HBO's new superhero movie parody from Veep and Succession writers mirrors the MCU by getting mixed reviews
Oct. 2, 2024The Franchise premieres this October
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Art seems to imitate life with new HBO series The Franchise – the satirical comedy about life on a superhero movie set is getting mixed reviews.
Following the ups and downs (but mostly, it seems, the downs) behind the scenes of the fictional franchise movie Tecto: Eye of the Storm, the show sees first assistant director Daniel (Himesh Patel) and his production team plagued by fires, insecure actors, and the wrath of studio bosses – as well as personal problems, in the case of Daniel’s impending divorce. The cast also includes Daniel Brühl, Aya Cash, Lolly Adefope, Billy Magnussen, and Richard E. Grant. Veep and The Thick of It creator Armando Iannucci, Skyfall director Sam Mendes, and Succession writer Jon Brown are involved behind the camera.
This stellar line-up wasn’t enough forThe Hollywood Reporter, though. “There are too many extraordinarily talented people involved with The Franchise, on both sides of the camera, for it not to be occasionally scathing in funny and well-constructed ways, at least for a few episodes,” the publication’s review reads. “By the second half of the season, though, it becomes less and less focused, less and less narratively interesting and more and more satirically banal.”
“Though The Franchise can be quite cutting, it skews a bit more stereotypically workplace-sitcom than Veep, meaning it sometimes errs on the side of quirky rather than nasty,” echoesThe Wrap. “Franchise also shares with Iannucci’s work a tendency to become exhausting through sheer running-in-circles repetition, something that probably reflects the experience of making a superhero movie almost too accurately.”
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I’m an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering everything film and TV-related across the Total Film and SFX sections. I help bring you all the latest news and also the occasional feature too. I’ve previously written for publications like HuffPost and i-D after getting my NCTJ Diploma in Multimedia Journalism.
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