Movies and TV shows about making movies and TV shows are always a crowd-pleaser. Depending on the subject matter, they tackle how all of the projects we all love get made. Movie sets are a collaborative experience. There are directors, actors, crew, and also producers. The Studio from Apple TV+ features Seth Rogen as one of those producers/studio heads. The fictional movie studio Continental Films has a change in leadership and Rogen’s character Matt Remick takes over the head of creative at the studio from his mentor Patty Leigh (played by Catherine O’Hara). What follows is a hilarious and sometimes cringe-inducing ten episodes all about the trials and tribulations of what goes into making movies.

A lot of the humor comes from lampooning what goes on in the studio aspects of creating film. We live in an IP-driven world right now, Barbie is the hottest thing, so naturally the first episode would be about them getting the rights to Kool-Aid for a movie. It’s things like this that separates The Studio from other shows that have come out about the filmmaking process. We don’t normally get it from the studio side of things. The bickering between Matt and his producing partner Sal Saperstein (Ike Barinholtz) is exactly what happens behind the scenes on your favorite films.

It might be ten episodes but The Studio breezes by in a snap. They take on different pieces of the same pie that’s at the heart of Matt’s dilemma when he takes the job, how can studios create art while also trying to make tons of money. Every one of the episodes comes back to that issue. Whether that’s telling Ron Howard that a personal piece of his new movie sucks or trying to promote women filmmakers (while simultaneously ruining their one-shot.)

Between all the star-studded cameos, excellent supporting cast, and some excellent camera work and directing from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, some things about The Studio permeate through projects like this across the board. There is a risk that people who aren’t as in the know about film and studio lingo could miss out on some of the laughs and concepts in the series. It could alienate the average person who hasn’t ever stepped foot on a film set before. It doesn’t hold your hand to explain that PAs (production assistants) are the worker bees of the set going back and forth grabbing anything and everything for whoever needs it. That being said, that’s really the only thing that could derail this show.

If you’ve ever had anything to do with film, though, The Studio is an instant classic. Somehow a studio head (in a world where we really dislike certain studio heads) is the most relatable character. We’ve all been in places like Matt where we don’t want to give criticism but have to. His version ends up exploding with Ron Howard in hilarious fashion.

This really feels like a series that’ll be endlessly rewatchable. The comedy works, the stories work, and each episode being a somewhat self-contained vignette doesn’t hurt the series in the slightest. It might not be about the actors or even the directors or the writers, but there’s something awesome about The Studio showing off just how the movies are made from the studio side. There are millions of dollars on the line, relationships, and people’s jobs that come into play with movies being made. We’re in a world where execs approval ratings are in the toilet. We can all hope that there’s at least someone like Matt at every movie studio trying to steer the ship away from corporate excess to actually creating something of artistic value.

There’s a particular scene where Matt is getting grilled by “normal people” about whether or not the movies he makes are art. It’s just a drop in the bucket of how this show is so great for a film nerd like myself. Are movies as important as medicine? I sure think so. The show asks that question and does it hilariously.

As it all comes together, these seemingly unrelated episodes come together to the bigger picture of the studio that Matt runs. The comedy is smart, the cast is fantastic, and it all makes for a series that you’ll hope for a second season.

The Studio premieres its first two episodes on March 26 on Apple TV+, with new episodes every Wednesday.

For more on TV, make sure to check back to That Hashtag Show.

Keep Reading:

Linda Cardellini Set For Pamela Voorhees In ‘Crystal Lake’ Friday The 13th Series