Hansal Mehta wants you to watch Seth Rogen's The Studio. Know all about the acclaimed new series here

Hansal Mehta praises Seth Rogen's The Studio for its transition from parody to a heartfelt exploration of the creative industry.

Bollywood director Hansal Mehta has reviewed Seth Rogen's new TV show The Studio. It stars Seth as a struggling Hollywood studio head trying to balance corporate demands with his personal passion for producing quality films. The show has been critically acclaimed for its stinging satire, cinematography and performances. (Also read: Seth Rogen opens up about directing Martin Scorsese in The Studio: ‘Worst nightmare in the entire world’)

Hansal Mehta reviews Seth Rogen's The Studio calling it not only funny but necessary.

Hansal Mehta reviews Seth Rogen's The Studio

Hansal took to his X (formerly known as Twitter) account and posted a detailed review of the show. The first episode didn't impress the director and he started to question if the show was worth all the hype. However, as he went past it, Hansal started to get engrossed in the underlining irony and pathos of the show.

Hansal wrote, “I saw the trailers and I was kicked. This looked like the show — sharp, satirical, self-aware. I read the early reviews, and the buzz was real. So I dove in, eager, almost giddy with anticipation. Then came Episode 1. And I was… underwhelmed. Slapstick? Superficial? Was this really it? I wondered — had the PR outpaced the product? Or was I just not getting it? But then… the magic unfolded. Gradually. Subtly. Smartly.”

Hansal calls it a love letter to the industry

The Omerta director further explained, “What seemed like parody started revealing layers. The humour stayed broad, but the irony deepened. The pathos began to creep in. By the second and third episodes, I was in — fully. This wasn’t just a spoof of an industry we all love to hate. This was an ode. A love letter. A tragicomedy about the humans behind the madness — the ones who ruin everything and also somehow hold it all together."

He added, "Seth Rogen has pulled off something rare — a modern slapstick sitcom laced with surprising insight and aching empathy. Characters that felt like cartoons at first slowly became people. People with contradictions, with heartbreaks, with buried ideals and daily compromises. By the end, I wasn’t just watching a show. I was reflecting on our world — this mad, broken, beautiful business of creativity and commerce. The Studio reminded me that even the gatekeepers, the obstructers, the ‘numbers people’ — they’re all just cogs in a machine we all power, in some way. We curse the system. But we’re also part of it."

“The cast is uniformly excellent — not in that polished, prestige-TV way, but in a raw, lived-in, gloriously messy manner that suits the chaos they inhabit. Each actor seems to understand the absurdity of their world and yet plays it with complete conviction. There’s a rhythm to their performances — breathless, jagged, and sometimes heartbreakingly still. The shooting style embraces this chaos — long, frantic takes that swing between backstage frenzy and intimate implosions. The camera doesn’t just observe; it crashes into rooms, lingers on silent defeat, and dances with delusion. What they’ve pulled off is a spectacle — but not the kind the industry usually sells. This is a spectacle that feels real. Real in its pain, its absurdity, its backstage drama. And in doing so, The Studio becomes a mirror to a world that thrives on illusion — and yet somehow delivers truth," Hansal concluded.

About The Studio

The main cast of The Studio has Seth Rogen starring as Matt Remick, the president of Continental Studios and Catherine O’Hara as veteran producer Patty. It also stars Ike Barinholtz as Matt’s right-hand colleague Sal while Kathryn Hahn plays the unhinged marketing lead Maya, along with newcomer Chase Sui Wonders as creative executive Quinn.

Directed, written and produced by Seth, the show boasts of memorable cameos from none-other-than Martin Scorsese and Netflix CEO Ted Sarando. Other notable special appearances include from stars like Zack Efron, Anthon Mackie, Olivia Wilde, Zoe Kravitz, Adam Scott and director Ron Howard. The Studio has been renewed for season 2 on Apple TV+.