The Studio is the funniest show of the year. The new AppleTV+ series stars Seth Rogen as Matt Remick, the newly appointed studio head at the fictional Continental Studios. And while the studio may be fake, the talent Matt faces off against is all real, and the show is chock full of cameos from the likes of Charlize Theron, Martin Scorsese, and Anthony Mackie. It’s a frenetic, fast-paced satire. And it’s never better than the phenomenal second episode, “The Oner.” It’s the best episode of television you’ll see this year.
Matt Remick (Seth Rogen) loves movies. It’s a “wakes up thinking about them and goes to bed dreaming about them” kind of love. And he’s just got the job of his dreams, running operations at Continental Studios. He may have got the gig by committing to fund big tentpole blockbusters, but Matt’s a cinephile who wants to make the kind of film that’ll be remembered forever, not some cheap cash grab.
“The Oner,” written by Peter Huyck, finds Matt visiting the set of a film that may just be the masterpiece he’s hoping for. It’s an emotional lesbian drama starring Greta Lee and directed by Sarah Polley (both playing themselves).
But there’s a catch, and it’s a big one: today’s the day they’re filming a complicated oner—a scene shot in one, uninterrupted take, and the whole film hinges on this moment. And since a key part of the scene takes place outside, they have a very limited time to get the shot with the right light. The sun goes down, and their chance is gone. Plus it’s Greta’s last day on set, so there are no second chances.
There isn’t a single person on set who wants Matt on set, clashing directly with Matt’s fervent desire to be part of movie magic. Sarah Polley especially doesn’t want him there, but she, like everyone else, puts up with it because she has to. Or, more accurately, because she wants an extra $800,000 to use the Rolling Stones song “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” in the film. Greta wants something from him too: access to a private jet for the press tour. It’s a delicate game of watching people be incredibly kind to Matt’s face while, behind his back, desperately wishing he’d vanish into the ether.
In a spectacular comedy of errors, every action Matt takes makes the shot harder and harder to complete. His desperation to be admired means he simply cannot keep his mouth shut. Matt has a note that Greta should hold a cigarette, which means a prop has to be made, but nobody can say no to this sweet, well-meaning, very powerful idiot. And the faux pas continue to snowball from there.
It’s a hypnotizing blend of stress and hilarity; the percussion-powered score keeps you acutely aware of the metaphorical ticking clock that’s haunting the shoot, and there are so many moving parts that are perfectly balanced. Just like trying to get the oner on set, this episode of The Studio wouldn’t work if a single element was out of place.
This is an immaculately performed episode. Lee exhibits terrific comic timing—she lays on the charm offensive, but the exact second she gets approval from Matt to use the jet, she loses any and all interest in his existence. Rogen is in great form here. His Matt is so eager to make a good impression while trying to remain aware of his stature that he turns a positive environment crushingly toxic.
It’s Polley who shines especially bright. Watching her react to Matt’s long monologue on one-shot scenes is hilarious, as her eyes flare with fury and she desperately tries to hold her smile. She just wants to make the shot happen. She’s hysterical here, particularly as the challenges (all created by Matt) continue to pile up and her rage gets harder and harder to contain. She wants nothing more than to make this shot happen, and the one person who’s stopping it is the only one she can’t tell to leave. When she finally breaks, it’s magic.
The madness never stops, but the details are delicately built into the script from the jump. Matt parks his car on set with a cocky swagger, noting that he runs the studio and can park wherever he wants. So much happens in the next 20 minutes that you completely forget Matt left his car in the worst possible spot, so much so that it comes as a genuine shock when his convertible becomes the ultimate reason the entire shot falls apart. These pieces fall like the slowest of dominos, tantalizing the audience before unfurling into abject chaos, which never relents until the credits roll.
“The Oner” is a masterclass in building tension while simultaneously being outstandingly funny. It’s such a fantastic half-hour of television that you don’t even pick up on the episode’s greatest gag—the whole thing was shot in a single take.
