Super Pumped (TV series)

Last updated

Super Pumped
Genre
Created by Brian Koppelman & David Levien
Based on Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber
by Mike Isaac
Starring
Narrated by Quentin Tarantino [1]
Music by Brendan Angelides
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes7
Production
Executive producers
ProducerSarah Acosta
Cinematography
Editors
  • Dana Congdon
  • Jane Rizzo
  • Todd Desrosiers
  • Doug Abel
  • Marnee Meyer
Production companies
Original release
Network Showtime
ReleaseFebruary 27, 2022 (2022-02-27) –
present (present)

Super Pumped is an American anthology drama television series created by Brian Koppelman and David Levien, named for the 2019 nonfiction book of the same name by Mike Isaac. The first installment, subtitled The Battle For Uber, is based on Isaac's book and centers on the rise and fall of former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Also starring Kyle Chandler, Uma Thurman, and Elisabeth Shue, it premiered on Showtime on February 27, 2022. Ahead of the series premiere, the series was renewed for a second season, based on a separate forthcoming book by Mike Isaac about Facebook.

Contents

Premise

The show dramatizes the foundation of the ride-hailing company Uber from the perspective of the company's CEO Travis Kalanick, who is ultimately ousted in a boardroom coup.

Cast and characters

Main

The first season is narrated by Quentin Tarantino. [1]

Recurring

Episodes

The Battle For Uber
No.Title  [2] Directed byWritten byOriginal air date  [2] U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Grow or Die" Allen Coulter Brian Koppelman & David Levien February 27, 2022 (2022-02-27)0.120 [3]
Kalanick, CEO of the startup UberCab, makes a deal with investor Bill Gurley to finance the operation. Under pressure to pay onerous fines from the San Francisco Mass Transit Authority, Kalanick and Chief Business Officer Emil Michael decide to shut down and rebrand themselves as a "ridesharing service" instead of a cab company.
2"X to the X"Daniel Gray LonginoSarah AcostaMarch 6, 2022 (2022-03-06)0.138 [4]
When Portland Uber drivers face fines and impounding by authorities posing as fares, Kalanick has the company begin tracking undercover regulators so that Uber drivers can avoid them, called greyballing. The company begins to expand despite competition from Lyft and bad publicity. Gurley has growing reservations about Kalanick's methods, though he is somewhat mollified when Kalanick keeps the press out of a blowout party in Vegas (the "X" of the title) to celebrate their NYC penetration. Kalanick and Angie's relationship breaks down, and he becomes involved with Gabi, a violin player.
3"War"Daniel Gray Longino Stephen Schiff March 13, 2022 (2022-03-13)0.154 [5]
Uber goes to war with its competitors, meanwhile Kalanick attempts to raise money from Google Ventures by bringing them into the fold, which Gurley objects to.
4"Boober" John Dahl Emily HornsbyMarch 20, 2022 (2022-03-20)0.112 [6]
The company still struggles to find direction as its heads disagree over its future. The startup's leaders visit Code Conference in Silicon Valley where they meet other titans of industry. As the rest of Kalanick's colleagues begin to lose faith in his grandiose ideas, he finds a new ally in Arianna Huffington.
5"The Charm Offensive"John DahlSafie M. DirieMarch 27, 2022 (2022-03-27)0.103 [7]
Kalanick is brought to a meeting at Apple, Inc. where it is revealed that the company is aware of Uber's data leak. Threatened with Uber being removed from the App Store, he claims that he was trying to become competitive in China and weed out fraud. Huffington and Gurley clash over their opinion on how best to help Kalanick.
6"Delete Uber" Zetna Fuentes Beth SchacterApril 3, 2022 (2022-04-03)0.148 [8]
7"Same Last Name"Zetna FuentesBrian Koppelman & David LevienApril 10, 2022 (2022-04-10)0.085 [9]

Production

Development

The project first emerged on September 18, 2019, when the non-fiction novel Super Pumped by New York Times technology journalist Mike Isaac was featured on The Hollywood Reporter 's list of highly sought-after intellectual property. [10] The following month, it was announced that Showtime had optioned the television rights to the book, with the intention to adapt the novel into a limited series. Billions co-creators Brian Koppelman and David Levien were attached to create, write, and executive produce the series under their overall deal with Showtime Networks. [11] By March 2021, the series had quietly received a series pickup, with the series given a 2022 premiere timeframe. [12] It was later announced in May 2021 that Showtime had officially given the project a series order, with the series following an anthology format, opening up the possibility of future seasons instead of the miniseries previously envisioned. [13] The series, subtitled The Battle For Uber in its first season, premiered on February 27, 2022, on Showtime and Paramount+ Internationally. [14] Allen Coulter was the director and executive producer for the first episode. [15] On February 15, 2022, ahead of the series premiere, Showtime renewed the series for a second season which will focus on Facebook. [16]

