What We Hope To See In "The Studio" Season 2!

Season 1 of Apple TV’s "The Studio" was a giant success. It set the record for the most wins in one year by a comedy series at the Primetime Emmy Awards, with 13 total wins, which is a monumental feat by itself, but also it did this on its first try. It was nominated for 23 Emmys in total, which is also the most ever for a comedy’s first season. The show also took home Best Comedy Series at the Golden Globes earlier this month.

Season 2 carries a lot of excitement, and people will be watching to see if it can deliver yet again. So, for all that it did in Season 1 -- from acting to costumes to sound, production, editing, etc. -- we have a lot in mind for what we want to see the show creators continue to do next season.

We definitely want them to stick to the formula – or to the "structure", as creator & star Seth Rogen refers to it. Whatever they want to call it, we want them to keep it. The show operates in a continuous, forward-driving motion, with really solid editing and cinematography. This flow allows us to follow the story easily where we get to see the actual production studio succeed and fail in real time, all while hilarity ensues. Production studios need to constantly be creating projects -- that’s how they make money -- so the stage is already set there. They will be taking on new projects, and those projects will be debated upon similar to how they were in Season 1.

Seth Rogen’s character, Continental Studios head Matt Remick, wants to create artistic, impactful, thought-provoking pieces, which is at odds with Bryan Cranston’s character, CEO Griffin Mill, because he wants to make movies that make money. So, a simple concept movie about Kool-Aid becomes really divisive across the team. There will probably be way more opportunities for this back-and-forth to occur. And, as the audience, we want to see the struggle between making movies for money versus striving for artistic integrity. It’s a common issue that comes up in movies today, with the likes of superhero movies making a ton of money versus a smaller indie film maybe not doing as well at the box office but still holding a lot of impact in its work.

We also want to see more of the comedic elements of this show. At its root, "The Studio" is close to a sitcom with stand-alone episodes; however, it essentially is dressed up to look like a big fancy movie. It’s really funny because the comedy is rooted in the entire overarching process, the characters, and in real-life situations. Similarly to a sitcom, sach episode is rooted in one issue, but the issues stem from the moviemaking industry. For example, in Episode 7, Matt and the Continental Studios team grapple with how to cast a movie in a way that won’t spark controversy. They have the whole movie cast, but the genius of the episode isn’t actually in the difficulties behind casting but rather what happens when well-meaning execs overthink representation out of fear that they will get backlash or PR disasters. Seth Rogen, when talking about that episode in particular, said it was “legitimately petrifying” to have to pitch this to people like Ziwe and Ice Cube, and Rogen did a particularly great job at conveying that terror when Matt goes to talk to Ice Cube about it in the episode. It’s this awkward yet poignant comedy that bleeds into every episode, and it’s supported by the Emmy Award winning editing and cinematography. The show’s pacing helps drive the comedy, and through the longer takes, so much life is found. In Episode 2, we see a great example of one of these giant, Birdman-like takes. Before the actual “jokes" or comedic moments take place, the pacing already brings the viewer in so that we can almost feel the chaos instead of just watching it happen. And we as viewers -- and as feelers -- would love to see the creators do more of that.

Lastly, this show has excelled at bringing on useful and hilarious cameos. From the casting episode where we saw Ice Cube and Ziwe to earlier episodes that featured Ron Howard and Martin Scorsese, to so many more, this show doesn’t bring in people only because it’s funny -- it brings in people who will be funny as well as greatly shift and add to the overall story.  And we as viewers would love to see more of that in Season 2, as Seth Rogen has already said that he would love to work with Vin Diesel.

Ultimately, we’re excited for a lot of things in Season 2. We aren’t looking for the show to re-invent itself or make drastic, dramatic leaps. If the show is working, making money, and winning tons of awards, we are hoping it will do more of that. If Matt Remick had a say, perhaps the next season would take on a darker, more edgy tone, with a "Euphoria"-meets-"Black Mirror" aesthetic, but really, for next season, we’re all just hoping that "The Studio" continues to invite us into the world of a big production studio and all of the crazy, inspiring things that happen there.