The Studio Review: Lights, Cameras, Anti-Hollywood!

Lights, Cameras, Anti-Hollywood!

By Dylan Barbee

Courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes

Premiered on Apple TV Mar. 26th and ended May 21st 

Apple TV has had some great additions to its streaming service lately, from the spectacle behind Severance to its scandalous show Your Friends & Neighbors. The Studio is no different, serving viewers with a comedic, in-depth look behind the scenes of the current state of the film industry. 

The creators of the 2007 cult classic comedy Superbad, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg return with a modern take on the cliche anti-Hollywood message, elevating it through original comedy material, impactful character examinations and an array of entertaining scores within its 10 episodes. The series has already been renewed for a second season. 

The first episode, “The Promotion,” may be one of the most memorable pilots of an original series in recent memory. The show does a great job of introducing its protagonist, Matt Remick (Seth Rogen). He has been working at the fictitious Continental Studios for years and wants nothing more than to make movies that mean something to people. 

However, once Remick receives a promotion and is newly appointed as the studio head, we soon learn how quickly a passionate film lover can be looped into the business side of things, being forced to make a Kool-Aid movie that does fan service in hopes that Continental Studios can have their own version of the 2023 phenomenon Barbie. After failed attempts at trying to get prominent directors like Wes Anderson and even Martin Scorsese to direct this film and spin it into a movie Jonestown, Remick must come to terms that Nick Stoller, former director of The Muppets will direct this kid Kool-Aid film. 

Throughout this fast-paced and chaotic series, we see Matt Remick undermine his values as a lover of film to appeal to his boss (Bryan Cranston) and his co-workers Quin (Chase Sui Wonders), Sal (Ike Barinholtz) and Maya (Kathryn Hahn). The show does a great job at confronting the growing trends in the current film industry, as many studios are running out of original content, relying on remakes and collaborations with marketable brands to make movies.

The power dynamics within a studio company are shown even more in episode five, “The War,” where both Quin and Sal compete to impress Matt with their film scripts for his approval. We also learn that Quin feels unseen at the company; she feels undervalued and like her talent is being wasted due to Matt’s underappreciation for her role. Sal has little time to spend with his two daughters when he is not working, and when he takes them out for a nice dinner, they are locked to their phones. This episode shows how both Quin and Sal use their career as a way to compensate for their unfulfilled personal life. 

The Studio also addresses how studio heads often get lost in the shadows of the films they approve. For instance, in episode 6, “The Pediatric Oncologist,” Matt spends a whole night trying to convince a group of doctors that his career should be taken just as seriously as a doctor’s. “Doctors save lives, we make lives worth living,” said Remick. This episode shows how a job in the film industry is viewed negatively by outsiders and how people stream everything now, rarely going to the theatres anymore. This backfires hilariously as Matt suffers a broken finger and has no choice but to ask the doctors for help and be sent to the hospital.

Even within his inner circle of fellow filmmakers, Matt feels forgotten as he begs Zoe Kravitz (the best cameo in the show) to thank him in her award speech at the Golden Globes in episode eight, “The Golden Globes.” This comedically heated exchange displays Matt as pathetic as he tries to suck up to Zoe before she wins the award. Once she wins, her microphone cuts off when she thanks him, and he is still salty when his thank you goes unheard.. Matt is also an unbearable character in episode two, “The Oner,” which was one of my least favorites in the series, along with episode three, “The Note,” as they are both repetitive and obnoxious.

Although The Studio can come across as redundant and has a protagonist that can be excruciatingly bothersome, the show does have great cameos throughout from real Hollywood characters playing themselves. For instance, Ice Cube is cast as the Kool-Aid man, Olivia Wilde steals a reel of tape to receive more money from Continental Studios and Zoe Kravitz trips on shrooms before the studio’s important Cinemacon presentation. These standout cameos are all done effectively as each notable actor plays a crucial role in each episode’s progression.

My favorite character in the show was the CEO of Continental Studios, Griffin Mill. Bryan Cranston does an amazing job displaying a money-hungry businessman in a hilarious way, and it was seeing him go missing in action when he found out the studio could possibly be bought by Amazon in the last two episodes of the show. The fast-paced jazz score throughout every episode fit the show very well and highlighted the hectic nature of the film industry.

Overall, The Studio is a great show that I could definitely see myself returning to watch this season again if I am in need of a good laugh. Even though the show is redundant and takes a stab at a cliche anti-Hollywood theme, Rogen and Goldberg’s creative and comedic writing style is memorable,putting a spotlight on what goes on behind the scenes of an industry that is in desperate need of a revival. 

Rating: 8/10