Filming for the pilot began on March 12 , 2013 , in Palo Alto , California . HBO green-lit the series on May 16 , 2013 . Kid Rock appeared in the episode as a personal favor to Judge , who said " Rock sort of owed me one . I 'd done a Beavis And Butt-head thing for him for free that he used on his Jumbotrons on tour in 2011 " ; the cameo was inspired by a tech company 's party Judge had attended only because Run-DMC were performing , with Judge stating that " it was just a lot of disinterested tech people standing around . It seemed like an odd juxtaposition . " The episode was viewed by 2 million viewers . The episode received generally positive reviews . '' The A.V. Club '' gave the episode a B . '' Slate '' called it " sharp , very funny " . Mike Judge was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series at the 66th Primetime Emmy Awards and also received a nomination for a Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Comedy Series at the 67th Directors Guild of America Awards
66th Primetime Emmy Awards
66th Primetime Emmy Awards
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