AMC is responsible for one of the most exciting TV projects of 2026, which could prove to be the long-term successor to HBO’s peerless satirical drama series Succession. When it comes to darkly comic depictions of troubled billionaire media moguls, The Audacity will feature the closest thing to Logan Roy debuting on television next year.
Starring Zach Galifianakis as Carl Bardolph, an embittered Silicon Valley magnate trying to stall the growth of competitors while going through therapy, this upcoming series has all the makings of another merciless sendup of the billionaire class. TV shows like Succession are hard to come by, but The Audacity’s creator Jonathan Glatzer knows a thing or two about making them.
Glatzer was integral to the first two seasons of Succession as a lead writer and producer, and served as a consultant for the third season of the series. The Audacity wouldn’t be the first rabbit AMC has pulled out of the hat, either.
After all, it’s the network behind Mad Men and Breaking Bad, as well as Glatzer’s previous dark comedy series Better Call Saul. Any one of these three could justifiably be called the not just best AMC show of all time, but the best TV show of the 21st century.
AMC’s Upcoming TV Series The Audacity Is A 2026 Replacement For Succession
The Audacity wouldn’t be the first TV series to draw comparisons with the story of Logan Roy and his family. Indeed, Paul Giamatti’s Billions has been compared to Succession in various quarters, even if it lacks the HBO show’s comic edge. But The Audacity is a perfect replacement for Succession within the socioeconomic context of 2026.
In addition to serving up dark humor in spades, this series is set to address the impending crisis of the tech industry resulting from the massive inflation of an AI bubble. It will also deal with the growth of AI as a phenomenon in itself, and the warped relationship between preexisting tech behemoths and smaller potential innovators in the industry.
The Audacity Stars Zach Galifianakis As Tech Billionaire Carl Bardolph
At the center of this new satirical comedy series will be Zach Galifianakis, who plays deeply insecure tech billionaire Carl Bardolph. The Hangover and Birdman star is about to make Mark Rylance’s Elon Musk impression in Don’t Look Up look like flattery.
We could well see Galifianakis combine aspects of Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates to make a Frankenstein’s monster of big-tech supremacists. Whatever the specifics of his performance, it’s almost guaranteed to be disturbingly hilarious.
Carl Bardolph Is Like The Logan Roy Of Silicon Valley
More than any real person, however, Carl Bardolph is likely to resemble fictional billionaire Logan Roy. Brian Cox’s Succession character elevates the show’s best scenes with his callous indifference to human suffering, and his ruthless subjugation of those around him, including his own children.
Bardolph is certain to strike a somewhat lighter tone in his megalomaniacal approach to life, especially given the background of the actor chosen to play him. Nevertheless, The Audacity could well cut just as deeply as Succession’s most affecting moments, in its own way, even if it doesn’t hit quite as hard.
- Release Date
-
2018 – 2023
- Network
-
HBO Max
- Showrunner
-
Jesse Armstrong
- Directors
-
Mark Mylod
- Writers
-
Jesse Armstrong
