‘The Studio’: How to Craft a Hollywood Satire
April 16, 2025
Screenwriters are always told to write what they know — and let’s be honest, what you know is how hard it is to break into Hollywood or get the green light for your passion project. The good news? That struggle is incredibly relatable to anyone who’s been inside (or even just curious about) the industry. And no show makes that more apparent than Seth Rogen and Apple TV+’s latest Hollywood satire, The Studio.
So what exactly is a Hollywood satire — and how does The Studio show us how to write one that embraces all the absurd, frustrating, and oddly lovable parts of the industry we can’t seem to quit? Let’s break it down.
What Is a Hollywood Satire?
A Hollywood satire is a niche genre that critiques, exaggerates, and pokes fun at the inner workings of the entertainment industry, specifically the Hollywood film world. It holds a mirror up to the dysfunction, contradictions, and absurdity behind the systems, egos, and dreamers who create some of our most beloved films and shows.
But these stories don’t mock Hollywood just for laughs. A true Hollywood satire uses irony and exaggeration to reveal just how hard it is to make a movie, let alone a great one.
Some examples of other notable Hollywood satires:
- The Player (1992)
- Argo (2012)
- Barton Fink (1991)
- State and Main (2000)
- Bowfinger (1999)
- Episodes (2011-2017)
Some of the key hallmarks of the genre include:
- Insider knowledge
- Exaggerated but grounded characters
- Meta moments
- Sharp self-awareness
While The Studio taps into all of these, it also leans into a few specific tropes that make a great Hollywood satire shine.
How The Studio Picks Its Target
The Studio is a sharp parody of Hollywood’s self-indulgence, and it targets its subjects with precision. The series follows Matt Remick (Rogen), the newly promoted head of a major film studio, who longs for the creative glory days of New Hollywood, while ironically spending his days churning out a four-quadrant Kool-Aid origin story and disposable horror schlock. His office, dubbed the “Temple of Cinema,” is a shrine to artistic ambition, even as he’s forced to compromise at every turn.
But Matt is also part of the problem he so desperately wants to change. As much as he strives to champion auteur-driven stories, he’s still the guy in the suit, desperately trying to keep his job by making the next billion-dollar hit. He is constantly caught between artistic integrity and commercial demands. By zeroing in on these familiar Hollywood figures, The Studio crafts a satire that feels almost too real.
Hollywood is a vast, sprawling business, but honing in on a specific aspect of the industry helps sharpen the satire. Are you interested in peeling back how hard it is to break in as a screenwriter? Or the pretentiousness of some film festivals? What is the difficulty of managing a team on a short no-budget? The best Hollywood satires balance relatable frustrations with the undeniable magic that keeps people coming back to the industry.
Embrace the Absurdity
The first job Matt is tasked with when promoted to studio head is to make a big-budget Kool-Aid movie because, well, IP is king. In an attempt to balance his dream of greenlighting auteur-driven stories, Matt buys Martin Scorsese’s script for a feature film about Jonestown with a twist: the movie’s title is Kool-Aid.
For a brief moment, this plan actually works out for Matt. But, unfortunately, marketing steps in and tells him to pull the plug. Why? Steve Buscemi isn’t a leading man, Kool-Aid ends up being the villain of the story, and, ultimately, audiences just want to be entertained — not reminded of a real-life tragedy. So, Matt is forced to shelve his dreams and go with the more commercially viable idea, sacrificing his artistic vision to keep his brand-new job.
Hollywood is a machine full of contradictions that create absurd moments. The compromise between creativity and formulaic content places a silent pressure on everyone to be relevant, all while conforming to a tried-and-true mold — and still being original. This contradiction is precisely what makes Hollywood so ripe for satire.
The Studio Remembers to Show the Highs and the Lows
The Studio doesn’t just focus on the absurdity of Hollywood’s inner workings; it also shows us the highs and lows of chasing success in an industry where both extremes are part of the journey. Hollywood isn’t just about the glitzy premieres and star-studded parties — it’s also about the compromise, rejection, and development hell that is just as common as a box-office hit.
