The Studio is an American satirical comedy television series created by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, and Frida Perez. It stars Rogen, Catherine O'Hara, Ike Barinholtz, Chase Sui Wonders, and Kathryn Hahn. The series was released on Apple TV+ with the first two episodes on March 26, 2025.[1]
| The Studio | |
|---|---|
.png) | |
| Genre | |
| Created by |
|
| Directed by |
|
| Starring | |
| Composer | Antonio Sanchez |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producer | Jesse Sternbaum |
| Cinematography | Adam Newport-Berra |
| Editor | Eric Kissack |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 25–44 minutes |
| Production companies |
|
| Original release | |
| Network | Apple TV+ |
| Release | March 26, 2025 – present |
Premise
editMatt Remick is the newly appointed head of the film production company Continental Studios. He attempts to save the floundering company in an industry undergoing rapid social and economic changes.
Cast
editMain
edit- Seth Rogen as Matt Remick, the new head of Continental Studios who tries to balance his desire to make good films with the needs of the industry
- Catherine O'Hara as Patty Leigh, the former studio head and Matt's mentor
- Ike Barinholtz as Sal Saperstein, a Continental executive and Matt's close friend
- Chase Sui Wonders as Quinn Hackett, Matt's assistant
- Kathryn Hahn as Maya Mason,[2] Continental's head of marketing
Guest
edit- Bryan Cranston as Griffin Mill, Continental's CEO[3]
- David Krumholtz as Mitch Weitz
- Keyla Monterroso Mejia as Petra
- Dewayne Perkins as Tyler
- Rebecca Hall as Linda Rosenkratz
- Thomas Barbusca as PA Doug
As themselves
editEpisodes
edit| No. | Title [4] | Directed by [5] | Written by [6] | Original release date [1] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Promotion" | Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg | Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg & Peter Huyck & Alex Gregory & Frida Perez | March 26, 2025 | |
|
Matt Remick is a studio executive at Continental Studios who still believes in artistic integrity in an increasingly shallow, IP-based industry. He gets a long-awaited promotion to studio head after his mentor, longtime studio head Patty Leigh, gets fired at the behest of new CEO Griffin Mill. Griffin offers him the job so long as he green-lights a movie based on the Kool-Aid Man; Matt reluctantly agrees. Figuring that the best route is to hire a good director at the helm, he can only get Nicholas Stoller as a decent option, and hires him after Stoller gives a pitch. Sitting down with Martin Scorsese, Matt learns that Scorsese has written a script about the Jonestown massacre and decides to use that as the Kool-Aid film instead, buying Scorsese's script for ten million dollars. However, Matt's idea gets notable pushback from fellow studio executive Sal Saperstein and head of marketing Maya as it is not marketable, and he chooses to go with Stoller's idea instead after a meeting with Griffin, claiming that he bought Scorsese's script to kill his project. To re-hire Stoller, Matt visits Patty, who agrees after bargaining a lucrative deal to produce her own movies; when Matt expresses fear that he is ruining film as an art form, Patty reassures him that he will do fine since he had the best teacher around. At a party hosted by Charlize Theron, Matt and Sal are forced to break the news to Scorsese that his project, intended to be his final film, will never be made; Scorsese angrily calls Matt a deceitful, spineless suit and breaks down into tears in the middle of the party. After being kicked out by Theron, Matt and Sal sit down to watch Goodfellas at Matt's house. | |||||
| 2 | "The Oner" | Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg | Peter Huyck | March 26, 2025 | |
|
Matt, accompanied by Sal, heads over to the set of a romantic drama film directed by Sarah Polley and starring Greta Lee, hoping to see them shoot a oner set at sunset, which can only be shot that day due to time constraints. Both filmmakers want something from Matt: Polley needs the money to play "You Can't Always Get What You Want" over the scene, while Lee wants to use one of the studio's private jets during the press tour. Patty and Sal both try to get Matt off the set, fearing that he will only obstruct the cast and crew. Polley, wishing to please Matt, acquiesces to one of his propositions for the scene, which causes the crew to lose valuable time and for the first take to be ruined. Matt further ruins other takes by speaking too loud while at the video village, accidentally appearing on camera, and getting injured after colliding head-first with a table. A seemingly perfect take gets ruined at the end when Lee cannot exit the driveway of the set due to Matt's car being parked in front of hers; Polley promptly expels him from set. Matt and Sal drive off as night falls, and Sal learns through text that the film crew were ultimately unable to get the shot. | |||||
