Slotted To Succeed: How ‘Silicon Valley’ Became The Perfect Sunday Night Show

“Did you fart? Are you a farter?” — Richard Hendriks

It’s difficult to pinpoint why, but this is exactly what one needs to hear after watching a man burn alive. Yes, Silicon Valley, a geeky version of HBO’s Entourage, has managed to become the perfect yin to Game of Thrones‘ yang, precisely because of arguably perfect programming (no incubator pun intended).

Last night marked the highly-anticipated fifth season premiere of Game of Thrones, followed by another strong opener from Mike Judge‘s comedy Silicon Valley, which satisfied all my needs as a viewer who’s just been tasked with digesting the drama of Westeros. By no means is this going to be a comparison of which series is better; they’re both completely unique from one another, and Game of Thrones has proved year after year that it’s gone above and beyond the standard of any other series on primetime television with every episode feeling like a short film rather than a show per se. But Richard and the rest of the Pied Piper crew have managed to become the dark horses of the premium cable weekend lineup. After watching a rather bleak Game of Thrones opener featuring the expected blood and guts (by the way, did anyone else leap out of their skin when those dragons started bugging out?) and ongoing politics in the quest for the Iron Throne, the nerdy ensemble comedy acts as a perfect palate cleanser.

When you think “palate cleanser,” it’s easy to assume we’re talking about Bravo reality fare or adult-friendly cartoons that lull you into a sleepy stupor. Outside of this go-to realm is Silicon Valley, which serves as a clean slate for viewers who want something to wind down with after watching a show as stressful as Game of Thrones. To clarify, the Mike Judge techie ensemble is far from dumbed-down entertainment, but it’s easy-going, overall cheery demeanor (enhanced by the bright California sunshine and Office Space-like soundtrack) have made for a solid half hour of wholly goofy watchability, enhanced by the seriousness it follows.

The second season premiere, “Sand Hill Shuffle,” opens with the Pied Piper crew — Richard (Thomas Middleditch), Erlich (TJ Miller), Gilfoyle (Martin Starr), and Dinesh (Kumail Nanjiani) — having their colloquial asses kissed by potential buyers after their sweeping success at Tech Crunch Disrupt. Soon after their celebration ad honored guests at the Giants’ AT&T Park (way to know your clientele buyer, folks) they receive the bad news that their quirky billionaire advocate (and most hopeful investor) Peter Gregory (played by the late Christopher Evan Welch) has passed away during a safari expedition involving a hippo and a heart attack. After Welch’s untimely death last season, Judge and his writers had Gregory traveling off screen from excursion to excursion for inspiration regarding his larger technological vision. It was only a matter of time before the series had to address the passing of one of their main cast members, but Silicon Valley did right by Welch and his enigmatic character, and placing his legend in the hands of his equally socially inept female counterpart, Laurie Bream (Suzanne Cryer), who is now tasked with keeping Pied Piper close to Raviga Capital’s proverbial chest.

But that doesn’t mean the boys can’t test the waters to see who will offer Pied Piper the most for their industry-changing compression algorithm, thus kicking off one of the funniest sequences the series has seen yet. Feeling his oats, Richard follows in Erlich’s obnoxious footsteps and gives potential investors a run for their money by asserting (to a room of mostly men, mind you), “If you don’t fund us… then you’re a fucking slut.” This is a new side to the CEO who was afraid of his own shadow last season.

If you’re in need of a wind-down-watch after chewing your nails in angst for the last hour, make Silicon Valley your other Sunday night staple (while you’re waiting for Veep and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, of course). Even when tech startup drama strikes, the Pied Piper boys will have you giggling as you trail off dreaming of sunny California rather than Whitewalkers and the fact that winter is coming.

Silicon Valley airs Sunday evenings at 10 PM on HBO, HBO Go, and HBO NOW.

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Photos: HBO/Everett Collection