When it was originally on: 2025-present

Original network: Apple TV

Where you can stream it now: Apple TV

Had I seen it before: I’ve seen the first three episodes and loved them, just fell out of the habit of watching it.

What IMDb says: Follows a legacy Hollywood movie studio striving to survive in a world where it is increasingly difficult for art and business to live together.

Why I picked it: The Studio is the most recent Emmy winner for Best Comedy, and it’s full of huge stars. It’s also a show making fun of Hollywood made by a tech comedy, meaning the creatives were likely able to poke fun of studios in a way they couldn’t have if the show was funded by a Hollywood studio.

What I liked: It’s hard for me to think of a comedy pilot that does such a good job nailing character, story, and jokes. While most pilots are just about making you curious for what’s going to come later, The Studio pilot could be a standalone short film and it would still be brilliant.

The central conflict of our protagonist is that he genuinely loves movies and wants to empower the artists who make them, but he’s stuck being a studio executive. That’s a great conflict! Hella interesting, and makes our protagonist sympathetic even when he’s doing stupid or mean things. He’s caught between two worlds. The artists don’t think he’s cool because he’s the studio guy; the studio people don’t understand him because he cares too much about the art and is too naive about the economics of it all. The very first scene sets this dynamic up. Matt is on set, eager to talk about film with Paul Dano and the director. They acknowledge him briefly, but are quick to go back to their own work. They mention a Charlize Theron party he’s not invited to. We instantly know where Matt stands and where he wishes he could stand instead.

We also get plenty of hilarious side characters along the way. It has a dynamic reminiscent of 30 Rock where there’s one grounded character at the center and most of the supporting cast are more heightened parodies. So many people come in and only have one scene, but still do a great job of establishing their characters while being super funny. Bryan Cranston as the CEO of the studio is brilliant; Kathryn Hahn plays a marketing person and steals every scene she’s in; David Krumholtz as an agent is amazing.

Another thing I love here is it’s not just a story where some of the lines happen to be jokes… it’s a funny story. I almost don’t want to spoil it even though it’s only the first episode. I will say it revolves around trying to make a Kool-Aid movie. This artsy dude who wants to make great American cinema is stuck trying to make the Kool-Aid movie. That is an inherently funny premise, and every twist along the way just makes it even funnier. It’s how we’re able to get such a good story with great character exposition without feeling like we’ve traded funniness to get there.

What I didn’t like: This is the first one where I’m genuinely having trouble coming up with a negative.

Do I want to watch Ep. 2?:Yes! This makes me regret not finishing the whole series by now.