Valley of the Boom (2019– ) User Reviews

If you worked in Silicon Valley in the 90s, it's a winner

[franklinux · 7/10 · 23 January 2019]

It took me about 2 episodes to get use to the format of the show and even then it's pretty disruptive. They are trying too hard to spice up the boring topic of browser wars but as someone who worked for SGI (Clark's first company) and now at Microsoft... how can I say no to this. Andreesen has always fascinated me as I grew up using Gopher, Mosaic and then of course Netscape.

Funny to think now the Edge browser is overnight going to become a Chromium based browser and the browser wars are far dead. Now Azure vs. AWS...

What a long way we've come. If you like tech stories.. watch it, you'll put up with the poorly done format.

Much better than most of the comments.

[franklinmjohnson · 8/10 · 1 February 2019]

I lived and worked through this era in the DC area with one of the first nationwide commercial ISPs. It's why I made a point of watching Valley of the Boom and why I really enjoyed it.

I understand some people's confusion or disappointment with aspects of the series but not the number of low stars or the depth of the nasty reviews. It was much better than that, especially as the episodes progressed.

I admit I was a little put off at first by the "breaking-the-fourth-wall" moments and musical numbers, but I grew to appreciate their function. The little math whiz explaining IPOs and the developer explaining open source with the chicken salad sandwich were spot-on and a much better way to explain them to viewers who don't know about those concepts than through standard exposition.

And the interviews with the actual people involved -- especially the secondary players, whom you would otherwise rarely hear from in a documentary -- were worth watching the entire series for. The acting, too, brought their moments to life in a really credible way. (The actor's characterization of Marc Andreessen was so much like a CTO colleague from that time that it triggered some pretty uncomfortable feelings and memories.)

I haven't thought about those moments from my career or, more accurately, felt like that about them in a very long time. For me personally, that's a good measure by which to judge the success of the series.

Better than cynical critics want you to think

[cuppettcc · 8/10 · 27 February 2019]

Subject pretty much sums it up. Great story of the early days of the internet told from varying points and perspectives using a dynamic mixing documentary, interviews and drama to really capture the events that took place, that when done well, which I believe it was, is simply incredible and quite enjoyable.

Too much talk makes the 90's a bore

[bob-larrance · 6/10 · 23 December 2018]

Hybrid Docu-Drama, where some of the prime-movers appear in cameo to describe their exploits, intertwined with actors that act out the same events. The process is brought down a bit by simply too much information, kind of a docu-drama for dummies. Still, the subject matter is fascinating, as were those times. No idea where the thing is headed but my best guess is that a big fat torpedo will be launched at the memory of Microsoft mid-series, since a great deal of the setup seems to be super friendly to the legacy of Netscape and the 'nerds are antisocial brainiacs' fanboy movement. Witness the silly placements of oddly pretentious Arianna Huffington thoughts. I guess finding humor is easier that finding an understanding of the things that make one's life work, 20 years after.

Enjoyable, unorthodox telling of an unorthodox time

[crosbyjohn · 10/10 · 28 January 2019]

Had to write a review. This series deserves better. Anyone dismissing it due to the unusual manner in which it is told is missing the entire point. If you were a part of this time, or if you work in tech it is a must see. Original, informative and well acted. Fun for all is too be had as long as you approach it with an often mind.

The 90's were really interesting times for computers and the story is told in a unique manner.

[Markl006 · 10/10 · 29 December 2018]

What a time the 1990's were. Fortunes made and lost in hours, industries created and destroyed overnight, new innovations being created and sometimes eclipsed within days, vaporware and outright fraud being shopped around and making millions. This is the story of a few of the major players in Silicone Valley during this time. The story is intertwined with actors acting out key plot points in both realistic and artistic ways and some of the real players telling us what happened and what it was like. This is a must watch for anyone who lived through this era in computers or anyone interested in what is going to happen to the industry in the future, we all know history is destined to repeat itself.

Documentary or Film...Pick one please.

[joshtowne · 5/10 · 14 January 2019]

As someone who enjoys a well made documentary, I am, so far, finding this series a tad annoying. The subject matter is fascinating and I enjoy learning about it, but the the constant transitions from documentary to acted mini-series is distracting. I would prefer a straight up documentary or, if they were set on having conversations with the camera, do it the way The Big Short did it. Where the actors talked to the camera as their characters. This show has the real people the characters are based on doing interviews, but also the actors talking to the camera as if they were the real peaople. It seems strange. I will continue to watch because of the subject matter, but I am disappointed so far.

Who cares, honestly.

[zach-gist1 · 10/10 · 18 August 2019]

Most of the reviews are a riot over the confusion of documentary or drama. I believe the fact here is, the stories they were able to portray. If you want to learn about the..boom, this is your best bet. It's also the most accurate of portrayals for Silicon Valley. All I ask, leave your mind open to other ways cinema, story telling can be shot.

The 90's meets... Hamilton?

