Hot on the heels of Netflix's super popular and critically acclaimed limited series Adolescence, which was filmed all in one take, Apple TV+ debuts its new Seth Rogen comedy series The Studio. The series has something in common with the Netflix hit, but don't tune in expecting a hard-hitting drama series. Adolescence and The Studio are two completely different genres, though they share the technical achievement of allowing their stories to unfold in one take.
The Studio takes a less daunting approach, with each of its scenes filmed in one take, rather than the entire episode. If you appreciated that technique in the drama series, you're going to love how Rogen, who not only leads the series but co-directs each episode, instills the satiric comedy with an urgency that makes it impossible to look away from his character Matt Remick's many and frequent mistakes. It's a breath of fresh and innovative air for comedy television.
Rogen plays Matt Remick, who lands a promotion to become the head of Continental Studios. It's a formidable position to be place in as he now has the fate of not only the film studio in his hands but also the trajectory of the big screen. In the first episode, one of two episodes dropped on March 26, Matt hits the ground running with ambition on hist first big project, but he hits a snag at every corner. Settling into his highly coveted new role brings challenges he hadn't imagined.
The series is the latest in a recent string of incredible new comedy series, including also Netflix's trio of home runs Nobody Wants This, A Man on the Inside, and Running Point. The Studio feels like a descendant of HBO comedies past (think Curb and The Comeback), a high quality celebration, exploration, and dissertation on the Hollywood system and its flaws from the perspective of a messy, well-meaning hero you're not sure if you're rooting for. It's a winner! Give us six seasons, please.
The Studio episode 1 recap
When Matt inherits Patti Leigh's (Catherine O'Hara) position as the head of Continental Studios, he's beholden to the demands of executive Griffin Mill (Griffin Mill), who wants him to make a Barbie-inspired movie based on the Kool-Aid brand. However, Matt has grander aspirations to make films that can be taken seriously rather than movies that make a lot of money. Attempting to get the best of both worlds, he takes meetings to lock down a director to appease Mill while still keeping his options open for a high-brow score.
After meeting with Nick Stoller (playing himself) and hearing his honestly pretty good pitch, Matt decides to just go with what he's told instead of trying to make a grand statement with his first movie as head of the studio. But when Martin Scorsese (playing himself) brings him a script about the Jonestown murders, which have a Kool-Aid tie-in, Matt begins plotting to turn Scorsese's movie into the Kool-Aid movie starring Steve Buscemi (playing himself). It's a big swing and he takes it to the demise of the Stoller deal.
Unfortunately, Mill catches wind of the Scorsese script and confronts Matt about his purchase of it for $10 million. Walking back on his grand ambition to make a "good" movie, Matt insists he took the Stoller deal and only bought Scorsese's script to kill it, given the much darker references to Kool-Aid in that story. Matt's kicked out of Charlize Theron's (playing herself) party for breaking Scorsese's heart and is forced to make a deal with Patti to reinstate Stoller's deal. Matt really could have avoided that whole mess.
The Studio episode 2 recap
In the second episode, Matt and Sal (Ike Barinholtz) rush to the set of Sarah Polley's (playing herself) latest film as the crew prepares to film the high-stakes one-shot scene that ends the film. All they need to do is shoot this one last scene during sunset and before they lose their light, but once Matt arrives for his set visit, Sarah's job becomes much more complicated. From the moment he pulls up, he makes choices that are questionable, like park in the driveway at the house they're filming at.
As the head of Continental, Matt thinks he can be wherever he wants and do whatever he wants, but not in totally arrogant way. He shows up in a suit, which Sal tells him is a no-no when visiting a film set as a producer. He changes into character wardrobe, and you guessed, that becomes an issue later. No one really wants him on set because it's a distraction, so they try to keep him away from Sarah and actress Greta Lee (playing herself), but he can't help himself from becoming involved.
Matt continues to be a nuisance on set, giving a note that causes the oner to start from the top. Then he's whispering too much at video village, then falls and gets a bloody nose in the middle of a take, then he's wearing an actor's backup wardrobe, then he walks into a take, then he's parked in front of the car Greta needs to drive at the end of the scene. He creates nothing but havoc on set, leading to him agreeing to Sarah's expensive Rolling Stones song request and Greta's request to use the company jet for the press tour. He was only there for less than 30 minutes, and it cost him millions and, most of all, his dignity.
The Studio releases new episodes Wednesdays on Apple TV+.