Halfway through its fourth season, HBO announced today that it has issued aSilicon Valley renewalfor its fifth season, but there is one big change in the mix. The network also announced that series regular T.J. Miller, who has played the enigmatic Erlich Bachman since the first season, will be leaving the show after this current fourth season. Here’s what HBO had to say in a statement aboutT.J. Millerparting ways with the series.
“The producers ofSilicon ValleyandT.J. Millerhave mutually agreed that T.J. will not return for season 5. In Erlich Bachman, T.J. has brought to life an unforgettable character, and while his presence on the show will be missed, we appreciate his contribution and look forward to future collaborations.”
Entertainment Weeklybroke the news of T.J. Miller’s departure, but there was no reason given for why the actor decided to part ways with the series. It’s entirely possible that the actor’s movie slate is just getting too big, with the actor getting ready to shootDeadpool 2this summer, where he returns as Weasel alongside Ryan Reynolds' title character. He will also have his first HBO comedy special,Meticulously Ridiculous, airing Saturday, June 17, and he recently wrapped roles inUnderwanteralongside Kristen Stewart and Steven Spielberg’s highly-anticipated adaptationReady Player One. He also stars on Comedy Central’sThe Gorburger Showand will voice Gene in the upcomingEmoji Movie.
Erlich Bachman has always been one of the creative pillars of the show, who not only invested in thePied Pipercompany, but allowed the company to grow out of his very own house. It isn’t clear quite yet how he will be written off of the show, or if his departure will be addressed at the end of this season, or at the beginning of next season. The Emmy-winning and Golden Globe-nominatedSilicon Valleytakes a comic look at the modern-day epicenter of the high-tech gold rush, where the people most qualified to succeed are the least capable of handling success. A collaboration between Mike Judge and Alec Berg, the show concludes its ten-episode fourth season Sunday, June 25 (10:00-10:30 p.m. ET/PT).
Series regulars includeThomas Middleditch, T.J. Miller, Zach Woods, Kumail Nanjiani, Martin Starr, Josh Brener, Amanda Crew, Matt Ross, Jimmy O. Yang and Suzanne Cryer.Silicon Valleywas created by Mike Judge & John Altschuler & Dave Krinsky. The executive producers are Mike Judge, Alec Berg, Michael Rotenberg and Tom Lassally, with co-executive producers, Jim Kleverweis, Clay Tarver, Dan O’Keefe, Jamie Babbit, Chris Provenzano and Graham Wagner. Supervising producers are Adam Countee, Carrie Kemper and Aaron Zelman, with Jonathan Dotan serving as consulting producer. Hopefully we’ll find out more for howSilicon Valleyplans to address the departure of T.J. Miller’s character Erlich Bachman. Until then, take a look at the tweet fromKumail Nanjiani, addressing the departure of T.J. Miller.
