The Studio is a cameo-packed satirical extravaganza from Apple TV+. And when we say cameo-packed, we really mean cameo-packed. All sorts of big names from the world of TV pop up, including Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Sarah Polley, Dave Franco, Zoe Kravitz… and even that’s only just scratching the surface.
The Studio focuses on Seth Rogen’s Matt Remick, the newly promoted head of the fictional Continental Studios. He does genuinely love movies and wants to make good ones, but corporate meddling keeps getting in the way. Turns out that what makes money isn’t the same as what makes a great film. And then there’s all the wacky shenanigans he and his team keep getting into while partaking in the art of filmmaking.
Unfortunately for people who were wondering if the aforementioned wacky shenanigans were kid-friendly… they are not. The Studio is very much a show for adults, and young kids will find absolutely nothing here.
The Studio is rated TV-MA
Sex and nudity: There’s no full-frontal nudity in The Studio, but you see Matt in bed with various attractive ladies and in another scene, assistant Quinn is seen having anal sex with her boyfriend. This is presented for laughs rather than titillation, but it’s quite shocking if you’re not used to sex on your TV screen. And the characters are definitely prone to making crude jokes and proclamations about sex.
Violence and gore: There’s some slapstick violence, and there’s violence in some of the movies Matt oversees. For example, the first episode opens with a violent scene, and then we realize it’s just a movie. One other movie is particularly gross, as it features zombies who propagate via fecal matter. Maybe that’s not strictly gore, but it’ll certainly make you go “ewww.”
Language: There’s bad language in every single episode. Characters frequently say the f word, the s word, and so on. They often get very creative with it! If you don’t like swearing, this is definitely a show to avoid.
Drinking and drugs: This is where the show really earns that TV-MA rating, because there are so many drugs in the show. In the very first episode, a character is seen snorting coke, and the entire premise of the two-part season finale hinges on Matt accidentally poisoning some people (one of whom is Zoe Kravitz) with magic mushrooms, causing them to get high. Zoe Kravitz does a great job of portraying herself as high, and it’s all very funny, but this series is definitely heavy on the drug use. It certainly does nothing to dispel the stereotype about Hollywood execs being high all the time.
Frightening or intense scenes: Some of the scenes Matt oversees being shot are fairly intense, but the emotion is elevated so as to play it for laughs. The scene where Matt and co are running around trying to get a presentation to go smoothly while all high on mushrooms might be intense to some, but again, it’s played for laughs.
So this is definitely not a show for little ones, but what about older teens? They might like it, especially if they have an interest in the film industry. The technical aspects of the show are also impressive. (The episode “The Oner” was shot as an actual oner!) But be aware of all the drug-taking and swearing before you hit the play button or allow those under 18 to watch the show.