Showrunner Jon Brown (Succession) teamed up with executive producers Armando Iannucci (Veep, The Thick of It) and Sam Mendes (1917, Skyfall) to explore the bizarre world of franchise filmmaking in HBO’s latest original series The Franchise.
Mendes, who directs the pilot episode, has experience in that arena with the Bond franchise. He told The Hollywood Reporter, “The reality of making [franchise] films is often absurd, chaotic, and decisions are made for the most random of reasons — you are balanced on a knife edge the whole time.” Instead of focusing on spy movies or long-running franchises in general, The Franchise specifically centers on a superhero cinematic universe.
The series follows the cast, crew, creatives, and producers during the production of Tecto: Eye of the Storm, a fictional movie about an earthquake-making superhero. As the first assistant director, Daniel (Himesh Patel) is responsible for almost everything — keeping production on schedule, reassuring the actors when they’re spiraling, executing the director’s specific vision, making sure the producers are happy, plus anything else that comes up.
The pilot episode begins with the arrival of Dag (Lolly Adefope), the new third AD who spends her first day (and every day after) playfully pestering Daniel with biting questions and commentary about the “bad vibes” of the production. Like Dag, we’re immediately following Daniel as he navigates the studio, calling out orders and communicating to someone (or everyone?) via radio, which seems to be his default mode on-set.
At the helm of Tecto is Eric (Daniel Brühl), a self-described “strange and serious” director, and his loyal assistant Steph (Jessica Hynes). (MCU fans will recognize Brühl as the villainous Baron Zemo in Captain America: Civil War, who returned in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.)
Despite their egos, Eric works well with his two lead actors — Adam (Billy Magnussen), the titular hero, and Peter (Richard E. Grant), a theater-trained British thespian playing the movie’s villain. (Grant previously played two Marvel characters — Dr. Rice in Logan and Classic Loki in the Disney+ series Loki.) Peter clearly doesn’t want to be there and sees the project as beneath him. Being second on the call sheet is also a point of contention.
When he’s not doing weird acting exercises before a scene, Adam spends most of his time obsessing over his body size, adhering to the typical chicken and protein drinks diet, and constantly needing someone, usually Daniel, to temporarily quell his many insecurities.
Daniel and Eric rely on their producer Justin (Alex Gaumond) to put his foot down when Maximum Studios executive Pat Shannon (Darren Goldstein) comes to set with bad news that comprises Eric’s vision. Instead, Anita (Aya Cash), who has a complicated personal history with Daniel, is hired to take over as producer. (Cash also has experience in the superhero world as Stormfront from The Boys and the upcoming prequel spin-off, Vought Rising.)
Anita and Pat’s mysterious boss Shane goes unseen, only speaking through his on-set employee/assistant/mouthpiece Bryson (Isaac Powell). Everyone’s different titles and job duties are sometimes blurred but the hierarchy of power is pretty clear.
The Tecto production runs into problems typical of a big-budget franchise movie. Changes are made to accommodate the studio’s tentpole film including cameos, continuity, and product placement. The show also touches on how fandom backlash leads to last-minute creative decisions, like trying to fix the studio’s “woman problem” by increasing an actor’s screen time and her character’s powers. Of course, implying that she’s more powerful than the men doesn’t go over well either.
While this puts everyone under immense and constant pressure, we spend the most time with Daniel. This aspiring director and comic nerd brings the most heart to the show. We only get bits and pieces of his personal life but knowing he’s missing out on raising his son and might be getting a divorce makes him the most sympathetic. The poor guy does breathing exercises with a vape.
The Franchise is a nice comedic mix of The Boys’ dark satire and the sitcom vibes of Extras. While it appeals to people who understand the industry and terminology, it doesn’t feel like it’s alienating viewers from enjoying the behind-the-scenes mishaps. There are some very specific gags like a background actor having a panic attack under prosthetics, overworked VFX workers with permanent dark circles under their eyes losing their will to live, and gems like Adam’s complaint about another actor’s “non-consensual improv.”
The Franchise is a witty workplace comedy about the stressful, exciting, and ridiculous world of superhero franchises, shining a light on the incredibly hard-working production crews who deserve recognition and praise. While its blend of British and American humor might not land for everyone, the show will likely be a future comfort watch for others.
The Franchise premieres October 6, 2024, on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.
What's Your Reaction?
