I started watching “Devs” on FX/Hulu tonight. Just the first episode.
It’s a limited series (eight episodes), created by Alex Garland (28 Days Later, Dredd, Ex Machina) about a young software developer who stumbles into a murder mystery connected to her company and the mysterious and conspiratorial founder/CEO played by Nick “Ron Swanson” Offerman.
(Ironically enough, the first episode had an opening commercial from Microsoft. At first I thought it was a meta joke. It wasn’t.)
The first episode set up an interesting mystery with a few clues that might portend the ending if one is a devotee of science fiction and comic books, including Alan Moore’s first issue of “Swamp Thing.” Or maybe not. I’ll have to see where it goes.
The cast is unique. Never since “Silicon Valley” have I seen a show set in the tech business that was this willing to cast relatively plain people as the leads. There are no “stacked hackers,” ala Angelina Jolie or Hugh Jackman here. The best-looking person (and I use the term generously) is the lead actress, who looks like a prepubescent boy in “Godzilla” movie. Ron Swanson continues to amaze in that he’s at least ten years younger than the character he plays (not unlike P&R). The blond assistant, normally the type that would be played by a Vogue model, reminds me of a cleaned-up Amy Sedaris.
Most of the special effects are serviceable. There are at least two scenes in the first episode where you could see that the high-tech equipment is made out of carefully painted wood and plumbing parts. However, if you can accept the sets on “Star Trek” or the original “Star Wars” you can live with that.
Overall, it was an interesting beginning. The show seems like a mashup of two genres I enjoy (science fiction and detective) and, while some of the clues make me think I know where it’s going, I’m not sure and look forward to seeing more in an effort to figure it out.
And, if it starts to suck it’s only eight episodes so I can muddle through it.
