It may not technically take place in the same television universe, but Bobby Axelrod from “Billions” could totally guest star on Showtime’s “Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber.” The new show from “Billions” masterminds Brian Koppelman and David Levien, adapted from the book by Mike Isaac, has similar propulsive energy. Once again taking place in the world of big business, it features characters who often thrive in what could politely be called a moral gray area, propelled by sharp, witting writing and captivating performances. After something of a career slump, Joseph Gordon-Levitt comes roaring back with a turn that reminds viewers what he can do with the right material while Kyle Chandler, Kerry Bishé, Uma Thurman, and a strong ensemble do more than just circle the charismatic protagonist like planets around the sun. This is a smart telling of a true story, one that will draw comparisons to “The Social Network,” “The Wolf of Wall Street,” and even “Succession,” but that also has its own confident voice.
Gordon-Levitt plays Travis Kalanick, the mastermind behind Uber, a true game-changing business of the modern era. As the series opens, T.K. is at that point where a company needs a massive influx of capital to really reach the kind of consumer base that Uber needed to overtake the taxi industry. He goes to a very well-respected venture capitalist named Bill Gurley (Chandler), and the main dynamic of this 7-episode series is set in motion. Kalanick is a confident genius, but he’s also often one rash decision away from completely setting everything he’s worked for ablaze. For the first few episodes, there’s a clever push-and-pull between T.K. and Gurley, as the latter sees the potential success in Uber but also the many places that it could go very wrong from user privacy to competition from companies like Lyft to overcoming the political system that has a few friends who want to keep cabs in place. It’s a stretch to say Gurley is a mentor or a father figure but the writing smartly doesn’t deify Kalanick as a flawless capitalist, capturing how successes like Uber come not from being perfect but from geniuses who surround themselves with people who know how to overcome adversity and avoid mistakes.
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Narrated by Quentin Tarantino, “Super Pumped” often displays a QT energy in its form, throwing graphics up on the screen or even going animated. Not all of the experimental choices in terms of dramatic storytelling work but it adds to a chaotic energy that’s designed to replicate Kalanick’s own jittery persona. One of the best lines in a show filled with witty dialogue comes from Gurley when he says, “The best thing about Travis is he’ll run through walls to win. The worst thing is he thinks everything’s a wall.” The creative team sometimes goes a bit too far in trying to replicate that manic aspect of T.K.’s worldview, but it makes for a show that’s certainly never boring.
It also helps that the story of Uber incorporates so many interesting aspects of modern business culture, including privacy, safety, and workplace conditions, especially for women (not a strength of the Uber brand). And “Super Pumped” makes clear how much Kalanick valued profit over everything else. He becomes increasingly aggressive and uncaring, myopic in his concern for only himself. When he finds out that a child was killed by an Uber driver, his response is how much it’s going to suck for him. And when the show introduces Austin Geidt (Bishé, reminding people here how great she was in “Halt and Catch Fire” too), it becomes clear early that she’s an ally that Kalanick will inevitably disappoint. At its core, “Super Pumped” is a show about how business pursuits can blind someone to common human decency. Kalanick is only happy when he’s “pumped” up and strutting his stuff. He’s got a war mentality that anyone who isn’t with him is his enemy, even the people who may be in the same room.
And, just like “Billions,” “Super Pumped” fills those roles of “people in the room” with great character actors. There are effective regulars like Jon Bass, Babak Tafti, and Elisabeth Shue (as Travis’ mother Bonnie), and the cast keeps growing and filling out with perfectly chosen performers like John Magaro, John Michael Higgins, Richard Schiff, Hank Azaria, Rob Morrow, Ben Feldman, and Uma Thurman as Arianna Huffington. The founder of Huffington Post would become a major player in Uber, serving on the BOD at a key moment when it felt, at least to Travis, like his power was being diminished. Thurman glides into the show, giving it a very different energy that balances the testosterone of the first few chapters out nicely.
Having said that, the show really belongs to Gordon-Levitt and Chandler. It’s nice to see two performers who have been too often stuck in roles that didn’t know how to utilize their skill sets be given roles that exactly cater to their strengths. Gordon-Levitt’s best performances highlight his ability to feel present in a scene, thinking and responding to what’s in front of him, and that instinctual unpredictability is essential to this role. At the same time, Chandler has always exuded a fatherly charm—think Coach Taylor—and he imbues Gurley with that grounded leadership that makes it clear why this man would become so successful. Chandler is the kind of actor who can play a character who looks like he’s a few steps ahead of everyone in the room and make it believable.
Other than a few times when the form of the show itself feels a bit too manic, “Super Pumped” is just entertaining drama. Koppelman and Levien are masters at this kind of push-and-pull in the world of business, and it’s telling that a majority of their needle drops in the episodes sent for press are from the grunge era—there might be a Pearl Jam song every episode. They see people like Travis Kalanick as reflections of that era of musicians who disrupted the world of music, putting an end to hair metal and boy bands, and doing it with a primal growl. The show has already been renewed as an anthology series with Season 2 focusing on Mark Zuckerberg and the birth of Facebook. Zuckerberg probably wouldn’t want to hear this, but he’s got some big shoes to fill. [B+]
“Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber” debuts on Showtime on February 27.