The wrong side of the spotlight: Deepanjana Pal writes on The Studio

While we have had a few charming comedies such as Hacks (2021-) and We Are Lady Parts (2021-), streaming seems to otherwise be in its emo goth era — by which I mean, most shows are obsessed with being dark and grim.

The Studio, in contrast, is sunny. It prioritises laughter. The writing is clever, the cast is magnificent, and the cameos are the stuff of cinephiles’ dreams.

“I got into all this because I love movies, but now I have this fear that my job is to ruin them,” Remick says, in the first episode. In the second, he confirms these fears.

Episode 2, called The Oner, is a 25-minute comedy masterclass doubling as a waking nightmare for Remick, who wants to be a fly on the wall during the shooting of an intricate, time-sensitive sunset scene and becomes instead a bull in a china shop. Through his many faux pas we get a behind-the-scenes view of the business of filmmaking, from the perspectives of the director (Sarah Polley, playing herself), producer (Catherine O’Hara, playing a fired studio head and Remick’s mentor) and the hapless crew.

The Oner is technically dazzling, packed with criggles, and unbearably tense, which some might argue is filmmaking in a nutshell.

On paper, for Rogen to play the protagonist seems almost greedy. In addition to co-creator, he is also co-writer, co-director and co-producer. With his scruffy, hippy-trippy vibe, he is not the first name one would think of for the part. Yet, minutes into the first episode, it becomes impossible to imagine anyone else playing the part.

Casting against type works like a charm across the series. Director Martin Scorsese is shown as a powerless victim. Actor Greta Lee (of Russian Doll and Past Lives) plays a diva who wants a private jet at her service. Director Ron Howard appears as a sly bully.

Using celebrities known for being the opposite of the personas they adopt, Rogen and Goldberg combine glamour with surprise, while also confirming what most of us have suspected about show business: That it is full of egotists, eccentrics and narcissists.

The Studio draws on Rogen and Goldberg’s own interactions in Hollywood too (the line about ruining movies was originally part of a conversation they had with Steve Asbell, now president of production at 20th Century Studios).

Rogen and Goldberg’s take on Hollywood is rich with realistic detail, but is also a fantasy tinged with yearning. It plays out against the backdrop of growing anxiety over diminishing box-office returns, but is full of nostalgia for Hollywood’s golden years. The reality is that, today, Ron Howard would struggle to get his fictional deal in real life. Greta Lee can’t hope for the use of a private jet. And while The Studio is shot largely at the Warner Bros Burbank studios, most producers can’t afford the lots in California any more.

Even so, Hollywood remains the citadel of cinematic dreams. If it looks a little besieged in The Studio, it is also full of magic-hour lighting, because that glow isn’t going anywhere.

Meanwhile, I can’t wait for Episode 8. It is titled The Golden Globes, after the scandal-ridden awards that lost money and credibility following a slew of allegations, including of bribery and unethical conduct. Hold my popcorn while I criggle.

(To reach Deepanjana Pal with feedback, write to @dpanjana on Instagram)