Nat Geo’s Innovative ‘Valley of the Boom’ is a Narrative Game-Changer

It takes a Herculean effort to stand out in today’s oversaturated pop-culture climate. Innovation is typically reserved for industry leaders or enterprising iconoclasts with deep pockets who are capable of handling the inherent risk that accompanies unconventional thinking. The demand for original content has never been greater and, historically, competition breeds innovation. Surprisingly, one of the sharpest, most inventive TV shows in recent memory isn’t streaming on Netflix, nor does it air Thursday nights on NBC.

The most original show of 2019 is Nat Geo’s sensational hybrid-series Valley of the Boom.

Not to get too Stefon on you, but Nat Geo’s limited series about the birth of Silicon Valley through the 2001 dot-com bust truly has everything. Premiering in early January, Valley of the Boom blends elements of talking head documentaries, absurdist fantasy sequences, and scripted drama to tell the stranger than fiction stories behind the rise and fall of Netscape, TheGlobe.com, and “Michael Fenne’s” ill-fated streaming company Pixelon. An enthralling story told with an avant-garde flair typically reserved for the big screen, the six-episode explosion of originality takes the unconventional narrative structure of Nat Geo’s docu-drama Mars and heightens it, resulting in an adventurous viewing experience.

“I wanted to do something as disruptive as these founders and makers had done with their tech and their approach to business,” series creator Matthew Carnahan told Adweek. “I said, ‘This is not just gonna be straight geekery. This is gonna be a party.'”

Valley of the Boom relishes in the unconventional. From interviews with Mark Cuban and Arianna Huffington to extravagant dance sequences, the series unpredictable nature commands your attention. It’s evident from the get-go that Bradley Whitford, who portrays Netscape CEO Jim Barksdale, and Steve Zahn, who plays notorious huckster Michael Fenne, are having an absolute blast. Whitford gives Barksdale a wry, seen-it-all-before wit, and Zahn delivers perhaps the best performance of his career by imbuing his charismatic con-man character with the difficult combination of gusto and humanity.

The series employs a dark yet playful humor. There’s a ton of needed exposition to fully explain the infamous “browser wars,” and Valley of the Boom sidesteps this potential pitfall with narrative ingenuity (a mid-’90s style rap battle, dance numbers, intricate allegories about Microsoft wanting to murder Netscape). To help ease the storytelling burden, the show uses Lamorne Morris (New Girl) as a de facto host. Morris portrays Darrin, an amalgam of the various investment bankers of the period. Morris’ natural affability and the show’s irreverent tone are a perfect match, as evidenced by Darrin’s description of TheGlobe.com founders Todd Krizelman (Oliver Cooper) and Stephan Paternot (Dakota Shapiro).

“I mean, these dudes basically invented Facebook, and you can keep your pithy comment, Mark Zuckerberg. You got a lot on your plate right now! Shh.”

Valley of the Boom is a blast. Its frenetic, breaking the fourth wall-style narrative is as fresh as it is engaging. The first two episodes are streaming for free on YouTube, and you can binge the entire series (all six episodes) on Nat Geo’s website.

Where to stream Valley of the Boom