The Studio, Seth Rogen’s sharp-edged satire of the film industry, has made a major statement this awards season, earning 23 Emmy nominations - the most ever for a comedy in its first season.
That number ties the single-season record set just last year by The Bear’s third season, which went on to win 11 Emmys - itself a record for a comedy in a single year. The Studio is nominated in nearly every major comedy category, including Outstanding Comedy Series, Lead Actor (Rogen), Directing, and Writing. Rogen alone is up for four Emmys this year. If he sweeps, he’ll join a very short list of individuals who’ve won four Primetime Emmys in one night, including Moira Demos for Making a Murderer (Netflix, 2016), Amy Sherman-Palladino for The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Prime Video, 2018), and Dan Levy for Schitt’s Creek (Pop TV, 2020).
Co-created by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, and Frida Perez, The Studio follows Matt Remick (Rogen), the newly appointed Continental Studios chief trying and mostly failing to steer a crumbling legacy film company through an industry obsessed with IP, algorithms, and streaming metrics. It’s a show that doesn’t shy away from self-awareness, but it’s also got that rare thing that other shows in the same vein have missed, it’s also very funny.
Premiering at SXSW in March before launching on Apple TV+ later that month, The Studio quickly found a following among critics and audiences alike. It currently holds a 93% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an 81 on Metacritic. Reviews have praised everything from its direction and cinematic style such as its long takes to its celebrity-studded cameos and farcical storylines. But the real draw may be the way it threads big comedic setpieces with something more sincere: a clear love for movies as an artform and the real-life chaos required to make them.
"It was not that much of a stretch… I’ve been through that a number of times in my life"
- Martin Scorsese on his The Studio cameo (via. USA Today)
The cast is deep, with standout turns from Catherine O’Hara (Patty), Kathryn Hahn (Maya), Ike Barinholtz (Sal), Chase Sui Wonders (Quinn), and especially Bryan Cranston (CEO Griffin Mill), plus cameos from familiar Hollywood faces in nearly every episode. Everyone from the series also leans into a “cringe comedy” mode that plays particularly well in its behind-the-scenes setting, as Remick tries to hold the studio and his sanity together. Yet you entirely believe every scenario - of course a set gets knocked down because somebody threw a Burrito!
- Zack Snyder and Quinta Brunson present awards at the Golden Globes, all very normal.
- Of couse the Smile director Parker Finn is asked to direct another horror movie called Wink
- Everyone is contractually obliged to thank Ted Sarandos in their Awards speeches, obviously!
Its rare genius is in its broad appeal - you don’t need to work in Hollywood to get the joke. The Studio delivers sharp, fast-moving satire that’s as accessible as it is specific - packed with pratfalls, over-the-top setpieces, and a who's-who of celebrity cameos. It’s a similar type of humour to watching Frasier embarrass himself in high-society and watching Deborah Vance in Hacks try and keep her career evolving. What elevates The Studio is the undercurrent of sincerity: behind the swipes at execs, egos, and IP-obsession is a real love for the messy, miraculous act of making movies. Rogen and Goldberg aren’t just skewering the system - they’re unpacking their own experiences inside it. The result is both a chaotic farce and a heartfelt tribute to the industry they know best and it is probably the funniest show of the year.
"Savvy enough to impress even the most studious of film buffs, The Studio fights the good fight for a better Hollywood while eliciting huge laughs at its expense."
- Rotten Tomatoes Critical Consensus for The Studio
For Apple TV+, The Studio marks another major comedy contender in a streak that began with Ted Lasso, which previously held the record for most first-season nominations for a comedy with 20. That show went on to win seven Emmys in its debut year, including acting wins for Jason Sudeikis, Brett Goldstein, and Hannah Waddingham so things look bright for Rogen.
The Studio’s ten-part, big-budget debut has quickly become one of 2025’s standout releases. Apple have already greenlit Season 2, with Rogen and Goldberg stating that they’ll be using the chaos of making Season 1 as material for what’s next - a creative feedback loop they’re ready to ride for years. It’s a sharp contrast to The Franchise, the other industry satire of 2025 from Armando Iannucci (The Thick of It) which fizzled out just months earlier and was quietly cancelled by January.
Even when the satire cuts a little too close, The Studio pulls off a rare balancing act - irreverent, self-aware, and packed with sharp industry commentary, but also anchored by a real affection for the messy business of making movies. That mix of cynicism and sincerity has made it one of the year's most acclaimed (and now most nominated) comedies.
Awards or not, The Studio has landed and it’s taking Hollywood (and all its messy, behind-the-scenes chaos) along for the ride.
