Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s creative partnership ages like the finest of wines. Since bursting onto the scene with Superbad (2007), the two delivered a wide array of raucous and raunchy comedies that embrace the ever-evolving culture. While they actively seek to push buttons, they also understand that comedy changes with the times. In fact, this understanding has pushed them repeatedly out of the box with their edgy humor and allowed them the longevity they have.
Over the years they’ve covered everything from aliens, the inner lives of grocery store items, Ninja Turtles, and even Kim Jong-Un. But their latest series for Apple TV+, The Studio, sees the duo on the homefront—Hollywood.
Rogen stars as Matt Remick, an ardent lover of the movies who finds himself appointed the new head of Continental Studios after the ousting of industry heavyweight Patty Leigh (Catherine O’Hara). With his eclectic team (composed of the likes of Ike Barinholtz, Chase Sui Wonders, Kathryn Hahn, and Dewayne Perkins), Matt attempts to keep the floundering studio afloat and contribute meaningful art to an evolving and struggling industry. However, as he navigates the highest highs and the lowest of lows, Matt realizes that the one job he’s been dreaming of his whole life may undo him.
Rogen and Goldberg electrically direct all ten episodes (the first two of which debut on March 26th) and throw you right into the action headfirst with lengthy-one-take shots. The camera moves dynamically through each scene, immersing the audience in each party, meeting, and shoot. You feel suffocated, yet exhilarated by the fluid chaos unfolding in perfect time to Antonio Sanchez’s jazzy score. Despite the suffocating mess unfolding, Rogen and Goldberg still capture the beauty of Los Angeles, making each frame feel like a painting.
In a way, this is the entire crux of the series. It’s unrelenting and unafraid with its satire on the Hollywood system, but there’s a deep love and admiration for the art of movie-making beating beneath its sharp witticisms. The Studio acts as a sunnier iteration of Robert Altman’s The Player (1992); it has a strong finger on the pulse of what is befalling Hollywood right now, but it critiques these practices out of love. But it’s not just some pale imitation of Altman. It’s far too confident to fall into that territory.
The pilot episode sees Matt tasked with solidifying Continental Studios’ answer to Barbie (2023)–a movie based on the Kool-Aid Man. Matt, desperate to advocate for art and not just a money grab, seeks out an auteur filmmaker to do something out of the box with the property despite the pushback from his peers to crank out something quick and easy.
As Matt’s predicament spirals out of control, The Studio expertly lampoons how studios learned the wrong lesson from Barbie’s success and immediately greenlit dozens of movies based on popular toys. The very idea of developing a film about the Kool-Aid Man is so utterly ridiculous yet it doesn’t feel far off. Studios in today’s landscape don’t want to take big risks. They want guaranteed success. So, when they see a success, they attempt to boil it down to a formula and remanufacture it.
In episode two, Matt and his right-hand man Sal (Barinholtz) visit the set of Sarah Polley’s latest film as she attempts to nail an intricate one-shot against waning sunlight. Matt eagerly wants to be a part of what will be a historic moment in the film and contribute artistically, much to the dismay of everyone on set. What shines through is how ultimately the final product almost feels worth the headaches and disaster to get there.
The writing is so sharp and incisive that you are unsure whether to gasp or laugh out loud, so it leaves you doing a strange mix of both.
Not only is Rogen operating at the absolute height of his powers behind the camera, but he is delivering a career-best performance in front of the camera. Rogen plays Matt with earnestness and, while it sometimes blinds him to the point of naivety, it immediately pulls the viewer to his side. He nails the comedy (of course), but Rogen is utterly captivating when we’re allowed into Matt’s internal conflict as a businessman and lover of art and reckoning with how he’s perceived. He has a passion for the art form but no one views him as an artist, simply as a means to their own end. He has never been better.
O’Hara continues her post-Schitt’s Creek (2015) blaze with another career high that would earn her another well-deserved Emmy in a just world. Patty feels like a woman who is one snagged headphone away from completely losing it, but she still manages to be formidable and no-nonsense. She strikes a wonderful balance of wacky and powerful that only a pro like O’Hara could.
The series is laden with delicious cameos; the first two episodes alone boast the likes of Martin Scorsese, Sarah Polley, and Greta Lee. All play heightened, more manipulative versions of themselves with a knowing wink to the camera. Scorsese is trying to get his Jonestown Massacre movie greenlit, Polley wants to appease Matt to increase her budget, and Lee is trying to access better travel resources for her upcoming press tours. The cameos repeatedly showcase the endless hoops creatives are forced to jump through just to get their art made or to feel comfortable. In these brief glimpses, we see how Matt is both an obstacle and a door to their goals.
The first two episodes of The Studio propulsively lay the groundwork for a season of television that is genuinely funny and thoughtful. The balance between critical cynicism and eager earnestness is masterful. It will have you laughing at the industry while renewing your belief in it. Apple TV+ has been no stranger to formidable programming, but The Studio may just be an early contender for one of the best and smartest comedies of the year.
Review Courtesy of Adam Patla
Feature Image Courtesy of Apple TV+ via Variety