TJ Miller (Ehrlich Bachman) Does Not Like Harvard Comedy Writers
Hollywood Reporter- In a separate interview with The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the season four finale, co-showrunner Mike Judge offered a bit more clarity on Miller’s exit. “It was kind of becoming clear that he didn’t want to do the show anymore, but we wanted to leave it so that there would an opportunity to come back at some point, ” he said, explaining that the writers purposely left Erlich’s storyline open-ended in the finale. “When the season was done, we talked to T.J. and said, ‘Do you want to come back for part of it?’ And he just wanted to move on.”
Now, Miller is offering his side of the story. In a wide-ranging and, at times, eccentric interview (what else do you expect from Miller?), the actor reveals that HBO offered him a reduced role in the upcoming season, which he ultimately turned down in favor of leaving the show completely. He gets candid on why he ultimately walked away from the series, on whether he’ll return to Silicon Valley in the future and why exiting the comedy “felt like a breakup.”
How did you manage to leave the show mid-run? Didn’t you have a contract that would keep you on the series?
They came to me and said, “Look, we’re not going to pick up your contingency because we want to offer you doing five episodes out of the 10, or three episodes.” And then I said, “Oh perfect, I had been wanting to ask if you guys would be open to me leaving the show.” And then they suddenly said, “Wait, no, what? You can do whatever. What? What do you mean?” And that was so good of them. They said, “We just wanted you to have more time to do all of the things you’re doing.” And I said, “Well, the best way for me to be involved in the show is by no longer being on it.” I swear to God, that’s why the internet broke. Everybody was like, “What the f— are you talking about? You’re on this successful show. Don’t you want three more years of solid acting work and don’t you want to be a famous television actor?” And I was like, “No, not really.” I’d like to parasail into the Cannes Film Festival for The Emoji Movie because that’s the next new funny thing that will make people laugh.
Why were the producers going to reduce your role in the first place?
Because they had to move the production schedule around. That’s how heavy-duty my schedule is. Even the most successful comedy next to Veep on HBO was like this thing that I had to — I’m doing stand-up and I come back and I didn’t sleep at all. I was incredibly busy. People joke about it but I’m the hardest-working man in show business, maybe. So they were like, “Let’s make this easier for both of us.” And I was like, “I think this is an amazing opportunity.”
You don’t think Erlich belonged in the show?
Yeah, nobody likes him. He doesn’t have any friends. His only friend is Jian Yang, and Jian Yang f—ing hates him. I mean, he calls him a “fat loser.” You don’t say that to a friend. Erlich is just the person nobody wants. There’s no reason for him to be there. He’s conned his way into the whole situation. And so I thought it would be really interesting if suddenly they were able to rid themselves of him. If they had truly had enough of him, which is what they’re always saying, then why wouldn’t he just exit? What if they’re really suddenly like, he’s gone? Now what? Who does Richard have to complain about? Who is f—ing up their situation? Where is that confidence in the show? Where is that blowhard that everybody needs? Who is able to be negging without Thomas Middleditch being like, “I’ll kill you, you little slut.” So that all interested me, and most of all it made me laugh really hard. That was the impetus behind walking. That’s sort of the impetus behind everything I do: It just makes me laugh. It’s not about money, it’s not about any of that stuff. It’s certainly not about fame, which is destructing my relationships with my family. It’s about things that are interesting and funny. That’s what we need right now in a post-religious, post-meaning society.
What do you mean you’re not an actor?
I’m not an actor; I’m a comedian. And I don’t know how the f— I hoodwinked Hollywood into giving me a career in this. But I’m not sitting here saying, “I need more lines. I’m not funny enough.” I’m not Thomas Middleditch. I’m me, the guy that thinks all of this is sort of ridiculous. It was a joke. Leaving was a joke that I thought would be a good joke because the show would grow and change. It seemed like a funny trick to play on everyone. It’s just like, what if Kramer [Michael Richards] left in the middle of Seinfeld’s height? And also what if that guy never said the n-word on a stage? What if that was the end of this character? I just thought that would be really fascinating. The response to my departure was really f—ing — there’s really no other way to say it: It was just really heartwarming. It’s like, wow, I guess I really did make something that people really dug. Just like Fred from Big Hero 6 or Weasel [from Deadpool.]
