Hilarious! Chaotic! Creative. This outrageous satire pokes fun with an inside view of what’s makes Hollywood tick! Producing partners Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, along with Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory and Frida Perez write, direct, and assembled an impressive list of guest stars a mile long in this new series. It’s all about the ups and downs, trials and tribulations of fictional Continental Studios’ new head Matt Remick (Rogen). He’s a film freak and can’t wait to create the movies he’s always dreamed of making. His colleagues include manic Sal Saperstein (Ike Barinholtz), scheming Quinn Hackett (Chase Sui Wonders), Head of Publicity Maya (Kathryn Hahn), and Patty Leigh (Catherine O’Hara) who was studio head until Matt replaced her.
We were at the SXSW premiere of The Studio when the creators and cast came rolling in for their grand entrance on the same carts used on Hollywood lots. Watch the video.
Each episode is a stand-alone, tracking different film genres like film noir, office intrigue, or the value of sequels. But there are some elements that run through all the episodes regarding the pitfalls, personalities and panic inherent in working with cast and crew to get each episode out.
Panic is the operative word Rogen and the cast say it took to make each episode of this series. In the process, they show all the problems encountered: the deal making, casting, interruptions, delays, and egos for starters. At the premiere Seth said it’s not how many bad movies are made, but it’s a miracle how any good ones ever get made.
Each core cast member has a specific role, but also their own agenda which often means cutting each other off at the knees. Matt and Sal are supposedly such good friends, but Sal (Barinholtz) goes over-the-top making trouble constantly trying to move up the ladder. We know Ike and his family from our neighborhood and the Day School our kids went to in Chicago. Also interviewed him for starring and his directorial debut in The Oath. And assistant Quinn (Wonders) works hard to inject her own influence so she can get a seat at the table.
The list of guests who appear in this series is mind-bogging. Rogen wanted big important symbols of Hollywood, from directors and producers to A-list actors. But he wanted to put them in unusual situations and with an opportunity to do comedy for a change. And they do! They include, Anthony Mackie, Bryan Cranston, Charlize Theron, Ice Cube, Jean Smart, Johnny Knoxville, Nicholas Stoller, Quinta Brunson, Ramey Youssef, and so many more. Director Sara Polley (Academy Award for Women Talking) goes back to her childhood acting roots, but this time in a comic turn as a director going head to head with Matt.
Veteran actors in the cast say there was panic every day because they shot very long scenes in one take that often veered off script as these talented performers riffed. That’s what Rogen and Goldberg wanted them to do! That also gave the creators the leverage to tell the studio bosses of the series that they couldn’t cut any scenes or take clips out because it would ruin the scene. But that also meant if they didn’t like a super long take, they’d have to do another, and another, to get the best one. Rogen says 16 takes was the most they ever had to do, more than once.
Rogen and Goldberg have a hit on their hands. The challenge will be if they can keep it going. There’s plenty of silly slapstick, but you’ll laugh. Don’t miss the episode with Ron Howard, and definitely see the first one with Martin Scorsese.
Apple TV + 10 episodes. TV-MA
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