Casting

In May 2021, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Kyle Chandler were cast in lead roles. [13] [17] In August 2021, Kerry Bishé, Babak Tafti, Mousa Hussein Kraish, and Hank Azaria were added to the main cast. [18] [19] [20] The following month, Bridget Gao Hollitt and Elisabeth Shue joined the cast in lead roles while Virginia Kull, Amanda Brooks, Annie Chang, Erinn Ruth, and Mishka Thébaud were cast in recurring capacities. [21] [22] [23] In October, it was announced Uma Thurman would be playing the role of Arianna Huffington. [15] On February 16, 2022, it was reported that Quentin Tarantino is set as the narrator for the first season. [1] Tarantino indicated he was a big fan of Billions which led Koppelman and Levien to pitch the role to him. [24]

Filming

Principal photography began in September 2021 in Los Angeles, California. [25]

Reception

Critical response

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a 64% approval rating with an average rating of 6.5/10, based on 28 critic reviews. The website's critics consensus reads, "Super Pumped has energy to spare, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt's committed turn as an unpleasant tech honcho will leave many viewers feeling stuck in a particularly uncomfortable rideshare." [26] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 63 out of 100 based on 19 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [27]

Ratings

Viewership and ratings per episode of Super Pumped
No.TitleAir date Rating
(18–49)		Viewers
(millions)
1"Grow or Die"February 27, 20220.010.120 [3]
2"X to the X"March 6, 20220.010.138 [4]
3"War"March 13, 20220.030.154 [5]
4"Boober"March 20, 20220.010.112 [6]
5"The Charm Offense"March 27, 20220.010.103 [7]
6"Delete Uber"April 3, 20220.010.148 [8]
7"Same Last Name"April 10, 20220.010.085 [9]

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References

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  2. 1 2 "Shows A-Z – Super Pumped on Showtime". The Futon Critic . Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Metcalf, Mitch (March 1, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 2.27.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily . Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Metcalf, Mitch (March 8, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 3.6.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  5. 1 2 Metcalf, Mitch (March 15, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 3.13.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily . Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Metcalf, Mitch (March 22, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 3.20.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  7. 1 2 Metcalf, Mitch (March 29, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 3.27.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily . Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  8. 1 2 Metcalf, Mitch (April 5, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 4.3.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 5, 2022.
  9. 1 2 Metcalf, Mitch (April 12, 2022). "ShowBuzzDaily's Sunday 4.10.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals Updated". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  10. ↑ Galuppo, Mia (September 18, 2019). "Rights Available: An Uber Deep-Dive and an Instagram Ghostwriter Tell-All". The Hollywood Reporter . Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  11. ↑ Petski, Denise (October 16, 2019). "'Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber' Limited Series Adaptation From 'Billions' Duo In Works At Showtime". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  12. ↑ Littleton, Cynthia (March 17, 2021). "'Man Who Fell to Earth' Series Shifts to Showtime From Paramount Plus (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  13. 1 2 Andreeva, Nellie (May 24, 2021). "Joseph Gordon-Levitt To Star As Travis Kalanick In 'Super Pumped' Showtime Series About Uber From 'Billions' Co-Creators". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  14. ↑ Cordero, Rosy (November 23, 2021). "'Super Pumped': Showtime Sets Premiere For Anthology Series From 'Billions' Co-Creators". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on November 24, 2021. Retrieved November 24, 2021.
  15. 1 2 Otterson, Joe (October 19, 2021). "Uma Thurman to Play Arianna Huffington in Showtime Uber Series 'Super Pumped' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  16. ↑ White, Peter (February 15, 2022). "'Super Pumped' Renewed For Season 2 At Showtime; Anthology Series To Tackle Facebook As Network Starts Meta Battle With HBO". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  17. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (May 27, 2021). "Kyle Chandler To Star In 'Super Pumped' Showtime Series About Uber From 'Billions' Co-Creators". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on May 29, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  18. ↑ Otterson, Joe (August 3, 2021). "Showtime Uber Series 'Super Pumped' Casts Kerry Bishé (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Archived from the original on August 8, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  19. ↑ Petski, Denise (August 10, 2021). "'Super Pumped': Babak Tafti & Mousa Hussein Kraish Join Showtime Series About Uber". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on August 11, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  20. ↑ Otterson, Joe (August 19, 2021). "Hank Azaria to Play Apple CEO Tim Cook in Uber Series 'Super Pumped' at Showtime (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved August 19, 2021.
  21. ↑ Otterson, Joe (September 3, 2021). "Uber Series 'Super Pumped' at Showtime Casts Bridget Gao-Hollitt (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Retrieved March 5, 2022.
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  23. ↑ White, Peter (September 22, 2021). "'Super Pumped': Showtime Anthology Series Adds Five To Cast". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved September 22, 2021.
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  25. ↑ Carolina (September 2, 2021). "Thursday, September 2 Filming Locations". On Location Vacations . Archived from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved April 10, 2022.
  27. ↑ "Super Pumped: The Battle For Uber: Season 1". Metacritic . Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 5, 2022.
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