Simon Helberg is leaning back into familiar territory — with a darker twist. The actor, best known for playing Howard Wolowitz on The Big Bang Theory, has revealed new details about his upcoming AMC series The Audacity, a dark comedy set in Silicon Valley’s billionaire tech bubble.
Speaking at Variety’s CES summit, Helberg described his character, Martin Phister, as a former child prodigy who entered Stanford at 15, made a fortune in tech, and now lives in near isolation. Obsessed with developing an AI companion meant to help alienated teens, Martin neglects his own teenage daughter, exposing the loneliness at the heart of the show.
While Martin shares echoes of early-season Howard — brilliant, socially awkward, and emotionally adrift — he’s a more mature, wealthier version, grappling with fatherhood and disconnection in a hyper-digital world. Created by Succession and Better Call Saul writer Jonathan Glatzer, The Audacity explores ambition, ego, and flawed attempts at human connection through technology.
