Seth Rogen has actually made a reputation for himself within the film enterprise, each starring in and writing numerous comedy hits, starting from romantic to raunchy. Whereas the Canadian actor acquired his begin in tv with the short-lived and now thought-about cult traditional sequence Freaks and Geeks, he has primarily targeted on films for the majority of his profession.
At this time, greater than a quarter-century later, Rogen has continued to behave but additionally writes and produces each films and TV reveals. And in relation to the latter, he’s batting a thousand with hits like The Studio and Platonic, by which he stars, in addition to reveals like The Boys, for which he serves as an government producer. This means the actor, comic, and filmmaker might need found a beforehand untapped expertise for the small display.
Why Rogen’s Initiatives Excel on the Small Display
Rogen is thought for his juvenile humor and raunchy storylines, as seen in films like Sausage Social gathering. He later adopted it with the sequence Sausage Social gathering: Foodtopia, which launched its second season on August 13, 2025. However beneath the silliness, there are actual tales to inform. These don’t usually get instructed in films as a result of there are solely a few hours to supply a starting, center, and finish that entertains and excites.
With Rogen’s TV initiatives, he has the room to develop and provide much more between the frat boy jokes and dumb plots. The Studio, for instance, is his newest creation for Apple TV+, which Rogen not solely created (with others) but additionally government produces, directs, and stars in. The satirical cringe comedy cleverly skewers the very trade that Rogen is entrenched in: Hollywood. He performs a big-time studio government who’s determined to maintain the fervour for movie alive. However he’s compelled to stability this unfulfilled need with company greed. He may wish to make films that provoke thought, however the head honchos need blockbusters that earn financial institution.
Each episode of the present dives additional into points and eventualities that appear like life imitating artwork. Rogen is unafraid to inform it like it’s, even convincing real-life administrators like Ron Howard and actors like Anthony Mackie to make cameos as themselves, poking enjoyable on the trade and all its elitist drama. It’s good writing and performing, so it’s no shock that The Studio earned rave opinions together with a powerful 23 Primetime Emmy nominations. It has damaged the report for the most-nominated comedy for a primary season and ties the report for essentially the most nominations for a single season of a comedy.
Then there’s Platonic, one other Rogen Apple TV+ present that premiered its first season in 2023 to rave opinions. The second season was launched in early August 2025 to comparable outcomes. Rogen didn’t write the present, however he does function an government producer and stars in it alongside Rose Byrne, with whom he has collaborated in films as effectively. They’re long-time greatest buddies who reconnect of their 40s whereas each going by means of robust instances of their lives.
With much less raunch and extra coronary heart, Platonic has all the identical humor you’d count on from a Rogen film. But it surely’s unfold out throughout a number of episodes per season, so the story can develop in a extra significant means. He performs a goofy character who is sort of like an exaggerated model of himself. As a person in his 40s like his character, Rogen splendidly captures the essence of what it’s like to achieve center age and the varied challenges that include it. The present is so relatable, even when the storylines are fully outlandish, generally comical and slapstick, even. It affords a beautiful stability of sunshine, feel-good enjoyable, and critical undertones. It’s one more TV success for Rogen, proving he understands the small-screen panorama simply as a lot, if no more than, film land.
As one of many government producers of the FX on Hulu sequence, Pam & Tommy, which earned 10 Emmy Award nominations, Rogen additionally starred in that sequence (and he earned a kind of nominations for his performing). It was a extra dramatic function, but it surely additionally proved that Rogen is greater than only a one-trick pony.
Discovering the Proper Mixture of Subversion and Storytelling
Past his on-screen roles, Rogen has contributed to among the most profitable reveals on tv, by which he doesn’t even star. He co-developed the AMC sequence Preacher and served as a author, government producer, and director. He’s an government producer of the Prime Video sequence The Boys and its spin-off Gen V. Moreover, he’s an government producer of Invincible on Prime Video.
Each The Boys and Gen V match proper in with Rogen’s irreverent fashion of humor, combining excessive raunchiness with superhero tradition, political satire, and vulgarity. They’re the forms of reveals which have Rogen written throughout them. The fan reception signifies that he acknowledges what his viewers desires and is aware of how you can ship it, or a minimum of backs the correct initiatives that do.
He additionally makes a degree to, effectively, make a degree in each challenge. The Boys, which is quickly to return with its fifth and last season, closely mocks the present political panorama and societal and financial woes, changing into bolder with every passing season. As famous, The Studio shines a highlight on the fractured Hollywood film trade that’s extra involved about making crappy films that make financial institution than appreciating the precise artwork of movie-making. And Platonic pokes enjoyable at middle-aged soccer mothers determined to reclaim their youth. But it’s not in an offensive means. He takes dangers together with his initiatives, and so they at all times appear to repay.
This might be a product of Rogen’s fearlessness in parodying absolutely anything or anybody. Rogen, in any case, acquired Ron Howard to go on digital camera and appear like a whole a**gap whereas taking part in a model of himself, Charlize Theron and Olivia Wilde to come back throughout as both imply or unhinged, and Martin Scorsese to painting himself as a director who will get screwed over by a no person studio head (as if that might ever occur). Not many actors would have the ability to persuade these revered Hollywood varieties to parody themselves in such an overt and even insulting means.
Rogen Has Extra Coming in TV, and We’re All for It
Rogen began his work behind-the-scenes in TV with Future Man from 2017-2019, and the remaining is seemingly historical past. Nearly all of the initiatives he has chosen for the small display have been extremely in style. He has a knack for creating, performing in, or backing initiatives that replicate what the general public desires. Whereas Rogen continues to make films, with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, Figment, and The One thing all at the moment in growth, I hope he focuses extra on the TV facet of the panorama. That’s the place he actually shines.
There are some TV initiatives within the works, too, fortunately, suggesting that Rogen goes to capitalize on the momentum. Vought Rising is a prequel sequence to The Boys that’s at the moment in pre-production. He’s additionally engaged on a TV miniseries known as Console Wars a couple of crew of sport builders at SEGA who attempt to make a console that’s higher than the one from their rival Nintendo. Rogen may even be directing that sequence.
Rogen was as soon as thought-about a foolish film actor, showing in a string of films like The 40-12 months-Outdated Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad, This Is the Finish, Neighbors, and the record goes on. However as he started to work behind the scenes as effectively, it turned evident that there was a lot extra he needed to provide moreover being in entrance of the digital camera.
His profession is on the rise, and that’s largely due to not solely his expertise but additionally his unbelievable decisions in relation to deciding on initiatives to face behind. After all, he doesn’t do it on their own. A frequent collaborator on initiatives is Evan Goldberg, Rogen’s long-time writing companion. However even on display, whereas Rogen at all times appears to be taking part in some variation of the identical character, even perhaps himself, it doesn’t matter. There’s an endearing high quality. Based mostly on the initiatives he has chosen, the place he doesn’t even seem, there’s much more beneath the goofy persona, too. Maybe very similar to his character in The Studio, Rogen cares most about artwork, creativity, and messaging, selecting to write down or be concerned with reveals which might be considerate and, in lots of instances, even provocative, far past what a two-hour comedy film might current.