TV Talk: ‘Succession’ writer depicts tech bros behaving badly in HBO’s ‘Mountainhead’

“Succession” writer/creator Jesse Armstrong returns well to the lifestyles of the rich and semi-famous with the new satirical HBO movie “Mountainhead” (8 p.m. Saturday, HBO and Max), the story of four awful billionaire tech bro friends on a weekend retreat.

For “Succession” fans, it’s easiest to imagine “Mountainhead” as a film where three of four characters are a variation on Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong), the self-unaware scion of a media dynasty who was willing to rap for his supper. The fourth character is a mix of Kendall and brother Roman (Kieran Culkin), who occasionally evinced evidence of a soul.

With a first half that’s a hoot thanks to the entertaining unpleasantness of its deluded, power-hungry characters with superiority complexes, “Mountainhead” turns uglier in its second half as the characters devolve further, shedding any glimpse of humanity. For this foursome, it’s all about who has the largest bank account and the most global clout, which ultimately takes precedence even over matters of life and death.

Papa bear Randall (Steve Carell) joins the younger CEOs at the Utah mountaintop home of Hugo Van Yalk (Jason Schwartman), who has the nickname “Soups,” short for “soup kitchen,” because he’s the least wealthy member of the friend group. Soups is CEO of a wellness app company.

They’re joined by Ven (Cory Michael Smith), who’s unleashed a new generative AI tool on his company’s app that allows for the easy creation of misinformation on social media, leading to global chaos.

“Like, could I possibly ask for better marketing?” Ven says while watching worldwide riots on social media sites not long before there are reports the mayor of Paris has been assassinated.

Jeff (Ramy Youssef) says his company has technology that could rein in the effects of Ven’s app, but Jeff doesn’t want to work with Ven. (Among the quartet of characters, Jeff proves the least megalomaniacal.)

Written and directed by Armstrong, “Mountainhead” is not like any movie that would be made by a major media company today. Armstrong only got to make this because of the success of “Succession.” “Mountainhead” has no action set pieces. The film really seems like it could be a stage play because it’s about the characters talking, sharing their insane ideas that are privileged, classist and occasionally racist.

Ven defends the global panic and destruction as a good thing, “if slightly gnarly, but ultimately a highly cathartic drawing of all this poison: historical, ethnic, racial, religion. It’s a great turning of the wheel.”

“That’s why I’m so excited about all of these atrocities,” Randall replies, joking but not really joking.

Armstrong’s take on characters who can easily be likened to techlords Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg is cynical to be sure — but with good reason, as evidenced in the political news cycle of the past five months. An early “Mountainhead” scene shows Randall, annoyed with his doctor’s lack of a cure for his cancer, leaving the physician behind on a tarmac, which happened in real American politics late last month.

Ultimately “Mountainhead” is no “Succession.” No writer, even one of Armstrong’s strengths, can do in two hours what he was able to accomplish in 39 episodes when it comes to developing characters and themes. But for viewers who miss “Succession’s” dark humor tinged with a timely political undercurrent, “Mountainhead” delivers a decent dip into the same vibe.

Mister Rogers-inspired Pirates night

For the June 27 Pirates game at PNC Park, Pittsburgh-based Fred Rogers Productions is partnering with the Pirates for “A Beautiful Night in the Neighborhood,” featuring a “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” and “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood”-themed, post-game drone show.

Premiere dates

Some additional premiere dates got announced after our summer streaming/cable preview published earlier this month, including Amazon Prime Video’s latest “Bosch” spinoff series, “Ballard” (July 9), starring Maggie Q as LAPD cold case squad leader Renee Ballard; Apple TV+’s “Platonic,” starring Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne, is back for its second season Aug. 6; Acorn TV’s “The Madame Blanc Mysteries” begins a new season July 7; and “Noah’s Arc: The Movie” (9 p.m. June 20, Paramount+ with Showtime streaming and linear), a follow-up to the 2005 Logo Network series about gay African-American friends and to 2020’s “Noah’s Arc: The ‘Rona Chronicles’ ” special.

Since our broadcast TV summer preview published, The CW announced the return of Canadian import “Family Law,” airing its 10-episode fourth season beginning at 8 p.m. July 23.

CBS replaces ‘After Midnight’

After Taylor Tomlinson declined to continue hosting CBS’s “After Midnight” (series finale will be June 13), the network opted not to give the time back to local stations and will instead plug in the syndicated comedy roundtable “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen,” airing two half-hour episodes back-to-back at 12:37 a.m. this fall, including on Pittsburgh’s KDKA-TV. It’s expected to be a mix of original and previously aired episodes.

“Comics Unleashed” aired briefly in that 12:37 a.m. time slot in 2023 during the most recent writers’ strike.

Kept/canceled

Max renewed “Hacks” for a fifth season.

Amazon’s Prime Video canceled fantasy series “The Wheel of Time” after three seasons.

Channel surfing

Lifetime ordered a new docu-series on The Chrisleys, albeit without the original USA show’s matriarch and patriarch, who were sentenced to federal prison for bank fraud and tax evasion (that could change, of course, now that they have been pardoned by President Trump). … Original “Scrubs” star Zach Braff signed on to join a long-gestating “Scrubs” sequel series in development at ABC. … Kids’ hit “CoComelon” will relocate from Netflix to Disney+ in 2027.