Through Matt’s journey, we see the highs of Hollywood. From the rush of being in charge and working with big-name directors to the pressures of caving to his boss’s demands for IP-driven content. But despite the ups and downs, Matt still finds a moment to appreciate the magic of his job. At the end of a long day, he takes the time to watch his favorite movie — a reminder of the dream he’s chasing.
While it is easy to focus on the absurdity of the industry, remember to balance the highs and lows. Ask yourself why you are writing a screenplay, trying to sell one, or winning a screenwriting competition, and channel that hope and want into your main character. Even in the face of setbacks, allow your character to take small moments of solace or reflection, like watching their favorite movie, to remind the audience why they are still in pursuit of their dream.
This contrast between dreams and disillusionment makes the satire both sharp and poignant, highlighting the fragile nature of success in the industry while acknowledging why people keep striving for that elusive big break.
As Patty (Catherine O’Hara), Matt’s mentor and former studio head, puts it, “The job makes you stressed, panicked, and miserable. But when it all comes together and you make a good movie, it’s good forever.”
Give Us a Main Character We Can Root For… or Pity
One of the key elements that make The Studio so compelling is its main character, Matt, who is both someone we can root for and, at times, pity. At his core, Matt is one of us — a cinephile who wants to make great movies. He’s not a cynical industry vet, yet he finds himself at the crossroads of being both a hero and the guy on set in the suit.
By blending admiration with the pain of the choices Matt makes, the show resonates with audiences who’ve either been in similar positions themselves or know someone who has. Whether on set or at a regular office job, we all understand the balancing act of trying to stay true to our dreams while dealing with the harsh realities of work life. We laugh and cringe at Matt, making him an instantly memorable character who is doing what humans do best: trying their best.
When creating a compelling main character in a Hollywood satire, focus on blending relatable contradictions to humanize your protagonist. Having your main character driven by notable ambitions, like selling a screenplay or finishing a film, by constantly forcing the character to compromise on those ideals showcases their idealism and vulnerability, making the character relatable.
Layering the protagonist’s journey with triumphs and failures shows us that these characters have depth and are more than Mary Sues. Ultimately, your character should feel human, navigating the highs and lows of their industry or environment, making them someone the audience can root for while understanding the challenges they face along the way.
End With a Bang (or a Bitter Laugh)
While we don’t know how The Studio is going to wrap up its plot, we can look at other Hollywood satires to teach us how to end with a bang (or a laugh).
Most Hollywood satires end with a note that emphasizes the absurdity of the system they’ve critiqued, leaving room for a bittersweet resolution or a final punch of irony that highlights the characters’ struggles. Some characters may get a small victory, while others reinforce the theme that Hollywood is so much bigger than one person, and can keep churning no matter what.
Some common endings we see in Hollywood satires include:
- Irony and cynicism: A character achieving their goals, but it comes with a great personal or artistic cost.
- Futile success: A character is left with a sense of acceptance after their dreams are crushed or compromised. Often, there is a suggestion that they’ve learned to “play the game.”
- Bittersweet victory: When a character reflects on the cost of achieving some level of success, highlighting the contradictions and comprises of the system and the allure of chasing a dream.
- Tragic irony: A character’s downfall is a result of the industry’s pitfalls.
- Full circle: A character goes through personal changes, but the system remains the same.
In writing your own satire, keep in mind that the ending should bring all the absurdities of the story to a head. Maybe your protagonist achieves their goal, but at what cost? What compromises did they have to make? A Hollywood satire’s ending doesn’t need to be completely tragic or rosy — it can simply underscore how the character’s pursuit of success reflects the industry’s flaws.
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The Studio reminds us that writing a Hollywood satire is about striking the perfect balance between critique and humor, bringing the absurdity of Hollywood to life while keeping the characters relatable and human.
It’s these elements that make a compelling satire about chasing the impossible dream, and sometimes even catching it. At the end of the day, we’re all just trying to make something great.
