Simon Helberg has a new show, and not everyone agrees on it.
The Audacity, a darkly comedic series skewering Silicon Valley culture, has earned a "Certified Fresh" 78% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes but a "Rotten" 50% from general audiences — a gap that Screen Rant noted may shift as more episodes are released and both scores accumulate additional reviews.
Helberg plays Martin Phister, an introverted technological genius consumed by his work: building an artificially intelligent companion designed to help struggling teenagers. The ensemble around him includes his wife Anushka, a technology ethicist played by Meagan Rath; Billy Magnussen as a data-thieving CEO named Duncan Park; and Rob Cordrry as Tom Ruffage, a former soldier trying to broker a deal for his fellow veterans.
The show comes from creator and showrunner Jonathan Glatzer, who wrote multiple episodes of HBO's Succession and AMC's Better Call Saul. That lineage has not gone unnoticed. Several critics have drawn direct comparisons to Succession, noting similar thematic territory: an ensemble of largely entitled, greedy characters making short-sighted decisions with significant consequences. The creative pedigree is visible in the structure and tone, even if the setting is very different.
In Screen Rant's own review, critic Nick Bythrow awarded the series seven out of 10 stars, calling it "a perfect storm of characters with agency and a story entirely driven by their actions" that delivers "hilarious, biting commentary that refuses to play it safe." He flagged pacing as the show's main weakness, noting that it "takes time for its ensemble to truly grab the spotlight."
Audience reviewers who drew their own Succession comparisons were less forgiving, with some expressing frustration that The Audacity lacks a comparably gripping opening. Other criticisms include the show feeling dated, being too predictable, and failing to accurately reflect the current state of the tech industry.
Despite the split reception, the series has already been renewed for a second season, with that announcement coming before the first season had finished airing.
