USA Network has long been a safe harbor in the often-overwhelming sea of television choices, offering non-challenging shows with procedurally formatted single-season arcs. — a reputation embraced since stumbling upon the successful “Burn Notice” in 2007. It seems to be able to churn out endless hours of this palatable content under different names, year in and year out.
“Mr. Robot” is a stark break from the network, something different this year and unlike anything else on television. Starring Christian Slater as the titular Mr. Robot and a hodgepodge of recognizable actors and actresses that have been at best third or fourth leads in other shows and movies, “Mr. Robot” is a wild ride. It centers on a morphine-addicted yet amazingly talented hacker, Elliot (Rami Malek), who is recruited by Slater’s character to join a group of other vaguely anarchic hackers. The show is mostly depicted from Elliot’s perspective which gives it the ability to play with the accuracy of what is shown in a way that is often difficult to achieve in non-literary mediums.
The show’s creator, Sam Esmail, seems to disregard any television show conventions that have come before him — a large part of what makes this show so great. “Mr. Robot” is totally radical in all of its ideas and its execution. It plays with incredibly large ideas about our modern life and behavior without ever falling into a cautionary tone about the perils of technology or heavy-handed dime store philosophy. Execution-wise, it is very visually striking — every single detail, small or large, seems masterfully handled. Its production values are simply superb.
Despite this apparent level of complete creative control, the show betrays a hint of recklessness. The script actually began life as a movie that ended up too long to be viable. Esmail was apparently very reluctant to cut anything, opting instead to add more and adapt it as a TV show — presumably suggesting a clear idea of how it all ends. The biggest question is how this translates past that point. “Mr. Robot” has already been renewed for a second season, and the recklessness with which the show proceeds now does not seem sustainable for long. It could be flying too close to the sun, and it is very possible Esmail simply doesn’t care much about the potential unsustainability of his show.
While sailing the content-rich sea of modern network television, you probably cannot do much better than “Mr. Robot.” USA Network, once the home of a dredge of average procedurals with different glossy finishes covering essentially the same moving parts, is now sitting with a totally new television phenomenon. “Mr. Robot” is one of the best, most unique shows on television, and everyone should be watching it.
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