Silicon Valley returns on HBO on March 25, 2018, with its fifth episode. This time, however, it will be missing one big component. T.J. Miller, who portrayed the character of Erlich Bachman, won’t be a part of the cast. After it was announced that Miller won’t return for season five, the actor himself said that the decision was mutual and cited his busy schedule as one of the main reasons for his exit.
Now, speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, one of the Silicon Valley creators, Mike Judge, decided to reveal their side about T.J. Miller’s exit from the show.
“There are a lot of different ways you can find out somebody doesn’t want to do the show anymore,” said Judge. “And it’s not fun to work with someone who doesn’t want to be there, [especially when] they’re one of the main people and you’ve got however many crewmembers and extras and people who are [not paid as well] and they’re all showing up before 7 a.m., and they are just like, ‘Oh, OK, we’re not shooting today.'”
“It just wasn’t working,” he added.
According to the crew members and sources close to the show, the decision to cut ties with Miller was a long time coming. He wasn’t engaged on the set, would come unprepared and according to eyewitnesses, he would often fall asleep between takes. Ultimately, although Miller’s contribution to the show was unquestionable, both parties decided it was best to part ways.
T.J. Miller was offered to appear in three episodes of season five, which would serve as a sendoff for his character Erlich Bachman. Judge suggested that the storyline would probably include Bachman and Jian Yang going on a road trip to China. Miller, however, rejected the offer and opted to finish his involvement in the show with the fourth season, with Erlich Bachman being left in Tibetan opium den.
