The Studio2025

An unflinchingly brilliant satire that could be subtitled “Honey, I Shrunk the Ego!” Apple TV+ has another winner in The Studio.

I really wanted to like this show. The pilot was good. Fun premise, good parody based structure. But I watched the next three episodes and really found it hard to be engaged with the story each time. Each episode felt like a tired trope that was just a variation of the pilot. I've seen enough TV that not much surprises me, but these episodes seem so obvious, from the plot to every twist and turn, that I felt nothing, and I didn't laugh. Not once. And it's hard to connect with the characters, because none of them are likeable, nor are they relatable for someone who doesn't work in the movie industry. It almost seems to be "art portraying life" of everything wrong with the movie industry. I am guessing it got good reviews because reviewers actually work in the industry and maybe it's relatable for them.

Laced with references to the silver screen at every turn and shot in such a way as to remind you of a golden age of cinema, the show walks a careful tightrope between silliness, satire and sentimentality with quite exceptional results. The sun may be setting on the Hollywood of old, but it has just risen on the best new comedy of the year so far.