The Franchise Review: Clever and Kind Satire

HBO’s The Franchise is a delightfully funny and targeted satire that takes aim at superhero movies while leaving fans and creators largely unscathed.

On the set of Tecto, one of the smaller films in the fictional Maximum Studios franchise, first assistant director Daniel (Himesh Patel, Yesterday, Tenet) is showing newcomer Dag (Lolly Adefope, Shrill) the ropes while trying to keep everything moving smoothly for the eccentric German director Eric (Daniel Brühl, Inglorious Basterds). 

The team is just trying to keep everything moving forward despite issues between their two lead actors, Adam (Billy Magnussen, Game Night), who plays the titular Tecto, and Peter (Richard E. Grant, Saltburn), who plays the villain, Eye. Everything seems to be working until Pat (Darren Goldstein, Ozark) shows up, replacing the producer with Anita (Aya Cash, The Boys), who has a history with Daniel. 

The pilot of HBO’s The Franchise is a funny but very exposition-laden episode of television. By the second episode, the show begins to lay its cards out on the table, and by episode three, we have a full understanding of what this show is about, and it takes off gloriously.

This satire works where others fall short because The Franchise never sinks into complete cynicism. Certainly, there is a level of ire felt toward Pat and the ever-elusive Shane, but even when the script pokes fun at the up-and-comer who is using this franchise to boost his overall standing or the older actor trying to maintain some semblance of relevance, they never descend entirely into the caricatures they are embodying. As an audience, we can still have some sense of empathy for them.

That is carried over to the people on the production side. Anita is a woman trying to make a name for herself in an industry with little tolerance for any missteps from women. Even when showing the absurdity of the delicate genius of the director, it still treats Eric’s vision as something worth exploring. Daniel’s desire to move into the director’s chair rather than the AD chair is not seen as something sinister but simply a desire for career advancement. And there is great sympathy shown for the VFX guy, stuck in perpetual crunch, as well as for the extras who lose their jobs when a major scene is cut. 

What is in the crosshairs, however, is the culture that demeans people and devalues their work. Rather than taking shots at specific characters, The Franchise highlights the decisions that lead to situations like absurd product placement, toxic fanbases, expensive reshoots, and exploitative practices.

At the heart of all of this is a fantastic cast. Some of the standout performances come from Grant, who brings a hilarious amount of pettiness to his role, and Goldstein, whose bluster and bravado are on display throughout the entire run of the show.

Patel and Cash, on the other hand, offer far more subtle showings. They are no less funny than some of the more over-the-top characters, but they provide a way for the audience to connect with the story more directly rather than as mere observers. They offer an excellent gateway by which we can enter this world.

More than once, The Franchise references the ongoing discussion about how superhero movies are hastening the death of cinema. Often, these kinds of conversations can devolve into arguments about the value of comic book movies themselves, but instead, this show turns the focus back onto studio practices that are far more destructive than an invisible jackhammer or an army of fish men. 

The Franchise will premiere on HBO and Max (US) on October 6, 2024; the remaining episodes will be released weekly, with the series finale airing on November 24. In the UK & Ireland, the first three episodes of the show will be screened at the BFI London Film Festival on October 12 and released on Sky and Now TV on October 21, 2024. The rest of the series will follow the same release schedule as the US.