| 3 | "The Note" | Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg | Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg | April 2, 2025 | |
|
The team’s excitement of watching a preview screening of Ron Howard’s new film Alphabet City turns sour due to a meandering final sequence at a motel, which all agree should be cut. Howard's early arrival at the studio for the film’s marketing meeting that afternoon provides an opportunity for Matt to deliver the note, who is reluctant to do so due to a traumatic experience early in his career, when he offered feedback at a screening for A Beautiful Mind that led to Howard mocking him. Patty’s revelation that the motel sequence is a tribute to Howard’s late cousin further complicates matters, with Quinn, Sal, and later Anthony Mackie - the film’s star and producer - all failing to tell Howard. After they consider not giving the note at all, Maya informs the team that keeping the movie's length as it is will mean reducing the number of daily theater screenings and therefore potentially cutting the studio's revenue. At the marketing meeting, Maya mentions that Matt has some thoughts on the movie which prompts Howard to bring up the A Beautiful Mind story, leading to a humiliated Matt snapping at Howard about the boring nature of the motel sequence, to which Howard responds aggressively, leading to a fight. Later that night, Matt receives a phone call from Howard who apologizes for mocking him and accepts that the motel sequence was unnecessary, while also threatening to destroy Matt if he were to ever cross him again. | |||||
| 4 | "The Missing Reel" | Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg | Peter Huyck | April 9, 2025 | |
|
Matt is proud to still support shooting on film, but the expense of it means that Rolling Blackout, the neo-noir detective movie that the Olivia Wilde is directing, has gone over budget which forces Matt to scrap the wrap party to save money. When a reel containing an important scene is presumed stolen on the last day of shooting on the Continental Studios lot, Matt and Sal must locate it to avoid both reshooting and a scandal that could blame Matt for pushing the industry further away from using film. Fred the camera PA notes Wilde’s excessive directing style causing tension with the film’s lead actor Zac Efron, which Efron denies while being dismissive towards Matt for the hypocrisy of scrapping the wrap party despite driving an expensive '53 Corvette. After sneaking into Efron's trailer while he shoots his last scene with the main unit and finding an envelope of cash addressed to Evelyn, the film’s costume designer, Matt and Sal tail her around Hollywood after she retrieves the money and leaves. Evelyn makes a brief stop to exchange the cash for a box from a man with a wrist tattoo as seen in a behind-the-scenes photo taken near the reel transport van that Efron posted to social media. Evelyn then heads to the Chateau Marmont, with Efron - who has been staying there during filming - arriving soon after. Matt is convinced they're responsible for the theft and that the stolen reel is in Evelyn's box but is denied entry due to an invitation-only private event in progress. Sal has had enough and leaves but Matt notices him returning shortly after and deduces that Sal is conspiring with Efron and Evelyn. Matt poses as a waiter to sneak in via the kitchen to Efron's room, where Efron is throwing a secret wrap party to which Matt and Wilde weren’t invited because everyone resents them; Evelyn's box contains hats made for the movie crew that Efron also paid for. Matt and Sal make up and discover several people at the party have the same fake wrist tattoo because they were extras playing gang members in the movie. Sal realizes the alcohol he smelled on Wilde when they spoke to her earlier on the lot was from rubbing alcohol to remove her tattoo after shooting her cameo as part of the gang. In addition to Efron's revelation that Wilde was unhappy with the scene on the missing reel, Matt and Sal conclude that she stole it herself. They confront Wilde near the Hollywood Sign where she's directing pick-up shots, and she confesses to stealing the reel in order to force reshoots by destroying it, but hadn't done so yet because it contains her cameo that she was proud of and wanted to save. After a brief chase, Matt and Sal are unable to prevent Wilde from letting the reel roll downhill, unspooling and destroying it in the process. Matt then sells his car to Efron to pay for the reshoots. | |||||
