Dream team collaborators Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (This is the End, Future Man, Preacher) join forces once again for a hilarious, cameo-stuffed celebration (or is it takedown?) of the movie studio system in Apple TV’s deliciously perfect The Studio. Rogen stars as Matt, the new head of fictitious, controversially scattered Continental Studios. Under his control, Matt will push the studio to make bold creative choices and shift to a creatives-first mentality—at least, that is how Matt longs to operate. Naturally, the core of constantly-at-odds executives do not make things easy. Over the course of its ten-episode debut season, The Studio leans on physical comedy blended with sharp meta commentary on the film industry at large.
The Studio ably functions as the antithesis to Prime Video’s recently-cancelled-too-soon The Franchise; whereas that series followed the filming and subsequent release of a huge studio picture, The Studio shifts to the macro side of things, and all its moving parts. Each episode acts as a stand-alone capsule of a major issue that Matt must address as the head of the studio, with the connective tissue being his team of creatives and their colorful personalities. In the pilot, Matt grapples with making a Kool-Aid movie an auteur-driven affair, inspired by the incredible success of Greta Gerwig crafting Barbie into a cultural phenomenon. In another, a “final cut” screening goes horribly awry when Ron Howard’s laboriously long newest flick needs to be whittled down. Neither Howard nor his trademark baseball cap are going to be happy. My personal favorite of the five-episode run provided in advance for critics involves a missing reel of footage for Rolling Blackout, complete with a feud between Zac Efron and director Olivia Wilde playing themselves.
What works so well here is the chaotic environment of the studio system. As Rogen’s flustered Matt juggles multiple hats—and somehow, attempts to quiet the chaos—he becomes surrounded by so many voices that they begin to reach a fever pitch. Amongst the strongest regular roles are the de facto team he has fostered. These include recently-fired executive Amy (Catherine O’Hara, Schitts Creek, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice), who claims she was “railed raw” and demands a major raise to return; creatively-stifled Quinn (Chase Sui Wonders, Genera+ion, Bodies Bodies Bodies) and her rival, fiery co-worker Sal (Ike Barinholtz, Neighbors, The Afterparty); and overly-opinionated and incredibly stylish Maya (Kathryn Hahn, Agatha All Along, Bad Moms). Along the way, Rogen and Goldberg leave plenty of room to constantly name-drop celebrities, and even have many of them emerge for outrageous cameos. In such an environment, the pop culture references feel entirely organic to the story being told rather than ending up hampered by overt industry commentary.
Dynamic camera movements and a zippy energy tend to emulate the best of The Bear while still keeping tongue firmly in cheek. The satirical nature of the scripts never overstays its welcome either, particularly as the high concept of subsequent entries shifts gears into a different scenario every half-hour. This also gives way to surprising flourishes—that aforementioned film reel robbery in episode four plays out as a noir-focused mystery. Perhaps later in the season, there are heightened narrative stakes, or major shakeups to the status quo. As is, The Studio offers plenty of fodder for starved cinephiles and Rogennators alike to sink their teeth into. At its best, the physical comedy bits left me laughing out loud. Come for the absurd cinema satire, stay to see Seth Rogen in his element, surrounded by the insanity of making a movie.
Take a tour of all the bells and whistles at The Studio, rolling cameras with its first two episodes on Wednesday, March 26th. The series debuted at 2025’s SXSW Film & TV Festival.
