Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber synopsis: What is the show about?

There’s lots of great documentaries out there, it’s one of my personal favorite genres to watch! And while that’s the case, we also have great movies and shows that are based on real-life events. They may be fictionalized and dramatized accounts of a true story, but it doesn’t make them any less fun and interesting to watch. And that’s definitely the case with Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber! Originally having aired on Showtime, the drama is coming to Netflix on Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023.

If you haven’t guessed from the title yet, the series is all about the infamous ride-sharing company many of us rely on to get around today. Uber took the world by storm when it was first introduced, and it was thanks to founder and then CEO Travis Kalanick. Well, we get to see how he built the company and made it a success. But that success also eventually leads to his downfall in an eventual boardroom coup. We shared the full description (and trailer!) from Showtime below:

"Based on the true story behind the meteoric rise and fall of Uber founder, Travis Kalanick, who takes a win-at-all-costs approach to forge a multi-billion-dollar colossus with the help of venture capitalist Bill Gurley and board member Arianna Huffington."

And while the television production is not a documentary, the series is based on the nonfiction novel of the same name by author Mike Isaac. He released his book in 2019. So there’s bound to be many true threads throughout the television adaptation.

What to expect from the drama series starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber has a total of seven episodes, all of which will begin streaming on Netflix beginning Oct. 4. And for those of you who are avid binge-watchers like me, I think you’d agree that seven episodes is a piece of cake to get through! We shared the episode titles of the about hour-long episodes below:

• Episode 1, “Grow or Die”
• Episode 2, “X to the X”
• Episode 3, “War”
• Episode 4, “Boober”
• Episode 5, “The Charm Offensive”
• Episode 6, “Delete Uber”
• Episode 7, “Same Last Name”

Actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt is charismatic in many of his roles, and his portrayal of former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is definitely no different! You may recognize the 42-year-old talent from his other projects like 10 Things I Hate About You, (500) Days of Summer, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, The Trial of the Chicago 7, and most recently Flora and Son on Apple TV+. His character in The Battle For Uber is described as a “notorious bad boy” in the trailer, and you can already see hints of that just by watching the video. I’m so excited to see Gordon-Levitt in this role!

The drama series also stars Kyle Chandler as Bill Gurley; Kerry Bishé as Austin Geidt; Babak Tafti as Emil Michael; Jon Bass as Garrett Camp; Elisabeth Shue as Bonnie Kalanick; Bridget Gao Hollitt as Gabi Holzwarth; and Uma Thurman as Arianna Huffington. Plus, famous film director Quentin Tarantino serves as the narrator.

More of Super Pumped to come on Showtime!

Once the Uber-focused story arrives on Netflix, you might like it so much that you want more. Well, we have good news. There will be a second season! The show originally premiered on Feb. 27, 2022 on Showtime. Even before it made its debut to viewers, the network decided to give the series another season. But the show is an anthology as season 2 will focus on another major company with new cast members.

According to Deadline, Super Pumped season 2 will explore the relationship between Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and COO Sheryl Sandberg. We’ll also see how the social media company began as a startup, rose to power, and eventually unleashed “world-changing forces.” A release date and cast for the second season have not been announced yet. We also don’t know if Netflix will choose to stream season 2. We’ll just have to wait and see. But you can bet we’re super pumped!

Super Pumped: The Battle for Uber begins streaming Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023 on Netflix.