| 5 | "The War" | Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg | Frida Perez | April 16, 2025 | |
| 6 | "The Pediatric Oncologist" | Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg | Alex Gregory | April 23, 2025 | |
| 7 | "Casting" | Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg | Alex Gregory | April 30, 2025 | |
| 8 | "The Golden Globes" | Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg | Peter Huyck | May 7, 2025 | |
| 9 | "CinemaCon" | Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg | Alex Gregory | May 14, 2025 | |
| 10 | "The Presentation" | Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg | Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg & Peter Huyck & Alex Gregory & Frida Perez | May 21, 2025 | |
Production
editDevelopment
editOn November 14, 2022, it was announced that Apple TV+ had acquired and given a straight-to-series order to an untitled showbiz comedy series starring Seth Rogen.[7][8]
On March 25, 2024, the untitled series was given the name The Studio, and it was announced that the series was co-created by Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Frida Perez, Peter Huyck, and Alex Gregory. Rogen and Goldberg would also co-write and direct the series.[9][10][11] The series began filming in March 2024.[9]
The series is executive produced by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, and James Weaver for Point Grey Pictures, and Frida Perez, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, Alex McAtee, and Josh Fagen.[10] Production companies involved are Point Grey Pictures and Lionsgate Television.[9][10]
Casting
editIn the initial series announcement on November 14, 2022, it was announced that Rogen was starring in the series.[7]
On March 25, 2024, it was announced that Catherine O'Hara, Kathryn Hahn, Ike Barinholtz, and Chase Sui Wonders would be joining the series main cast, and Bryan Cranston, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, and Dewayne Perkins would be guest starring in the series.[9][10]
Marketing
editThe first teaser trailer for the series debuted on November 19, 2024,[12] alongside teaser posters.[13] A Duhpocalypse[14] trailer aired during the 2025 Super Bowl, featuring a fake trailer for a film by Continental Studios and characters arguing over its marketing.[15] The official trailer was released by Apple TV+ on March 7, 2025.[16][17]
Release
editThe series premiered at SXSW on March 7, 2025,[18] and debuted on Apple TV+ with its first two episodes on March 26, 2025.[19]
Reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 80/100[20] |
| Rotten Tomatoes | 95%[21] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Consequence | A[22] |
| The Guardian |   [23] |
| Empire | [24] |
| The Independent | [25] |
| IndieWire | B[26] |
| The Irish Independent | [27] |
| Financial Times | [28] |
| San Francisco Chronicle | [29] |
| The Mercury News |  [30] |
| Slant Magazine | [31] |
| The Sunday Times | [32] |
| TV Insider | [33] |
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, The Studio has an approval rating of 95% based on 110 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Savvy enough to impress even the most studious of film buffs, The Studio fights the good fight for a better Hollywood while eliciting huge laughs at its expense."[21] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, gave the series a score of 80 out of 100, based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[20]
References
edit- ^ a b "Apple TV+ announces March 26 global premiere date for "The Studio"". Apple TV+ Press. November 19, 2024. Archived from the original on November 19, 2024. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
- ^ Hailu, Selome (March 25, 2024). "Seth Rogen's Apple TV+ Comedy 'The Studio' Casts Catherine O'Hara, Kathryn Hahn, Bryan Cranston and More". Variety. Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved November 30, 2024.
