Television Review: “The Studio” — The Kool-Aid Man Cometh
By Sarah Osman
The current state of Hollywood — terminal banality — is concerning. But that’s what makes it so perfect for a dose of acidic satire.
Catherine O’Hara and Seth Rogen in The Studio. Photo: Apple TV
Early on in The Studio, the latest farce from comedy duo Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, studio owner Griffin Mill (Bryan Cranston) informs newly appointed studio head Matt Remick (Rogen) that the studio has acquired an exciting new property: the Kool-Aid Man. Rogen’s face perfectly captures our collective confusion as filmgoers: the Kool-Aid Man is going to get a movie? Meanwhile, Mill and the marketing department are ecstatic. The Mario Brothers movie made an obscene amount of money — and so will the Kool-Aid Man!
The Studio is a lot less raunchy compared to Rogen and Goldberg’s other fare, and that is a welcome departure. This series is a brilliant, stinging satire that comes across as something that the Safdie brothers might have made. The last time I felt this kind of jittery excitement was when I watched Uncut Gems. The Studio moves at a manic pace (the second episode is one continuous shot), with Rogen and his executive buddy, Sal (Ike Barinholtz), running around like chickens with their heads cut off trying to appease everyone. The breakneck pace reflects other films about the whiz-bang energy of Hollywood, but the pumped-up proceedings never come off as formulaic — thanks to the sheer absurdity of what is asked of Remick and his team.
Ironically, Remick wants to make quality films, the kind that made him fall in love with movies in the first place. Everybody else around him wants to make big bucks, and if making a Kool-Aid Man saga brings in the ka-ching , so be it. Remick is caught in the middle, desperately trying to cling to his dreams (and moral integrity) while simultaneously not losing his job. This on the horns of compromise dilemma is the perfect take on the perpetual state of Hollywood: the creatives want to be creative, while the suits just want moola. It’s no surprise that indie darling Anora won multiple Oscars this year — any hopes of original cinematic work rests solely on indie filmmakers’ shoulders.
Part of the fun of The Studio is the Tinsel Town elite aren’t afraid to make fun of themselves. Each guest cameo is absolutely delighted to mock the industry. This isn’t a world of made-up stars; these are real people playing themselves. A few of the guest celebs that pop by include Greta Lee, Martin Scorsese (who cries), Steve Buscemi, and Sarah Polley. Remick’s nervous interactions with these stars are incredibly awkward, partly because there is inevitably plenty of physical comedy. I lost it when Rogen fell through a glass table in front of an entire production crew.
The Studio is one of the most refreshing takes on Hollywood in years, but has a few pitfalls. Certain jokes come off as stale (an agent who keeps jabbering that everyone is Jewish). Some characters are underwritten. It’s unclear what purpose former studio executive Patty (Catherine O’Hara) serves in this takedown. Does Patty represent old studio heads who cared about more than the bottom line? Does she reflect ageism in Hollywood? A challenge to DEI initiatives? Or is she there to serve as a mentor for Remick — except he’s been brought in to replace her? Or is it all of the above? Rogen and Goldberg are capable storytellers so they will hopefully clean this ambiguity up.
The current state of Hollywood — terminal banality — is concerning. But that’s what makes it so perfect for a dose of acidic satire. Personally, I hope we see more of the Kool-Aid Man movie, with the caveat that some studio head doesn’t decide we need a real-life version of it.
Sarah Mina Osman is based in Los Angeles. In addition to the Arts Fuse, her writing can be found in Huffington Post, Success Magazine, Matador Network, HelloGiggles, Business Insider, and WatchMojo. She has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of North Carolina Wilmington and is working on her first novel. She has a deep appreciation for sloths and tacos. You can keep up with her on Instagram @SarahMinaOsman and at Bluesky @sarahminaosman.bsky.social.
I was less taken with this show than you. It’s a cliched set up — will new Chief Exec Rogan maintain his artistic vision? He caves almost immediately. O’Hara is clearly as corrupted as anyone else in the studio. The dick jokes? Not funny and quickly lose their value as markers for the crassness of the execs. Scorsese crying? In long shot, unconvincingly I’ll give it one more shot, but if it’s more of same, I’m out.
As someone who has worked on set in the film industry for thirty years, I have to say that this show is the most accurate send up of the film industry that has been produced. The things being said and the things that happen in this show (including just about everything in episode 2) I have seen happen on a film set before.
It all seems over the top and ridiculous, but it is the reality of the industry. In this case I definitely found the old adage “it’s funny because it’s true” to be very apt. I was also heartened to see that my wife, who is not in the industry and a very tough critic, laughed throughout both episodes as well.
The purpose of Catherine O’Hara’s character can probably be gleaned by reading any number of the articles that mention who the real-life person is that that character is based on.
Lastly, I really appreciated the nod to Robert Altman’s The Player in naming Bryan Cranston’s character Griffin Mill.
Episode 3 can’t come quickly enough for me.