Apple TV’s 10-Part Comedy Is So Good, You’ll Finish It in One Weekend

Hollywood has had its fair share of issues in the last decade, and there is increasing concern about what the future of cinema will look like. Although it’s easy to cynically proclaim that everyone in the studio system is the enemy of artists, the reality is that filmmaking is as much a business as it is a form of creative expression. Apple TV’s The Studio is a razor-sharp satire of the current outlook on filmmaking, filled with references to Hollywood history, homages to current films, and more cameos than anyone can keep track of. However, the show also considers an important question about whether it’s possible to make great art that is also viable as a commercial product.

The Studio is the latest project from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who used their own experiences as writers and producers to create a strikingly accurate look at the crisis facing historic production companies. Rogen stars in the series as cinephile Matt Remick, who is appointed to be the new head of Continental Studios by its CEO, Griffin Mill (Bryan Cranston). Matt has allies in the marketing head Maya Mason (Kathryn Hahn), the vice president Sal Saperstein (Ike Barinholtz), and even his predecessor Patty Leigh (Catherine O’Hara), but his job results in many unexpected opportunities. While it might seem ironic that a television show serves as a tribute to the power of cinema, The Studio offers a hilarious, intelligent, and surprisingly optimistic portrayal of the suffering involved in the magic of the movies.

‘The Studio’ Is a Perfect Satire of Hollywood

Even if Continental Studios is not a real company, The Studio portrays a version of Hollywood that mirrors reality, referencing the types of films that might get greenlit. In his new role, Matt is tasked with managing a major superhero franchise similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, working on For Your Consideration campaigns for films within the Oscar race, and negotiating with stars for various promotional appearances. Thanks to the recreation of events such as the Golden Globes, Comic-Con, and CinemaCon, The Studio can make direct commentary on how absurd the marketing side of filmmaking can be. It’s helpful that the cast includes actors who play fictional versions of themselves, as well as original characters that serve as stand-ins for various figures within the entertainment industry.

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The Studio features the best performance of Rogen’s career because Matt is put in a legitimately difficult position where he is in awe of the people he is given the chance to work with. Perhaps the funniest cameo in the entire season is from Martin Scorsese, who appears as himself during a pitch meeting with Matt; although Matt believes that he could help to produce the next Scorsese masterpiece, he is aware that Mill would be unlikely to grant such a high budget to a film that would be decidedly uncommercial. Even though Matt has good intentions, he’s also a bumbling, awkward person who often puts unnecessary pressure on himself. Few moments in The Studio are as hilarious as the Golden Globes episode, in which Matt’s name isn’t mentioned by any of the winners during their acceptance speeches, even though Sal manages to always get a shoutout.

Apple TV’s ‘The Studio’ Is a Must-Watch for Cinephiles

A cameo isn’t a joke in its own right, but The Studio benefits from having celebrities who are willing to poke fun at themselves. Despite Ron Howard‘s real-life reputation as one of the nicest people in Hollywood, he appears in the series as a rude, pretentious version of himself who ruthlessly mocks Matt for not understanding his Best Picture-winning film, A Beautiful Mind. Both Dave Franco and Zac Efron are friends of Rogen who have worked with him on past projects, but they humorously appear as versions of themselves who have no idea who Matt is. There are even a few deep cuts that homage some of Rogen’s primary influences on the show; Cranston’s character shares his name with the anti-hero played by Tim Robbins in Robert Altman’s scathing Hollywood satire The Player, which is also about a studio executive.

The Studio also pulls off some fitting homages that directly relate to the subject of each episode; “The Oner” is shot to appear as one extended take, and “The Missing Reel” is framed as an old-fashioned noir detective story. The Studio has a vast and nuanced understanding of the industry that explores the mistakes and successes that are bound to happen in any creative life cycle, and at ten episodes long, it’s a very manageable binge. Given how acclaimed the first season was, and how much fun everyone involved seemed to be having, The Studio’s impending second season could be the next chapter in a new comedy classic that spans years into the future. Although sadly, the show will no longer feature O’Hara after her tragic passing, it will be fascinating to see the other corners of Hollywood that The Studio is able to satirize.