Following the recent success of Apple TV+'s Severance and Silo, The Studio deserves to be the next buzzed-about series from the flailing streamer. Cinematic duo Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg return as writers, directors and executive producers — the former also as the lead actor — making a departure from their previous slapstick and outlandish comedies with a refined yet comical 10-part series that takes a look behind the curtain of Hollywood.
This jazz-infused, fast-paced and almost Whiplash-esque exploration of the contemporary film industry is unforgiving and adrenaline-inducing, all while giving humorous insight into the Hollywood machine. Rogen takes centre stage as Matt Remick, a lover of auteurism and the artistry of film, as he ascends into the role of studio head of a major film production company.
Embattled by his own personal love of film as an art form versus the industry's emphasis on film as a business, Remick works within a tumultuous world of volatility embedded within the job itself. With a nuanced and self-referential plot, The Studio offers audiences a satirical look at how the film industry operates.
The Studio features a stellar cast, including including Catherine O'Hara, Kathryn Hahn, Ike Barinholtz and Bryan Cranston, plus many surprise cameos from celebs playing themselves. The cast list for The Studio seems never-ending and frankly unbelievable, which only serves to create a realistic and increasingly meta setting for the series. The cast greatly elevates the show and also aids in making The Studio seem even more self-satirizing.
At times, the series becomes a sequence of unrelated vignettes rather than a plot-driven show, creating a manic, thrown-together aesthetic, which perhaps serves to reflect the messy reality of the modern film industry. Notwithstanding, The Studio is an energetic, immersive and fun show that throws viewers straight into the action without waiting for us to catch up.