Don’t you feel like Erlich deserved a little more closure than he got?
I think that HBO and Alec Berg, specifically, kind of thought — and I guess apparently Thomas Middleditch — I guess they thought, “All right, maybe this is the end of the character. But like everything in the show, we’ll sort of solve this and then it’s back to normal.” And they just didn’t imagine that I would be in a position of being like, “I think that’s it.” I don’t know how smart [Alec] is. He went to Harvard, and we all know those kids are f—ing idiots. That Crimson trash. Those comedy writers in Hollywood are f—ing Harvard graduates and that’s why they’re smug as a bug. …
As fans of Silicon Valley are well aware, T.J. Miller will not be returning next year for season 6. I like T.J. Miller a lot and feel that Ehrlich was the strongest character on the show, so I was pretty bummed when I learned of this. I assumed he was leaving because he’s so big now that he wanted to move on to other things, kind of like when Steve Carell left The Office. But this interview reveals that some other shit was going on. It’s very hard to separate the character of T.J. Miller from the truth, and so much of what he said here needs to be taken as a joke. But a few things stand out.
The showrunners told him they wanted him for 3-5 of the 10 episodes for season 6. He responded by saying he wanted to leave, which led them to recant and offer him whatever he wanted. At this, Miller reiterated that he wanted off the show, that the best way for him to be involved was by not being part of it. This doesn’t make any sense to me and if I had to guess, I’d say Miller was a little miffed that HBO had offered him a reduced role. I would be too–he knows how popular his character is. It’s not a stretch to say that Silicon Valley will suffer from his absence. Who knows if this is actually how it went down, but if the producers actually told him he was to have a smaller role in the upcoming seasons, that seems like a terrible way to start that conversation.
The interview is all over the place. Everyone knows T.J. Miller is eccentric, but some of the shit he said here is impossible to pin down. He goes on to make a joke about how executive producer Alec Berg might be dumb because he went to Harvard.
“I don’t know how smart [Alec] is. He went to Harvard, and we all know those kids are f—ing idiots. That Crimson trash. Those comedy writers in Hollywood are f—ing Harvard graduates and that’s why they’re smug as a bug.”
It’s clearly a joke. But there’s a grain of truth in every joke. Hollywood is littered with comedy writers who came through the Harvard Lampoon, a satirical magazine that grooms young comedians for writing at SNL and other sitcoms (famous Lampoon writers include Conan O’brien, BJ Novak, Colin Jost, John Updike, Andy Borowitz, among others). I never tried out for the Lampoon, and it remains the single biggest regret of my time in college. Just thought I didn’t have time due to sports and homework. I also didn’t know I wanted to be a comedian until my senior year, at which point it was too late. Would have been an amazing network though.
Regardless, here’s the last part of the interview:
So, what’s next for you?
In a world where the culture is fractured, and there is no real zeitgeist, everybody has to work on different platforms — multiple, or in my case, all of them. And I can’t devote enough time to stand-up. The people from the show and the fans that get it, they’re like, “We understand. You need to have a slower schedule and divert your focus.” Like The Gorburger Show, stand-up, Deadpool and is there a Weasel spinoff that’s funny and ironic other than being a sidekick? I have a movie at DreamWorks. And then the people that don’t are like stupid f—ing websites like TV Over Mind or something, and they’re putting forth very reasonable, well written logic for why this is so dumb and the only thing I’ll ever be good at was this part in Silicon Valley. Yet none of them have seen Yogi Bear 3D, so they’re all talking and chit-chattering and squawk, squawk, squawk — but none of them have seen Yogi Bear 3D. So they don’t know that I’ve already done the best thing that I’ll ever do. And because of that, there is no fear about any move in Hollywood for me. I’m just on the downslope. This is all a downward spiral, career-wise.
Sheesh. Dude, you’re doing pretty damn well. Again, he’s probably kidding, but it’s just impossible to tell what’s real here. And I think that’s what he’s going for. There’s a strange thrill in confusing your audience about your intentions, because people tend to laugh about things that make them uncomfortable. Here’s hoping TJ lands on his feet with his next chapter. Luckily, if he falls, he’ll land on that comfy Yogi Bear 3D/How To Train Your Dragon money.
Best of luck, Ehrlich.