Here Are Five Tech Movies & TV Shows That Came Before ‘Silicon Valley’

This Aaron Sorkin project was incredibly popular when it came out, winning three Oscars and thrilling lanky-armed bros the world over. As far as tech movies and TV shows go, it's probably the most enjoyable one that's been made so far.

This webseries premiered last year to pretty good reviews. It's not a bad show. Unfortunately, it has the dubious honor of being really easy to compare to the forthcoming Silicon Valley. We're not sure Betas' heart and charm will be a match for Mike Judge's cutting sense of humor. But hey, anything could happen.

This universally reviled reality show only made it one season. One of the earliest in a long line of Randi Zuckerberg joints, Start-Ups: Silicon Valley sought to prove that "geeks are definitely the new rock stars." It didn't.

This highly anticipated feature film wasn't received so well critically -- it got a 27 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. But hey, it was nice to see Ashton Kutcher play someone besides Ashton Kutcher for once.

Technically, this is a tech movie yet to come, but it's been in the works for more than two years. Reports said the script would consist of three 30-minute scenes shot backstage at conventions and of course loaded to the brims with Sorkin dialogue, which frankly sounds like a nightmare. Christian Bale might star, though, so we'll reserve our criticism until we see the film.

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When it comes to tech-inspired entertainment that isn’t contained within an app, pickings are surprisingly slim. The same themes — Silicon Valley culture, Steve Jobs — are recycled again and again, usually not to amazing effect.

That’s why everyone’s so thoroughly freaking out about HBO’s forthcoming Silicon Valley. Mike Judge, of Beavis and Butthead, Office Space and Idiocracy infamy, is at the helm. The guy has never made a misstep and he’s a nerd favorite, so you can’t blame the tech community for being way excited about this one.

Already being heralded as one of the best new series of the year, it premieres on April 6. Rather than speculate on how freaking awesome it’s going to be, Betabeat has opted to create this handy slideshow enumerating the very few movies and TV shows that have been made about the tech industry so far.

Click here for more Betabeat coverage of HBO’s Silicon Valley.

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