[willwardle · 2/10 · 15 January 2019]

The commercials for this show looked great. But the way it's all presented is... terrible to put it nicely. Random song breaks and raps that start in the second episode left me with several moments of questioning what I was watching. The content regarding 90's history is is entertaining on its own, you don't have to spice it up with a musical.

On top of that, the way they constantly break down the fourth wall is pretty cheesy and, in my opinion, added nothing to move the content forward. I won't be watching any more.

This is not bad, but a tad inaccurate. Worthy nontheless.

[amunro-368-74378 · 8/10 · 16 January 2019]

I lived through this. Even visited Netscape in New York while working for SGWarburg in the UK. The senior analyst working on the floor above me sold his Mozilla (his name of the source) code to a young guy in the US for what we were lead to believe was roughly 10k pounds.. We used to tease him about it. So, perhaps the original premise of the origination is perhaps a tad skewed.

I still have the the original documentation encapsulating the beyond browser technical specs for a hybrid between browsers and email which indeed my team created, which in turn became Outlook after our MS partners stole it. It really is plain to see were you to simply look at the original specs. So the documentary is absolutely accurate in how aggressive MS was back in the day.

I actually employed a Pixelon senior technician. He became an SGWarburg director, which trust me was not all it was cracked up to be. He turned out to be a wife beater and ended up in an Californian jail after being tracked down and extradited for previous misdemeanors to a female employee in the US. Which kind of summarises the Pixelon culture. Go #MeToo.

As a production presenting the times this rendition is both mildly inaccurate and entirely American centric. The internet after all was not invented by Americans, DARPA not withstanding. Oddly it was actually one of these rare things that came out of a bipartisan collaboration originating in Switzerland. But hey, far be it for me to attempt to represent an actual representation of the history I worked through, participated in and indeed continue to retain original documentation defining the instigation inherent in the actuality of this period.

This production is worthy. Perhaps it will encourage viewers to look further.

Don't believe the naysayers

[Ohscissormetimbers · 10/10 · 24 January 2019]

This is a GREAT and really informative show about the tech boom and how all sorts of people came out of the woodwork to take advantage. I am not sure how anyone could watch this and not be entertained by the sheer ridiculousness of some of the things people did. I get that it is a docudrama and, therefore, some of the facts are embellished, but that can't possibly make this a one star series. Strange that the ratings are near a 7 overall but the only people who have posted written reviews have it at a 1 or 2. To me that suggests there are a few haters out there who didn't get what they wanted out of this show and they are dragging down the rating without giving it a real chance. This is an excellent series that has been getting better with each episode. The Michael Fenne story is so ridiculous and hilarious that it is worth watching just to see that part alone.

Thumbs Down to Documentary-drama Mix

[ttgttg · 2/10 · 14 January 2019]

It's a no for me. I was so looking forward to the tale of the dotcom rise and fall depicted by familiar and not-so familiar actors. The keyword here is actors, not real-life contributors and experts. The mix of commentary from the real life key experts intertwined with scenes from a docudrama was annoying. Choose one: a documentary filled with interviews from those who lived the tale or a docudrama illustrating the tale based on said interviews. Going back and forth between the two and mixing them together equals a flop.

How could so many totally miss the genius!

[ericazan · 10/10 · 7 February 2019]

Also with almost no prior knowledge of what actually happened, from the first moment I was stuck in front of my TV ... ... and the comments to the viewers was a superb touch, that in no way reduced the impression I had of actually watching an authentic documentary.

Sorry, but I simply have to quote another reviewer: Enjoyable, unorthodox telling of an unorthodox time!

Netscape vs Microsoft or The Michael Fenne Show or Truth or silly fiction or...

[jimdeford · 2/10 · 26 January 2019]

Be prepared for your eyes to roll into and around the back of your head and for several shake-my-head sessions if you decide to take in this one. Whew. It's a doozie!

This docu-drama is all over the place. Seriously -- ALL OVER THE PLACE. It cannot decide whether it is a documentary, as drama or a musical, or...

Watching this show, so far (through part 3), made my brain hurt trying to follow all the convoluted story lines in the midst of a waaaay over-acting Steve Zahn, who wears his "chubby suit" very badly. But, maybe the creators and producers wanted this series to be a very bad joke.

If that is indeed the case, they were very successful. Parts 1-3 are the Michael Fenne Show.

That being said, if you can trudge your way through the over-dramatic quicksand, there are a few interesting facts. It was difficult making it through the first three parts and I was forced to induce my DVR defibrillator by fast-forwarding through some really, really bad acting in hopes of reviving this thing.

This story line cannot seem to separate the definitions of the Internet and the World Wide Web. The script seems to have been written by someone who was not around back then, or it was simply poorly researched.

They keep speaking about how the Internet started but then are actually referring to the creation of the World Wide Web and they even get that timeline completely wrong. Many, many of their timelines are completely wrong and they don't seem to care.

I might have to go re-watch Halt And Catch Fire again to get my mind back on track to what really happened when computers and the Web was really born.

