Jonathan Glatzer Draws Parallels Between AMC’s ‘The Audacity’ and ‘Peyton Place’ in Today’s Tech Landscape
AMC unveiled its latest drama series, The Audacity, during a premiere event in Los Angeles. Creator Jonathan Glatzer described the show, starring Billy Magnussen and Sarah Goldberg, as reminiscent of Peyton Place set against the backdrop of a tech bubble.
Glatzer, known for his work on AMC’s Better Call Saul and HBO’s Succession, shared insights into the series during the event. “This is a night for gratitude. I think that’s probably the best approach. It’s either that or a full-on crazy coke fueled [night] and that’s not my bag,” he remarked humorously.
The series was conceived after Dan McDermott, AMC Networks’ Chief Content Officer and President, approached Glatzer with the idea of exploring the tech world. Glatzer expressed initial skepticism but noted the intrigue surrounding the people in the industry. “What if we just expanded that and made it look almost like a Peyton Place inside of this bubble with psychiatrists, there’s a private school and there’s a guy from the VA,” he explained. “Tech affects all of our lives. It’s in all of our lives. It’s in all of our everything.”
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The Audacity explores the complex dynamics of Silicon Valley, spotlighting the grand ambitions, inflated egos, and moral dilemmas of its tech innovators. Within a landscape populated by billionaires, psychiatrist-gurus, and disillusioned youth, an audacious data-mining CEO, portrayed by Magnussen, attempts to leverage insight and influence into wealth and power. The darkly comedic drama investigates themes of reality, privacy, and the delusions shaping our rapid technological evolution.
In addition to Magnussen and Goldberg, the cast features Zach Galifianakis, Lucy Punch, Simon Helberg, and Rob Corddry.
Goldberg plays a therapist, a role familiar to Glatzer. “My mother is here. I did grow up in a house with a psychiatrist and a therapist, and well, you’ll see some of that in this story. In no way is the part that is played so brilliantly by Sarah Goldberg with castrating Zionist kind of energy based on my mom,” he noted with a laugh.
The series is set to debut on AMC and AMC+ on April 12. Glatzer serves as creator, writer, and executive producer, alongside Gina Mingacci as executive producer of this AMC Studios production.
“We knew we had something special,” Glatzer added. “We assembled a lineup of writers, directors, and cast that is among the most talented ever to be assembled at AMC. The Audacity takes the audience on a deep dive into a world that is inventing the future as quickly as it’s reinventing itself, while the show features razor-sharp writing, singular characters, and a propulsive narrative that races through every corner of the Valley at breakneck pace. It never forgets that behind all the technology, the jargon, the billions of dollars, are fully dimensional people who have strength and flaws, and above all else, are deeply human.”
