USA Network’s Mr. Robot (Wednesdays, 10/9C) is, to quote the network’s blurb, ‘a techno thriller that follows Elliot, a young programmer, who works as a cyber-security engineer by day and as a vigilante hacker by night. Elliot finds himself at a crossroad when the mysterious leader of an underground hacker group recruits him to destroy the firm he is paid to protect. Compelled by his personal beliefs, Elliot struggles to resist the chance to take down the multinational CEOs he believes are running (and ruining) the world.’
As all blurbs are, this one is a simplification – for one thing, Elliot is substantially more than merely a cyber-security tech/vigilante. He is both a troubled soul – possibly at the highly functional end of the autism spectrum – who is almost clinically aware of his flaws. As such, he is one of the most relateable protagonists on TV right now.