity has an extensive ensemble cast, it feels like this early in the show, the story hasn’t figured out how to include them.
While the concept of focusing on the effects of selfish parents obsessed with stock prices works great in theory, the implementation could have been more effective.
The brief introduction to characters like Jamison, Orson, and Tess doesn’t give us a strong reason to invest in these characters.
This issue extends to other parts of the various storylines crammed into the hour, most notably with Anushka.
As a woman of color in a high-ranking position in Silicon Valley, Anushka is a character with plenty of potential for exploring the ills of the tech industry.
Yet the show falls short in initially selling her character.
It’s unclear as to what her ultimate goal is–besides making money, of course.
Even if that is her primary desire, I’d love to better understand why it’s her driving force.
The commentary on veterans and the critique of American defense funding for tech companies are another aspect of the premiere I’m on the fence about.
I’m curious to see whether the veteran storyline will go, but all in all, there just feel like too many moving parts to keep track of, making it hard to get invested.
However, one performance in particular caught my attention and convinced me to tune in for future episodes.
Billy Magnussen Blew Me Away
Anushka recalls her co-worker calling Duncan “a dumb man’s genius,” and I can’t think of a better way to describe him.
From the puffy vest jacket to at-home ayahuasca sessions, Duncan is the walking stereotype of a Silicon Valley CEO, with the self-awareness of a newborn.
As someone who grew up around Silicon Valley, I experienced scarily accurate flashbacks to every tech bro I’ve ever met whenever Duncan was on screen.
Writing aside, Billy Magnussen is truly the powerhouse that keeps me interested in this show.
His skillful portrayal of the swinging spectrum of emotions that Duncan experiences has me invested in what this character arc might hold.
Magnussen truly taps into Duncan’s quieter side, revealing a deep sadness and loneliness, making him more relatable to anyone who hasn’t had the pleasure of being a CEO.
I’m excited about the possibility of more earnest emotional moments with Duncan in future episodes, which might involve revisiting why he keeps mentioning his father in the first episode.
Also, Magnussen’s chemistry with Sarah Goldeberg, who plays therapist JoAnne Felder, is very enticing.
Both of these actors are just incredible at portraying imperfect, morally grey characters destined to bring each other down.
The Audacity premiere certainly packed in lots of moving parts that felt like a massive juggling act, offering vague rather than anticipatory looks at the rest of the season.
But if future episodes of this series involve more verbal and emotional sparring and power struggles between Goldberg and Magnussen’s characters, then I’m certainly sold!
What did you think of The Audacity premiere?
Has it convinced you to tune into the show?
Leave your thoughts in the comments!
Make sure to check out our interviews with the cast.
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Billy Magnussen and Jonathan Glatzer discuss the explosive world of The Audacity and CEO Duncan Park’s larger-than-life personality.
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Simon Helberg, Rob Corddry, and Meaghan Rath discuss how their characters feel about being outsiders with something to prove on The Audacity.
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Paul Adelstein and Lucy Punch chat about how their characters on The Audacity have complicated marriages and parent-child relationships.
