‘StartUp’ Reinvents Itself For Season 2 And “Stays Relevant”

Crackle’s dramatic tech thriller StartUp presented at TCA today with creator, EP and director Ben Ketai alongside actors Adam Brody, Edi Gathegi, Otmara Marrer and new cast member Addison Timlin. After a successful freshman season, Ketai is looking to the sophomore follow-up aims to reinvent itself and dive deep into building a darknet.

“For Season 2, we wanted to develop something that went beyond crypto currency,” said Ketai. “There were a lot of articles about the darknet and how it’s changing. It’s become commercialized and not as anonymous as people thought it was. More people are hopping off of it, which creates a new hunger for a new thing.”

When asked if the storylines in StartUp will parallel current events, Brody, who is also a producer on the show, said there are very little similarities in what’s happening in the StartUp universe versus the real world.

“I think the show is being current and relevant without ripping from the headlines,” he said. “There are nods to things like ‘Pharma bro’ and Bitcoin, obviously, but we don’t reference specific events or politicians.”

The show also stars Martin Freeman and new addition Ron Perlman, who Ketai had in mind for the new season.

“We threw his name around a lot while writing the show,” said Ketai. “He loved working on the show, and he’s part of the family now.

Added Gathegi, “It’s encouraging when someone like Perlman signs on to the show knowing that he might be a fan.”

Perlman, who also serves as a producer of the show, stars as Wes Chandler, a multimillionaire businessman. Timlin plays his daughter, Mara.

Season 2 picks up on the streets of Miami following the takeover of GenCoin, an unregulated digital and global currency for those without access to independent capital. Now in the hands of new ownership, led by Alex Bell and the Russian mob, our unlikely trio and GenCoin founders, Izzy Morales, Ronald Dacey and Nick Talman, reinvest in their partnership and launch a new endeavor, a darknet prototype called Araknet— a hidden network that’s far more dangerous, challenges their moral code and puts them squarely at the center of a digital black market. Presented with obstacles that will threaten everyone’s personal safety and the safety of the ones they love, the new season poses the question, what is the cost of ambition, and reveals the frightening lengths one might go to achieve ultimate success.