If you’re an Apple TV+ subscriber, you’ve probably seen plenty of advertisements for the streamers’ latest television venture, The Studio. The series, which was co-created by lead actor Seth Rogen, centers on a film-loving studio executive who faces a wide array of challenges as he reconciles his desire to create great art and his fiscal imperative to appeal to financiers. It’s a sort of cringe comedy of errors that skewers modern Hollywood trends while celebrating everything that the film and television industry is able to accomplish. The Studio premiered its first two episodes in a special two-part event on Mar. 26, and has already picked up a myriad of devoted viewers. Though the series has plenty of people talking, the question remains: Is it worth the same sort of appointment viewing as Apple TV+’s other major hits like Severance, Mythic Quest and Shrinking?
To answer this question, we’ll first have to take a deep dive into the inaugural episodes, and unpack the some of the narrative turns being teed up for the remainder of the season. If you haven’t had the chance to catch the first two episodes of The Studio just yet, don’t fret, as this review will be spoiler free. Still, we’ll cover a few of the cameo appearances, a broad sense of the show’s humor and explore the intentions of The Studio as both a satire and a celebration of the film industry. With no further preamble let’s dive right in, and review the material of The Studio thus far.
What Is ‘The Studio’ About?
As stated, The Studio follows a newly-appointed executive named Matt Remick. Though Remick explains that he got into the business because of his love for all things film, he laments that his job as an executive effectively forces him to ruin movies for the creatives. He attempts to strike a balance between the soulless needs of his financial overlords and the outlandish demands of his creative partners, often to disastrous output. Rogen spoke on his inspiration for the series during a recent interview with Deadline, explaining, “It’s an industry that’s inherently in conflict with itself, and I think that’s something we’ve come to terms with as people who have dedicated their whole lives to it, basically, but it’s something that causes constant turmoil and crisis and conflict and arguments.”
In the pilot, Remick is tasked with shutting down acclaimed filmmaker Martin Scorsese, much to his own chagrin. In this way, The Studio echoes real life, since Scorsese has been quite open in recent years about his difficulty getting his projects into theaters. The Goodfellas director released his last two feature length projects, Killers of the Flower Moon and The Irishman, direct to streaming. But, as Rogen showcases in his performance, the Hollywood system doesn’t intentionally squash creativity and kill brilliant projects in the womb for no reason – it’s all at the behest of the almighty dollar. For one reason or another, the Hollywood machine frequently shuts down a film with the potential to be one of the finest art pieces of its generation, while green-lighting multiple sloppy cash grabs along the way.
What Are Critics and Fans Saying on Rotten Tomatoes?
If you’re still weighing out whether The Studio is right for you, one surefire way to investigate is by checking popular review aggregate sites such as Rotten Tomatoes. In the case of this Apple original, it appears as though critics are absolutely loving it, even though general audiences are experiencing mixed feelings to the first two episodes. As of this writing, The Studio currently touts a certified fresh critic score of 95 percent, while offering a middling popcornmeter score of just 66 percent. According to audience reviews, this disconnect largely boils down to two key factors. For one, some people simply don’t enjoy the comedic work of Seth Rogen. A good handful of negative reviews malign his sometimes cartoonish performance, his insistence on dropping F-bombs throughout the show, and his famous (or infamous) raspy laugh.
If you’ve enjoyed Rogen’s previous works, there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy this show as well, though The Studio surely won’t be winning over any of the Canadian’s dedicated haters. The second, and perhaps more glaring flaw in the series, is the fact that the show was made by Hollywood, about Hollywood, and perhaps even for Hollywood. Many Apple TV+ subscribers have grown weary of watching film industry insiders satirize themselves and their friends, and The Studio is loaded to the gills with inside jokes, deep cut references and cameo appearances meant to inspire at-home recreations of the Leonardo DiCaprio pointing at his TV meme. If you’re the kind of person who hosts an Oscar’s watch party, The Studio will probably be your favorite series of 2025. But, if you’re the kind of person who hates knowing how the sausage is made, the show might just make you sick.
When Do New Episodes Release?
Now that the long-awaited premiere is over, many fans may be wondering what the release schedule looks like for the remainder of The Studio‘s season. It looks like there will be 10 episodes in total, released weekly on Wednesday nights. Episode 3 is set to land on Apple TV+ on Apr. 2. The show will ultimately culminate in a thrilling finale on May 21. For now, it’s unclear if The Studio is intended to be a single-season mini-series or if the show has the potential to continue for multiple years, though the sheer frequency of high-budget A-listers in the cast points to the former being the case. Either way, the show is quickly developing a devoted fanbase who would surely enjoy seeing a season two order from the streamer over the summer.
Should You Give ‘The Studio’ a Shot?
As stated, The Studio isn’t for everybody. Still, it seems that the people who are enjoying the series are enjoying it quite a bit, with plenty of viral discussion regarding the future of the franchise online. If you’re interested in the Hollywood machine, the business of movie-making and the comedic antics of Seth Rogen, this show will definitely be right up your alley. Even if you don’t normally enjoy any of those things, however, The Studio may be worth checking out, since it takes a number of visually interesting artistic risks. The series employs a lot of frenetic camera movements and long one-take sequences, making the whole viewing experience feel like an anxiety-ridden run through a time-sensitive film set. The rapid-fire drum beat laced throughout the series also instills an underlying sense of urgency, in a clear homage to 2014’s best picture winner Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance).
At the end of the day, it looks like The Studio more than succeeds at its stated goal. Though it’s far from the first project to shatter the fourth wall by skewering the very filmmaking industry used to bring it to life, the show manages to strike a balance of humor, heart and human interest. Luckily, in the streaming age, you have very little to lose by investing a small amount of time on a new project, so be sure to give this series a try. Even if it turns out that it’s not for you, you can always switch it off and pivot to another one of Apple’s exceptional works, since the streamer has quickly developed a reputation for delivering high quality original shows.
