W hen Seth Rogen and his long-time creative partner, Evan Goldberg, began developing The Studio, their new TV show, one thing they were not short of was material.
The biting and hilarious Hollywood satire is based on the pair’s own experience.
But it’s also based on scores of stories gathered from industry insiders during months and months of conversations.
In what must have been an extraordinary exercise, the craziest tales have been whittled down to 10 episodes.
The Studio tells the story of Matt Remick (played by Rogen), a movie-loving studio executive who gets the top job at the fictional Continental Studios after his boss, Patty Leigh (played by comedy powerhouse Catherine O’Hara) is unceremoniously dumped.
Read on to find out everything you need to know about this series which has all of Hollywood talking – and laughing.
And find out how Rogen convinced so many stars to come along for the ride.
What is the plot of The Studio?
Essentially, The Studio is a workplace comedy, set inside the fictional Continental Studios.
Seth Rogen, who is also co-creator writer, director and executive producer of the series, plays Matt Remick, who is appointed head of the studio when his boss Patty Leigh (played by Catherine O’Hara) is suddenly sacked.
Matt’s desperate for the approval of celebrities and has lofty ambitions for the kinds of movies he wants to make.
The studio is only interested in making money.
As he tries to keep his job, juggling those corporate demands and his own creative ambitions becomes a frantic high-wire act.
What does Hollywood and its stars think about the show?
When WHO caught up with Rogen recently via Zoom, he told us that he believes Hollywood “has always been pretty good at laughing at itself”.
“We made This is the End 13 years ago and we convinced a lot of very famous people to make themselves look very bad throughout that.
“And I grew up watching The Larry Sanders Show, which to me was the first time I really saw something like that and really had a ton of very powerful people make fun of themselves.
“And so, you know, Larry David has done it on Curb [Your Enthusiasm] for decades. So, yeah, I think Hollywood has always liked to be in on the joke about themselves.
Is any of The Studio true?
Even though this is a fictional series, many of the storylines and outrageous events are based on things that have really happened in Hollywood.
Rogen tells WHO it was one of their goals to portray “Hollywood as we see it”.
“We wanted everything that happens on the show to be something that we believe would happen and that passed our scrutiny as people who live in Hollywood and kind of are privvy to
a lot of its comings and goings,” he says.
“We wanted the show to stand up to the kind of bulls–t detector of people who really understand the industry.”
Did any of it surprise co-star Catherine O’Hara?
“No!,” she laughs with WHO over Zoom.
“And I’m not nearly as experienced on the business side of show business as Seth and Evan are. But no, no. It’s a crazy business, I guess. But it made me laugh to see it, to actually unfold and happen in real time. So good.
As for what The Studio might teach us about Hollywood, Rogen isn’t sure. He just hopes viewers “mostly just think it’s funny and entertaining, and they enjoy watching it and want to keep coming back to it”.
“If they relate to it, great, if it pulls back the curtain for them, great.
“If they’re lovers of film and it speaks to them in that way, that’s also very good.
“But first and foremost, we just want people to think it’s a funny, good show.”
Who is in the cast of The Studio?
Seth Rogen stars as Matt Remick, who is appointed the new boss of Continental Studios. He loves movies and is desperate for their stars to love him back.
Schitt’s Creek star Catherine O’Hara turns in another brilliant performance as Patty Leigh, the studio boss who is dumped and replaced by Remick.
Chase Sui Wonders plays up-and-coming studio executive Quinn Hackett who wants her shot at the big time.
Kathryn Hahn is spectacular as marketing powerhouse Maya Mason. She never goes anywhere without her Stanley cup and always has a wicked quip at the ready.
Ike Barinholtz play coke-snorting, hard-drinking dinosaur Sal Saperstein. He’s Matt’s right hand man and an industry survivor.
Breaking Bad’s Bryan Cranston is the greedy and cutthroat CEO of Continental Studios.
Is Martin Scorsese in The Studio TV show?
Not only does acclaimed director Martin Scorsese appear in The Studio, so do a whole host of other famous faces.
Indeed, one of the highlights of the series is keeping an eye out for alll the cameos.
Charlize Theron, Ron Howard, Steve Buscemi and Zac Efron are among the many Hollywood heavyhitters playing themselves.
“I’ve always loved movies growing up that had a lot of famous people in them and a lot of cameos in them,” Rogen explains.
“And when we made This is the End, we just saw that people like to make fun of themselves.
“If the people are used well and it doesn’t feel like you’re just kind of shoving it down people’s throats but actually find a way to comedically utilise these people, then people love it.
“And I love it as a movie fan.”
Where can I watch The Studio in Australia?
The Studio is streaming now on Apple TV+.
Stream The Studio on Apple TV+ from $12.99/mth, with a 7-day free trial.
