The Franchise

Armando Iannucci, Jon Brown, and Sam Mendes have crafted an unforgettable and endlessly entertaining series that is filled to the brim with wry, dark humor, unfortunate truths, and an exceptional cast that knows exactly how to deliver what this show aims to be.

There’s lived experience on the screen here, is the point. But really, even those who have never stepped foot on a movie set can relate to the vibes involved.

This hilariously vicious showbiz satire, from producers of Veep and Succession, spares no one in front or behind the camera in its skewing of a big-budget workplace. [28 Oct - 17 Nov 2024, p.4]

The Franchise isn’t damning enough to cause some sort of reckoning upon Hollywood’s franchise factory. But it is cutting enough to lift the curtain on what it’s really like to pander to an industry that constantly changes its mind and has no room for originality. The truth may not be pretty – but it certainly is laughable.

This is comedy from a recognisable school. Mainly this is a good thing – I’m not sure that I will ever tire of the rabid phrasemaking and effervescent swearing that has long been an Iannucci trademark, nor the habit of contorting language and corporate speak to the point where words lose all meaning.

The first season’s eight episodes feel neither defensive nor score-settling, the rare satire that can be enjoyed by fans and haters alike.

A consistently funny skewering of the trials and tribulations of making a superhero movie. Phase One of the Franchise Television Universe (FTU) is off to a strong start.

Casting superhero movies not as cinema but as wildly expensive content, it’s a show that’ll be music to Martin Scorsese’s ears.

If the characters aren't as finely drawn as they should be, and if their development often gets lost in the effort of pushing Tecto's production along, the very talented actors add enough magic to keep the show highly watchable and frequently laugh-out-loud funny.

“The Franchise” is not perfect by any means, but it is very watchable and bingeable, delivered in easy-to-digest 30-minute chunks of droll, in-the-know comedy. Whether the series assembles again for another sequel remains unclear, but fanboys, myself included, who enjoyed this origin story season will surely like to see where it flies next.

Quite a few of the rapid-fire yuks and droll bon mots delivered in The Franchise can feel stagey, but they’re delivered to the cheap seats by enthusiastic players, suggesting electric on-set energy for The Franchise—a good sign for future episodes.

People like Dag getting lost in the shuffle is both the point and an oversight. When it comes to blockbuster franchises, “The Franchise” argues the people making the movies don’t matter in the slightest compared to what they’re making. But the people also don’t matter as much as they could to the series itself.

The show gets so much better when it’s not about characters insisting they’re better than the shit they’re shoveling and instead revel in said shit. That’s when they become people you actually like spending time with. The series has a lot of fun with Superstore-esque cutaways to whatever nonsense is happening among the crew around the set.

The 8-episode first season is just funny enough to sustain your interest, even if some of the targets here feel easier than in the best Iannucci productions.