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Season 1 – The Franchise

Play trailer 1:38 Poster for Season 1 – The Franchise Oct 2024 Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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73% Tomatometer 64 Reviews 62% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
"The Franchise" follows the crew of an unloved franchise movie fighting for their place in a savage and unruly cinematic universe. The comedy series shines a light on the secret chaos inside the world of superhero moviemaking, asking how exactly the cinematic sausage gets made. Every mistake has an origin story.
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The Franchise — Season 1

The Franchise — Season 1

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Critics Consensus

Teeming with superb actors having a ball playing hapless hacks, The Franchise pulls some of its punches against Hollywood malaise but overall makes for a tart treat.

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Critics Reviews

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Amy Amatangelo Tellyvisions In the end, despite all the shenanigans, there is no there there. Moments of hilarity don’t outweigh the fact that, in the end, the series is repetitive and boring. Jun 26, 2025 Full Review Jesse Hassenger TheWrap Broadened into an ensemble, “The Franchise,” like “Tecto” itself, sometimes seems too big to either fail or fully succeed, stuck in perpetual-motion hell. Nov 26, 2024 Full Review Daniel Fienberg The Hollywood Reporter The series rapidly becomes a loose assemblage of on-the-nose snark, in part because none of the characters or their interpersonal relationships are defined clearly. Nov 26, 2024 Full Review William Schwartz Book & Film Globe In execution this show is more a horror story than a satire, just an extremely blunt depiction of a toxic work environment. Jun 10, 2025 Full Review Tara Ariano Cracked Just because it’s easy to shit on superhero movies doesn’t mean we shouldn’t. Rated: A- Dec 19, 2024 Full Review KT Mahe For Your Reference Podcast The Franchise plays it straight in a zany world that is spiralling out of control. The characters have unique voices that play well to the chaos of filmmaking. Rated: 4/5 Nov 27, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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K C Very funny and clever! It's Office Space on a Marvel Hollywood set. Through that lens it should be nearly universally relatable. Whether you love or hate Superhero blockbusters, the satire is spot on! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 06/08/25 Full Review Tom F The idea is a natural, the execution here is barely okay. I just watched the first episode of The Studio, they are doing a much better job skewering the industry and keeping it fun. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 03/30/25 Full Review Pascal B Slapstick should be incisive. Not waddling like extras in fish suits. Satire should be funny. This is not. Or entertaining. Nope. Or at least clever. This is just a literally talentless Extras. Actors, extras, writers,... just seem to pander to someone sitting just outside of the picture, desperate for his/her approval. Was Martin S on set? Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 03/26/25 Full Review Eric S Richard Grant is amazing in this series! He is hilarious portraying a thespian theater actor with a role in a big summer blockbuster movie. Bill Magnussen was also great (sheep hormones!?). That being said, Himesh Patel was pretty boring and lame as the lead actor and held back the series. He was not funny, enlightening, engaging, and just there going through the motions. I would love to see this series continue and replacing Patel to bring in a talented and comedic actor. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/28/25 Full Review i am b A very funny, satirical and entertaining masterpiece, that should have deserved a second season. I really enjoyed this one Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/13/25 Full Review Audience Member Outside of pablum for insiders, WTF! Not funny at all. One reviewer compared this to Galaxy quest, which was light years better, an insult to Galaxy Quest. The Fall Guy was a much better lampooning of hollywood Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/11/25 Full Review Read all reviews
The Franchise — Season 1

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Cast & Crew

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Jon Brown

Creator

Himesh Patel

Daniel

Aya Cash

Anita

Jessica Hynes

Steph

Billy Magnussen

Adam

Lolly Adefope

Dag

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Oct 6, 2024 Scene 31A: Tecto Meets Eye First assistant director Dan struggles to solve endless problems on the set of Maximum Studios' superhero film, "Tecto: Eye of the Storm." Details Episode 2 Aired Oct 13, 2024 Scene 36: The Invisible Jackhammer Hoping to wrap on a complicated stunt by the end of the day, Dan faces unsolicited scrutiny from Dag; Anita asserts herself as the film's newest producer and Eric demands more extras. Details Episode 3 Aired Oct 20, 2024 Scene 54: The Lilac Ghost After Maximum Studios is accused of having a woman problem, Anita must find ways to empower Tecto's sole female character. Details Episode 4 Aired Oct 27, 2024 Scene 83: Enter the Gurgler While they prepare for a big celebrity cameo from a popular superhero of the studio, the Tecto crew find themselves at odds with another film. Details Episode 5 Aired Nov 3, 2024 Scene 16: Eric's Hospital Scene While Anita handles an unusual product placement request, Adam recruits Dag to help with his insecurities. Details Episode 6 Aired Nov 10, 2024 Scene 110: Baptism of Fire Dan tries to raise morale when the film crew threatens to mutiny because of another shoot late into the night; Eric expects a visit from his Hollywood idol. Details Episode 7 Aired Nov 17, 2024 Scene 113: The Bridge On location in Armenia, Eric's latest breakdown leads Dan and Dag to take charge of an explosive shoot day. Details Episode 8 Aired Nov 24, 2024 Scene 117: The Death of Eye After Anita uncovers some troubling news about Tecto, Dan works on a plan, while Dag tries to dodge the Armenian authorities; an on-set incident overshadows Peter's final day of shooting. Details

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The Franchise — Season 1

The Franchise: Season 1 Trailer The Franchise: Season 1 Trailer 1:38 The Franchise: Season 1 Trailer The Franchise: Season 1 Trailer 1:42 The Franchise: Season 1 Teaser The Franchise: Season 1 Teaser 1:26 View more videos
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The Franchise — Season 1

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Season Info

Director
Kevin Bray, Liza Johnson, Tom George, Tom George
Creator
Jon Brown
Executive Producer
Nicolas Brown, Pippa Harris, Armando Iannucci, Jim Kleverweis, Sam Mendes, Julie Pastor
Screenwriter
Rachel Axler, Keith Akushie, Marina Hyde, Dillon Mapletoft, Jon Brown, Juli Weiner
Network
HBO
Rating
TV-MA
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date
Oct 6, 2024