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If you’re in the mood for a clever and satirical dive into the world of tech, then The Audacity from AMC should be your next must-watch. Crafted by Jonathan Glatzer, known for his work on Succession, Bad Sisters, and Better Call Saul, this series promises to deliver an intriguing look at the tech industry’s inner workings. DECIDER has an exclusive sneak peek of what to expect!
According to AMC’s synopsis, The Audacity immerses viewers in the Silicon Valley bubble, tackling the distorted ambitions, inflated egos, and ethical missteps of those who consider themselves the architects of tomorrow. The show features a colorful array of characters, including jaded billionaires, self-help gurus, biohacked tech enthusiasts, AI researchers, and teenagers in elite private schools. At the center is a daring CEO of a data-mining company, portrayed by Billy Magnussen, who is on a quest to transform insight and influence into profit and power.
In DECIDER’s exclusive preview, we witness the plight of Carl Bardolph, a disillusioned tech mogul played by Zach Galifianakis, as he navigates an existential crisis during a therapy session. Spoiler: things aren’t going smoothly!
The nearly three-minute teaser starts with Carl’s therapist, Dr. JoAnne Felder, played by Sarah Goldberg, working from her home office. She momentarily pauses to ask her son to stop practicing his bassoon during her sessions. Returning to Carl, she apologizes for the interruption, but he dismisses it with self-deprecating humor, saying, “Might as well fill the emptiness with bagpipes, or whatever that was. Lord knows I was just gonna complain anyway. And who wants to hear me complain? Boo hoo, poor old rich fart.”
Dr. JoAnne reassures him that everyone has the right to vent, but Carl retorts, “Not the richies! People act as if we took something, as if we didn’t build everything they touch. We didn’t build it to be worshiped. We built it to work, and it does work. But where’s our parade? All I see are pitchforks and ingratitude. And honestly, it’s starting to make me a bit crazy!”
She asks Carl if he’d like to “starfish,” and he gets on the floor, spreads his arms and legs out wide, and assumes the calming position. But it’s not calming enough!
Carl tells JoAnne that he’s “backsliding,” then furiously vents about a stranger who came up to him in his happy place just as he was about to bite into a t-bone steak. “He’s like, ‘Oh, Mr. Bardolph, you’re such an inspiration! Of course, he brings up Bardolph’s Law,” Carl says, referencing what JoAnne calls his “legacy.”
“Bardolph’s Law is something I wrote on a napkin on speed when we still had fax machines,” Carl snaps, before continuing to skewer the stranger. He fantasizes about his dream response to the disruption and admits he wanted to “reach and throttle and just squeeze and squeeze” the stranger’s throat until “his eyes popped out.”
“That would have been a legacy. But I didn’t. I didn’t,” he says. And that’s our time with The Audacity! For now…
Also starring Lucy Punch, Simon Helberg, Rob Corddry, Meaghan Rath, Paul Adelstein, Everett Blunck, Thailey Roberge, Ava Marie Telek, and Randall Park, the dark comedic drama premieres two of eight episodes on Sunday, April 12 on AMC and AMC+. After that, new episodes of The Audacity air Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT. So set your alarms accordingly, and buckle up for billionaire drama!
New episodes of The Audacity premiere Sundays on AMC and AMC+.