Whilst there is a certain “inside baseball”-like mentality to The Studio – the Seth Rogen–Evan Goldberg-created comedy series about the moving and shaking of a new film studio head and his attempt to salvage the newly acquired company’s evidently floundering reputation – such is the genius of Rogen and Goldberg’s handling (the duo co-directing each of the 10 episodes) that even the most casual or unversed viewer will feel entirely enveloped by the goings on.
In typical Hollywood fashion, there aren’t really new ideas, just those that are reimagined, and The Studio, in a way, adheres to this, playing out like a workplace sitcom of sorts, just with a larger playground and a plethora of famous faces on hand to lend a sense of credibility and, let’s face it, a cool factor to proceedings; Martin Scorsese, Bryan Cranston, Charlize Theron, Steve Buscemi, Olivia Wilde, Zac Efron, Rebecca Hall, Greta Lee, Anthony Mackie, Ron Howard, and Johnny Knoxville, just a few of the names that pop up amongst the chaos.
Often causing said chaos is Matt Remick (Rogen), a neurotic film exec who has been bequeathed the position of studio head of Continental Studios by its entertainingly vulgar CEO, Griffin Mill (Cranston). It’s a failing enterprise, but there’s still enough demand from the industry (I mean, they at least get a meeting with Scorsese in the first episode), and Matt’s very much going to have to prove himself to both the pessimistic crowd of outsiders and his close circle of worker bees – right-hand man Sal Saperstein (Ike Barinholtz, fantastic), eager young executive Quinn (Chase Sui Wonders), crass marketing head Maya (the always riotous Kathryn Hahn), and ex-studio-boss-turned-producer Patty (Catherine O’Hara), who Matt replaced.
Naturally, all is easier said than done.
Whilst there is a certain episodic nature to the series as a whole, The Studio feels like a cohesive project, with Matt’s inherent love for filmmaking present at the core of every story – even if it sometimes threatens to kill his passion for the art itself (a Kool-Aid movie, made in the same vein as Barbie, is Griffin’s pet project and prime idea to save the studio) or his relationship with respected, powerful talent; the second episode, set entirely around director Sarah Polley wanting to execute the perfect single, uninterrupted take, speaks to Matt’s unmatched enthusiasm at his own expense. The fact that the episode itself is shot in a oner also celebrates the different facets of directing and narrative techniques, furthering the very evident love Rogen has for the industry, despite the show’s occasional cynicism.
That aforementioned episode, appropriately titled “The Oner”, isn’t going to ape the single-take style of Netflix success Adolescence, but it certainly speaks to his and Peters’ talent as directors, with another episode around the filming of a Chinatown-like thriller embracing a neo-noir style itself, as well as acting as a celebration of filming on celluloid in a time where digital is so often now favoured.
Whilst there’ll be some viewers that may not pick up on certain homages or the importance of its industry speak, Rogen and Goldberg, as well as fellow writers/creators Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory and Frida Perez, lace the episodes with enough universal comedy and workplace shenanigans (parking spot politics, problematic representation, and being the “no” man in a pool of yes’s) that it transcends its specialist mentality.
With the aforementioned Adolescence, the continued weekly reveals of The White Lotus, and the acclaimed thrills of fellow Apple TV+ product Severance, we are absolutely spoilt for choice and content on our home screens, and The Studio only continues this dominance, emerging as one of this year’s funniest, most traditionally entertaining shows, delighting in its own perfect comedic construction along the way.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The first two episodes of The Studio premiere on March 26th on Apple TV+. Each subsequent episode will air weekly before its finale on May 21st, 2025.