Innovative story that doesn't always hit the mark

[harrisonsthompson · 8/10 · 22 September 2019]

This should be a 7.5 but I rounded but bc it's the nice thing to do especially because this is way better than a 6.4. I've read the user reviews and a lot of them bash the story telling, claiming to be very disappointed because they were very interested in the subject matter yet the show did not provide the straightforward clinical examination they were expecting. It seems as though the trailer may have created expectations that the show did not deliver. I watched this without having seen a trailer and was pleasantly refreshed by the choice to use this innovative style of docudrama. To all of the reviewers saying why on earth would they do this? Let's call it what it is: it's ripping off the Big Short, which was a hugely successful and applauded business film. The style of the big short made a story about finance accessible to people unfamiliar with the subject matter. I'm glad NatGeo tried to do something different. It definitely hits and misses. Certain aspects of it are great, while others, like some of the casting decisions, the rapping, super long dance sequences, cartoonish hypotheticals, fourth wall breaking (which I didn't hate) take the viewer of the story. Here's what I do applaud this series for and why I give it a high rating, and why it hooked me: the storylines. I have never heard of Michael Fenne, Pixelon or The Globe.com. If it weren't for this series, I'm sure I'd never have heard about these companies. Also, Netscape is usually second fiddle to other stories and I loved getting a deep dive. I'm a huge fan of the decision to focus on these stories. I find them very compelling and watching them dramatized with the real life talking heads worked for me. Steve Zahn as Michael Fenne is extraordinary. While it's stylistic choices may turn some off, especially those expecting something straightforward, I found myself looking forward to the next episode while watching this series and I personally can't say that for too many shows these days.

Interesting take on the dot com boom of the 90s

[sanrensho · 9/10 · 14 June 2019]

This well made docudrama weaves actual interviews of 90s-era dotcom founders with professionally-acted dramatized scenes. Hats off especially to Bradley Whitford, Lamorne Morris and Steve Zahn. The Lamorne Morris character as narrator and sort of omniscient voice was also an ingenious device that balanced and lightened the mood of the otherwise dark theme of the crash. Including Mark Cuban as an interviewee also dates the material in a good way, letting us know more about the series's place in history.

The plot consists of multiple storylines involving Microsoft, Netscape, TheGlobe, Pixelon, AOL and others. Naturally, to narrow the scope, many companies such as Apple, Webvan and Amazon were left out, but I think their choices of subject made for a fresh re-telling with new information about atmosphere of the times.

Overall I rate this 9/10, with one point off only because the scope just seemed a tad too narrow. Including some footage of, say, Intel or Apple may have given a bit more dimension to an otherwise excellent tale of an exuberant but ultimately doomed era.

10 yr old login to leave negative review. Not good.

[rickmence · 1/10 · 14 January 2019]

Love internet documentaries. Love internet serial long arcs like halt and catch fire. Could not stomach this show... watched 1 1/2 episodes just to make sure before deleting. Actors were good, subject was good. This format was sooooo off-putting I cant even describe it. It might have been because I saw the commercials and thought it would be an actual tv show like halt or something. Anyway, i found my yrs old login just to comment how much of a slog an hour of this show was.

Very entertaining docu-drama

[aminalayco-21600 · 9/10 · 31 August 2021]

This is a docu-drama that give us a sneak peak into the 90s internet boom. It's told in a fun way (sort of like the Big Short) so that all audiences can enjoy it. It doesn't get into any technical details, if you want details, there are better documentaries out there that serve that purpose. This show is great for entertaining and having a good time.

Halt and Catch Fire

[whatithinkis · 1/10 · 14 January 2019]

This is not. This doesn't know if it's a documentary or a drama and, while it's figuring that out, I'm out the door.

Entertaining, informative and funny

[thedudebryant · 10/10 · 18 July 2019]

All the haters need to get over it. This is 50% documentary, 48% docudrama and 2% musical. This tells the story of the early days of the internet boom through the irrational exuberance. The show is funny, informative and quite entertaining. It is a different and new way to tell a story which is appropriate considering the subject matter.

Very fascinating and entertaining

[marquesmunoz · 10/10 · 29 January 2019]

It provides knowledge and entertainment, all in one. This show is awesome. It provides first hand accounts to what went on in the 90's and I love it.

Could've been great

[daveburkevt · 2/10 · 28 January 2019]

The National Geographic exec who signed off on this historic subject being produced as a musical should be fired. Could've been great.

Falls flat and very poorly executed.

[thm99 · 1/10 · 19 January 2019]

Strange docu drama with horrible cringe worthy dialog. Actors engaging with the audience like it's dinner theatre. Just bizarre!

I tuned out after the rap battle in ep. 2, which I guess is a metaphor for the MS v Netscape browser war. If you can get beyond the second episode you are a champ.

Not very good

[wsteinhauer · 3/10 · 22 January 2019]

Poor try at being "Silicon Valley". Too much jumping between documentary and docudrama. Too many fifth wall attempts to be cute.