There’s no conversation I love entering into more than, “What are you watching right now?” My current reply: The Studio on AppleTV+ and, TBQH, I haven’t felt this jazzed about a series since I stumbled upon Ted Lasso, also on AppleTV+, back in early 2020.
I’m Finally Bingeing ‘The Studio’ on AppleTV+ & I Couldn’t Agree More with Its Rotten Tomatoes Rating
It’s currently clocking in at 93 percent
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Published Jun 26, 2025
AppleTV+
A disclaimer: In terms of content, the shows could not be more different from each other. One was a feel-good take on an American football coach hired to help manage a fledgling British soccer team. The Studio follows Matt Remick (played by Seth Rogen), an embattled Hollywood studio exec who is fighting the good fight in an effort to elevate art over business and the bottom line in a world that makes it increasingly hard to do so. (Let’s just say his first assignment involves landing the rights to the Kool-Aid Man with a directive to turn the I.P. into a billion-dollar hit, a la Barbie. Oof.)
AppleTV+
But its half-hour format, all-star cast (hello, everyone from Bryan Cranston to Catherine O’Hara appear), and meta effort to infuse art into episodes about industry-related stress and cost-cutting (such as episode two’s plotline about a movie production that’s running grossly over budget while the actual episode is shot elegantly in one take), makes it such a fun—and funny—watch. (Yep, like Lasso, this is a comedy, too.) It’s a smart series full of witty one-liners that come at you so quickly, you don’t want to look away.
That’s why I was thrilled to see it earn a critic-generated 93 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Here are 3 reasons The Studio is deserving of such a top-notch score.
AppleTV+
1. Seth Rogen Himself
In each 30-minute(ish) episode, Rogen is the one to watch. As Matt Remick, he is equal parts needy and stressed-out as he takes on his new role as studio head (a position quite a few were vying for). But he’s also endearing and kind. As he swirls in his anxiety and self-loathing, desperate to bring meaning (and art!) to his role while still being a people-pleaser and one that ladders up to the big bosses, it’s hard not to root for him, as cringe-worthy as some of his worst moments are. (The scenes where he promises contradictory things to various people are especially hilarious and spot-on.)
AppleTV+
2. The Creativity
Every episode of The Studio—a TV show to be clear—feels cinematic and big-screen worthy. (As I mentioned above, the scenes that are shot in a single take are *chef’s kiss*.) But this is also a series where the episodes (all part of a larger arc about Matt’s effort to assert artistic choices while keeping tabs on the dollars and cents) could almost stand on their own. They mostly spotlight independent problems with a “all in a day’s work for a studio exec” vibe. As a viewer, this makes for a low-stakes watch. I know the plot. I know the characters. But I also know that I can allow myself to get totally absorbed for a half hour without major concerns that I’m getting lost or left behind when it comes to referencing multi-episode plot points.
AppleTV+
3. The Show Laughs at Itself
I mentioned the star power—other names worth dropping include Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Olivia Wilde—and they’re all playing themselves. But the show, which is a satire, is razor-sharp when it comes to mocking the industry all of these names (Rogen included) are a part of IRL. Case in point: Wilde. *Spoilers ahead* In episode four, she plays a director of a neo-noir detective film, Rolling Blackout, where tensions between her and the cast are hitting a fever pitch. Zac Efron—who also appears as himself—hates her. Rumors are that the feud is so great, he didn’t invite her to the cast party he threw at the Chateau Marmont. Dun dun dun. Let’s just say Matt has to get involved, but it’s the spoof of Wilde’s actual gossip-ridden film, Don’t Worry Darling, that makes this blur of fiction and reality feel extra life-like. And what makes The Studio extra fun.
Back to my own enjoyment when it comes to telling people what to watch: I’ve mentioned The Studio to more people than I can count on one hand in the last week alone. IMO, it deserves every accolade it gets.
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