Aside from maybe "Deadpool & Wolverine" and "The Penguin," I've mostly been out of the loop on the whole superhero front for some time. That is, until, I saw the trailer for "The Franchise," HBO's new satire from showrunner Jon Brown, Sam Mendes, and Armando Iannucci.
Now, having streamed "The Thick of It" countless times, I was absolutely on board with a satire poking fun at the content machines churning out release after release, especially one that does so with the same kind of barbed sense of humor of shows like Iannucci's foul-mouthed political comedy or the kind of scandalous script found in Thea Sharrock's "Wicked Little Letters".
Having been lucky enough to watch all eight episodes ahead of the show's release, I am pleased to report that I loved "The Franchise" just as much as I expected to; it's a silly, sweary send-up from behind the scenes on a crumbling superhero flick that premieres today (October 6) on HBO and Max, one of the very best streaming services on the market.
What is 'The Franchise' about?
"The Franchise" takes us behind the scenes on an upcoming superhero movie, "Tecto: Eye of the Storm", a second-tier superhero flick that's being overshadowed by other franchise installments. It's also a movie set that's absolutely riddled with issues.
Every day, work on "Tecto: Eye of the Storm" only gets more chaotic. Director Eric (Daniel Brühl ) wrestles with changing ideas, the cast and crew continually rub one another up the wrong way, and franchise bosses continue to interfere from on high.
Nevertheless, amid all those issues, a few determined crew members, including assistant director Dan (Himesh Patel), producer Anita (Aya Cash), Steph (Jessica Hynes), and new hire Dag (Lolly Adefope), do their best to keep things on track and try to get the movie made, by any means necessary.
'The Franchise' is a wickedly funny watch
Above all else, I'm willing to recommend "The Franchise" because it's devilishly entertaining. Across its eight, half-hour-long episodes, it turns the movie-making process into a thoroughly entertaining misadventure.
Thanks to a spiky, snappy, script and wonderfully commitment from the cast — especially from a gleefully vicious Richard E. Grant, always-in-control Dan (Patel), and our "visionary" director (Brühl) — the show breezes by, packing in plenty of jokes along the way.
Reading around the series, I have seen other viewers say they felt the show ran out of steam before the final credits rolled, but I honestly can't say I felt the same. Even right through to the end, I thought "The Franchise" found plenty of things to do in the same core environment.
You'll see typical mishaps like the aforementioned franchise execs' interference and painfully bad, bolted-on product placement to more specific genre skewering like crowbarring in bad cameo appearances or the ongoing woes of the grossly overworked VFX artist, Dave.
Sure, there's not too much in the way of character development here, but I think that's only in service to the overall mood. The show's treating its core ensemble in the same way its major players feel: disposable, or replaceable. These are workers committed to the filmmaking machine first, and people second, and when their personal lives and passions do bleed their way onto the set, they only seem to build rivalries or cause even more trouble.
If you've got a low tolerance for cussing or chaotic antics in your comedy, you might want to look elsewhere. But if you enjoy a bit of black comedy, you've ever wondered how movies get made, or you just want to see someone take serious swipes at pop culture's ongoing superhero obsession, then "The Franchise" just might be the comedy series you've been waiting for.
"The Franchise" premieres on HBO on Sunday, October 6 at 10 p.m. ET and is available to stream on Max. On the hunt for even more recommendations? Be sure to check out our round-up of the very best Max shows you can watch right now to find your next must-watch show.
