We’re simply getting began on the 2025 TV schedule! Together with March bringing the return of Charlie Cox’s Daredevil and a bunch of midseason premieres, these with an Apple TV+ subscription can look ahead to a brand new collection from Seth Rogen. He’s the co-creator, producer and star of The Studio, which is a satire concerning the present state of the Hollywood studio system. Now, forward of its two-episode premiere later this month, critics have shared their ideas about it, they usually have quite a bit to say.
Earlier than The Studio premieres on Wednesday, March 26, a bunch of critics have seen the primary 4 episodes, they usually shared their first reactions to the collection. Right here’s what Time’s Judy Berman needed to say in her assessment:
The Studio is a well timed, humorous, and exuberantly—although not uncritically—cinephilic panorama of a enterprise caught within the newest battle of a battle between artwork and commerce that has raged since studios like Warner Bros. had been nonetheless run by their namesakes. It’s additionally 2025’s greatest new present so far, and considered one of Hollywood’s sharpest self-portraits in ages—which is saying one thing, contemplating how a lot the leisure business likes to rejoice and satirize itself.
The collection follows Rogen because the fictional Matt Remick as he will get appointed as the pinnacle of a fictional film studio known as Continental Studios. Matt is an enormous film fan with good intentions to not make the identical errors as different executives make in his place, but it surely seems like he’ll make the identical errors anyway.
Collider’s Ross Bonaime stated this of Rogen’s efficiency:
This can be a nice lead position for Rogen, in that he will get to point out a extra advanced aspect to himself that we don’t often get to see, and but, there are many alternatives for the extra bombastic Rogen humor that we could be aware of.
So, there’s numerous love for The Studio from critics. In truth, the present even debuted at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes with 18 critiques posted up to now.
The Hollywood Reporter’s Angie Han wrote this:
The Studio’s pressure of cringe humor gained’t be for everybody; even because it mellows within the second half of the season, it stays too intense to wind down with or throw on within the background. However for these keen to get on its frazzled wavelength, it is a sturdy contender for the most effective new comedy of 2025.
Whereas The Studio has impressed numerous critics, there are additionally some combined views on how inside baseball it’s concerning the business of Hollywood.
IndieWire’s Ben Travers factors out {that a} extra informal film and TV fan may not be into this one. In his phrases:
Maybe ‘The Studio’ is just too restricted in its scope to enchantment to the lots and too reliant on its starry solid to hook those that aren’t already obsessive about popular culture. Its satire may definitely be sharper — its episode on casting is as daring because it will get, which is to say… considerably — however the comedy is constant, the story compelling sufficient, and the construction cleanly episodic. Even when Hollywood’s produced a zillion satires of itself over time, it’s nonetheless enjoyable to really feel such as you’re in on the joke.
When the primary have a look at The Studio got here out again in November, viewers had been teased with all kinds of cameos from the present to return together with from Martin Scorsese, Bryan Cranston, Anthony Mackie, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano and Charlize Theron together with its important solid together with Catherine O’Hara, Ike Barinholtz, Chase Sui Wonders and Kathryn Hahn. Lots of the critiques additionally word that the likes of Zac Efron, Ron Howard, Johnny Knoxville and so forth play themselves within the new collection.
Whereas the solid and comedy have charmed many, it hasn’t gotten everybody on board. Right here’s the take of TV Line’s Dave Nemetz:
It’s all a bit self-indulgent, like Rogen and his buddies wrote one thing to make themselves giggle and didn’t fear about who else would get it. The tempo is frenetic as effectively, with plenty of breathless walk-and-talks set to a frantic jazz rating, a la the Oscar-winning movie Birdman, and all of it will get exhausting after some time. It’s by no means as humorous as I wished it to be, both. It’s amusing in locations, however not laugh-out-loud hilarious, even when it strains to be that with over-the-top bodily comedy. It by no means actually sharpens its knives and digs into Hollywood in a means that pulls blood. Plus, the stakes aren’t very excessive right here: Matt has no life exterior his job, so there’s no emotional tether.
Whereas many critics are going out of their option to name The Studio probably the greatest new exhibits of the yr up to now, there seems like there are some strong the reason why it’s additionally getting some criticism – significantly for the way it could be a bit area of interest.
Principally, it seems like mileage may range for folks with this upcoming Apple TV+ present. Nonetheless, if this sort of comedy is your cup of tea, it looks like it is a extremely fulfilling and hilarious expertise.