‘Hacks’ And ‘The Studio’ Join Long Tradition Of Hollywood Navel-Gazing

Two of the buzziest shows in the streaming world, The Studio from Apple TV+ and HBO Max’s Hacks, proudly follow in the well-established tradition of motion pictures and TV shows that take a penetrating gaze at the inner workings of Hollywood. We may live in a world of billions of people and a smaller but equally impressive number of sources of entertainment material that run the gamut of human emotions, situations, and professions. But Hollywood has always found comfort – and more than a fair amount of commercial success – in gazing inwardly at the business we call show.

Comedy is the preferred although not exclusive genre for the Hollywood inside baseball game, and The Studio and Hacks shine at that. For those that haven’t seen or maybe haven’t even found it in the streaming universe, Apple TV+’s The Studio was co-created by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, and Frida Perez. Longtime creative partners Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg often co-write and co-direct and the show centers around a hapless head of the fictional Continental Studios portrayed by Rogen and surrounded by a band of equally myopic execs.

Besides being flat-out funny, with a wonderful supporting cast including Katherine Hahn and Catherine O’Hara and a host of celebrity cameos, the show is at its best in its meta-moments of delicious self-awareness about the business. This includes an episode all shot in one take in which characters inside the episode rhapsodize about the achievement of famous one-take sequences in films such as Goodfellas. Another has Rogen’s exec arguing with a table-full of oncology doctors about the relative value of making movies versus a children’s cancer cure, an argument taking place inside of a show all about making movies.

Hacks takes no backseat in its send-up of show biz inanity, but with more heart along the way. The shows creators are Jen Stasky and the husband-wife duo of Paul W. Downs (who also acts in the show) and Lucia Aniello. The show is labeled a “Max Original” which is a bit odd since the streaming service it appears on is no longer called Max but is once again HBO Max. Oh, well, no matter where it runs, it’s terrific.

The series has already won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy, and Jean Smart has already won multiple Emmys for her portrayal of the Joan Rivers-flavored Deborah Vance. Hannah Einbinder as her writing assistant matches her quip for quip and facial expression for facial expression (she also hails from royal comedic blood through her SNL-original mother Laraine Newman). The show savages comedic divas, lascivious network executives, Vegas casino moguls, quirky denizens of writers’ rooms and every flavor of personal assistant imaginable. And in the midst of this are marvelous moments of complex character affection (and disdain) between Smart and Einbinder.

The Envelope, Please

OK, I’m a sucker for Hollywood self-absorption (or maybe just self-absorption). I know – and hope – you’ve all been waiting for this. Here’s my top 10 favorite examples of show biz narcissism (at least on screen).

• The Player (1992) – Robert Altman directed and of course it begins with one of the most famous one-take sequences in film history. Phenomenal cast led by Tim Robbins. The gold standard.
• The Big Picture (1989) – This is an early Christopher Guest film, but with a more scripted feel that many of his other works (This is Spinal Tap, Best in Show, etc.). Kevin Bacon is the lead and star cameos proliferate but I would stack Martin Short’s small but unforgettable performance as Bacon’s agent against any work he has done in his entire career.
• Singin’ in the Rain (1952) – Maybe the greatest Hollywood musical ever with a superb score, stunning dancing, and legends such as Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, and Donald O’Connor. And it’s about making movies – specifically at the dawn of “talkies”!
• Network (1976) – Yes, it’s about TV and ostensibly about TV news, but this was a frighteningly prescient film about the blurring of lines between news, show business, the search for profit and, by the way, negotiating with terrorists. As dark as dark humor gets, with Oscars galore.
• All About Eve (1950) – Inside the world of theater, but it could be any show biz venue. Iconic characters include the aging star (Bette Davis), the scheming ingenue (Ann Francis), the powerful and cynical critic (George Saunders) and so much more.
• Sunset Boulevard (1950) – This legendary film (like All About Eve and Applause) was turned into a Broadway musical, but the original film is a classic all its own. Gloria Swanson’s Norma Desmond became the model of the outlandish film star clinging to Hollywood long after it has moved past her.
• Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) – Tarantino, DiCaprio, and Pitt. The film brings you the 1960s, the end of Hollywood Westerns, and the impact of radical cultural change. Epic.
• Barton Fink (1991) – The Coen Brothers birthed this ode to a bye-gone era of Hollywood studios and the particular agony of a screenwriter who can’t write. You’ll never look at wallpaper quite the same way again.
• The Larry Sanders Show (1992-98) – Garry Shandling’s wickedly funny take on the world of late-night TV before it became even more farcical in real life with the battles between Jay Leno and David Letterman and then Leno and Conan O’Brien. A brilliant cast (Rip Torn as the Executive Producer, Jeffrey Tambor as the oddball on-air sidekick) and sharp writing throughout.
• Entourage (2004-11) – The TV series, not the movie. Brought audiences a unique view of the hangers-on around big stars and unleashed the immortal character of agent Ari Gold played by Jeremy Piven. True gold.

There are so many more, but I’ll just throw in a few worthy honorable mentions. Think of them collectively as the Miss Congeniality of show biz-themed films: Trumbo (true story of Hollywood blacklist); Hail, Caesar! (Coen Brothers again on the old-time studio world); Mank (making of Citizen Kane from the besieged writer’s perspective); The Artist (2011 Oscar-winning black-and-white silent film (!) about the end of the silent film era); and Joan is Awful (2023 Black Mirror episode about a dystopian AI-driven future for actors). I hate to end on such a dark note, but how do you not hit AI?