Showrunner Alex Garland Previews ‘Devs’ at Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo 2020

Like any other convention, Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo premieres upcoming shows aiming to incite a sense of excitement that will spread the word on the street. This year’s feature was the Hulu exclusive, Devs which premieres its first two episodes on Thursday, March 5th on Hulu. 

For the first time, FX and Hulu have teamed up to bring us an intense science fiction show that is heavy on science and drama but fails to shy away from high-octane action sequences.

From the clips I’ve seen, it is safe to say that you shouldn’t watch this before bedtime.

Devs is the stunning television debut of Alex Garland, whose visions include the incredible Ex Machina and Annihilation. The sci-fi thriller centers around a software engineer who investigates the secret development division of a cutting edge tech company based in Silicon Valley. She believes this shady company has something to do with the death of her boyfriend.

While giving us a sneak peek into the world of Devs, FX also allowed the crowded room the opportunity to hear from Alex Garland himself. He gave us insightful tidbits into his mindset while creating the show, without demystifying the shadows looming in the delicious glimpses they fed us.

Some of this info surrounded a character named Forest, who is played by Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation).  

“I wasn’t terrifically familiar with Nick’s role as a comedian. I know Parks and Recreation is a massive show, but I wasn’t familiar with it. What I did know is that comedians can move from comedy to drama often more easily than dramatic actors can move to comedy,” Garland told us.

When asked if Forest was based on anyone familiar, Garland continued, “No one in particular, but what I did do was attempt to create uncertainty — which is the vibe that surrounds a lot of these companies.”

He went into further description of these tech companies by adding, “You are being offered an object as if it’s the key to your life — to make it better. It is the messianic aspect of it that I am instinctively against. It isn’t just taken by them, it’s also conferred to them by other people. You get a big sense that there is a bit of ‘Kool-aid’ being drunk.”

Chiming in on Silicon Valley more specifically, Garland explained, “San Francisco has this sense of being the most interesting place in the world — where things are happening. That has an effect on everything, a lot of juxtapositions.”

Rounding out his thoughts he finished, “In a world where religious states are either entrenching or disintegrating, it’s as if these companies have stepped into a vacuum.”

This commentary gave way to Garland’s feelings on the current state of the country but still managed to wind back around to where the show is coming from.

“We are good at some things, but we aren’t good at self-regulation. One thing that I like about this country is that when it formed, it understood the qualms of power. It created a system of checks and balances very deliberately. They did that wisely and the thing that concerns me at the moment is that someone is dismembering that,” Alex Garland stated.

“That aside, there’s nothing within those tech industries that exists to mitigate them in the way the government does.” 

When asked about what sort of research he did for the making of the show, Garland answered, “A lot of Devs involves quantum mechanics. I have been trying to understand them — trying to get my head around it for a long time. It is only once I get a certain clarity and understanding that I write about it.”

Looking for a good metaphor to compare Devs to, Garland settles on some of his work from the past. “It is kind of like Ex Machina.”

“You have a story that presupposes a very advanced, self-aware artificial intelligence and also an incredible level of robotics. Devs is the same. It takes certain things that have to do with quantum physics, computing, and quantum mechanics. It is science fiction — but it is based in science.”

With all this incredible information, how could one not get excited about what Devs has to offer? Science fiction, drama, action, and even a little bit of truth thrown in for good measure. 

The debut is only a couple of days away, so my advice to you is to double-check you are up to date on your Hulu subscription.

Check out the photos and promo below for a look at the series!

https://youtu.be/aoNloYTsH0Y

What are your hopes for the first two episodes of Devs? Are you as excited as I am? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.

Dev premieres Thursday, March 5th on Hulu.

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What to Watch on TV: Dispatches from Elsewhere, Good Trouble, Devs