The Studio

• Creators: Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, and Frida Perez
• Starring: Seth Rogen, Ike Barinholtz, Catherine O’Hara, Kathryn Hahn, Chase Sui Wonders, Bryan Cranston
• Ten episode season, ten episodes watched for review

Grade: B-

Effective satire has to dig underneath the skin of its target to get at an unspoken truth. The Studio, the latest prestigious comedy series from AppleTV+, has its sights set on some of the lowest-hanging fruit available – Hollywood – but rarely has anything insightful or biting to say that hasn’t already been said over the years. It’s the kind of star-studded affair where it feels like co-creator and star Seth Rogen has pulled together as many famous friends and previous collaborators as an attempt to poke the eyes of the system the show is skewering, but plays it safe in order to ensure everybody’s reputation escapes intact. Though it’s more handsomely mounted than its modern contemporaries – 30 Rock and The Other Two, to name a few – The Studio lacks those series’ key insights and specificities.