- ^ Travers, Ben (March 7, 2025). "'The Studio' Review: Seth Rogen's Lavish Hollywood Satire Offers Big Laughs but a Light Bite". IndieWire. Archived from the original on March 11, 2025. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
- ^ Iwegbue, Annabel (March 26, 2025). "Here's When Every New Episode of 'The Studio' Drops". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
- ^ Han, Angie (March 7, 2025). "'The Studio' Review: Seth Rogen's Apple TV+ Hollywood Comedy Is So Hilarious It Hurts". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
- ^ "The Studio". Writers Guild of America West. Archived from the original on September 19, 2024. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (November 14, 2022). "Showbiz Comedy Starring Seth Rogen Gets Apple TV+ Series Order; Point Grey & Lionsgate Producing". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ Hailu, Selome (November 14, 2022). "Seth Rogen Sets Film Industry Comedy Series at Apple TV+". Variety. Archived from the original on November 14, 2022. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
- ^ a b c d White, Peter (March 25, 2024). "Catherine O'Hara, Kathryn Hahn, Ike Barinholtz & Chase Sui Wonders To Star In Seth Rogen's Movie Studio Comedy Series For Apple". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 25, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ a b c d Goldberg, Lesley (March 25, 2024). "Catherine O'Hara, Kathryn Hahn Among Cast Joining Apple's Seth Rogen Comedy 'The Studio'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (March 25, 2024). "Catherine O'Hara Sets TV Return With Starring Role Opposite Seth Rogen in Apple TV+ Showbiz Satire The Studio". TVLine. Archived from the original on March 25, 2024. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (November 19, 2024). "'The Studio' Trailer: Movie Exec Seth Rogen Gets Berated by Scorsese, Charlize Theron, Ron Howard and More in Apple TV+ Comedy". Variety. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
- ^ Ford, Allan (November 19, 2024). "The Studio Teaser and Posters: Seth Rogen Takes on Hollywood's Chaotic Studio System". Filmofilia. Archived from the original on December 9, 2024. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
- ^ Apple TV+ (February 7, 2025). "The Studio — DUHPOCALYPSE Official Trailer". youtube. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
- ^ Selome, Hailu (February 7, 2025). "Seth Rogen's 'The Studio' Drops Fake Trailer for Zombie Diarrhea Explosion Movie, Starring Johnny Knoxville and Josh Hutcherson". Variety. Archived from the original on March 6, 2025. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
- ^ Cordero, Rosy (March 7, 2025). "'The Studio' Trailer: Seth Rogen Is Desperate For Celebrity Approval In Latest Look At Apple Series-Update". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 11, 2025. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
- ^ Apple TV. "The Studio — Official Trailer". youtube. Retrieved March 26, 2025.
- ^ Lang, Robert (March 10, 2025). "SXSW Film & TV Festival 2025 Photos: 'The Rivals Of Amziah King', Matthew McConaughey & Rob Morgan On Monday". Deadline. Archived from the original on March 11, 2025. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
- ^ Hodges, Jake (March 9, 2025). "The Best New Movies and Shows on Apple TV+ in March 2025". Collider. Retrieved March 11, 2025.
- ^ a b "The Studio: Season 1". Metacritic. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
- ^ a b "The Studio: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
- ^ Miller, Liz (March 26, 2025). "The Studio Is About Making Movies, and It's One of the Best TV Shows of the Year: Review". Consequence. Archived from the original on March 30, 2025. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
- ^ Managan, Lucy (March 26, 2025). "The Studio review – Seth Rogen's Hollywood satire is fast, furious and beautifully fun". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 30, 2025. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
- ^ De Semlyen, Nick (March 13, 2025). "The Studio Review". Empire. Retrieved March 13, 2025.
- ^ Hilton, Nick (March 22, 2025). "Seth Rogen's blistering new comedy The Studio is laugh-out-loud funny". The Independent. Archived from the original on March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
- ^ Travers, Ben (March 13, 2025). "'The Studio' Review: Seth Rogen's Lavish Hollywood Satire Offers Big Laughs but a Light Bite". IndieWire. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
- ^ Stacey, Pat (March 26, 2025). "'The Studio' review: Seth Rogan's side-splitting Hollywood satire could be the best comedy of the year". The Irish Independent. Archived from the original on March 30, 2025. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
- ^ Einav, Dan (March 25, 2025). "The Studio TV review — Seth Rogen spirals in stupendously funny Hollywood satire". Financial Times. Archived from the original on March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
- ^ Strauss, Bob (March 24, 2025). "Review: Seth Rogen's 'The Studio' turns Hollywood dysfunction into comedy gold". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 24, 2025. Retrieved March 24, 2025.
- ^ Myers, Randy (March 27, 2025). "What to watch: 'Studio,' 'Bob Trevino' will totally win you over". The Mercury News. Archived from the original on March 30, 2025. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
- ^ McIndoe, Ross (March 8, 2025). "'The Studio' Review: Rage Against the Hollywood Machine". Slant Magazine. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
- ^ Glanfield, Tim (March 26, 2025). "Roush Review: Hooray for Hollyweird in Brilliant 'Studio' Satire". The Sunday Times. Archived from the original on March 30, 2025. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
- ^ Roush, Matt (March 25, 2025). "Roush Review: Hooray for Hollyweird in Brilliant 'Studio' Satire". TV Insider. Archived from the original on March 25, 2025. Retrieved March 25, 2025.
