Four Years Later, StartUp Still Holds Up

If you're looking for a "new" old show to watch, StartUp is a certified diamond in the rough if you're into crypto, privacy, and crime-related drama.

Giving television or movie recommendations isn’t generally my thing. But there are times when I feel strongly enough about content that I give it the old stamp of approval. One show that I think might be of interest to some of you is the Crackle original program StartUp. Back when Sony was building out its free, ad-supported streaming platform Crackle, the company did something that most ad-supported streaming platforms weren’t doing at the time; investing in original content.

StartUp has been a slept on gem for several years. The show’s first season was released in 2016 and subsequent seasons dropped in 2017 and 2018. Though the program has never officially been cancelled, at nearly four years since its last season, its more than likely finished. That said, it enjoyed a bit of a resurgence last year when the program’s new owner (Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Ticker: CSSE) worked out a licensing deal with Netflix (NFLX). The program organically became one of Netflix’s trending shows for a brief period. Unlike Manifest, which came back from the dead after spontaneous Netflix success, no new season of StartUp appears to be in the works.

What makes the show interesting to me is there’s an intersection of a lot of what I write about on this website. The show dives into cryptocurrency, entrepreneurship, privacy, trust, and capital investment. Then there’s the whole criminology component added on top. From a subject matter standpoint, it’s very compelling. And in addition to that, it has all of the artistic elements one would ask for from a great show; the writing, acting, and cinematography are all very well done.

Frankly, a fantastic show in my opinion and even though it is probably never coming back for a fourth season, it’s worth a watch if you’re looking for something different. The show’s run is just 30 episodes long. You can finish it in a few weeks if you’re motivated. I found myself to be hooked and watched it every night until I blew through the whole series. I’ve since re-watched it in full and have restarted it for a third run through.

There aren’t what I’d consider to be household names in the show. The main three characters are portrayed by Adam Brody, Otmara Marrero, and Edi Gathegi. Martin Freeman also plays a significant role in the series. Here’s the trailer if you’re interested:

StartUp is still available on Netflix with any subscription. And if you don’t have Netflix you can watch it free with commercials on Crackle. Of course, if you’ve already seen the show, I’d love to hear what you thought of it in the comments!

Disclosure: I’m long CSSE.