The Franchise

Caustically funny and breathlessly so, “The Franchise” would have had a bit more bite if it didn’t confirm suspicions we probably already have about what lies behind all those cookie-cutter, sci-fi-fantasy-superhero Marvel-DC movies.

The Franchise isn’t damning enough to cause some sort of reckoning upon Hollywood’s franchise factory. But it is cutting enough to lift the curtain on what it’s really like to pander to an industry that constantly changes its mind and has no room for originality. The truth may not be pretty – but it certainly is laughable.

If the characters aren't as finely drawn as they should be, and if their development often gets lost in the effort of pushing Tecto's production along, the very talented actors add enough magic to keep the show highly watchable and frequently laugh-out-loud funny.

The 8-episode first season is just funny enough to sustain your interest, even if some of the targets here feel easier than in the best Iannucci productions.

The half-hour series spews its bile with eloquence and conviction that provide their own momentum, at least to start. But ultimately, “The Franchise” is more of a (vociferous, amusing) reaction to the zeitgeist than an entity unto itself.

Smartly scripted, amusingly acted, and believably realized, The Franchise is no failure. It’s never less than mildly entertaining—but rarely more, either.

“The Franchise” is an exercise in watching good actors struggle through terrible scripts.

No more than a sometimes funny Marvel parody. Too invested in making fun of superhero movies but at the expense of character development. Gets a little repetitive, and some moments are borderline cringe.

The showrunner for this series is Jon Brown, who was a writer on Succession and producer of Veep, both wonderful shows. His Executive Producers are Armando Iannucci (creator of Succession) and accomplished director Sam Mendes, who also directed the first episode. With these credentials, you'd expect this to be a hilarious behind the scenes satire of a franchise superhero movie. The big budget shows up in the elaborate studio setups and the cast has plenty of funny potential, including Himesh Patel, Aya Cash, Lolly Adefope and Richard E. Grant. Some others like Billy Magnussen and Daniel Brühl don't manage to make the humor work. Sadly, the script doesn't give them enough to work with. It needed more bite to land the lampoon. Sure, it's a smart look at the insane egos, constant adjustments and unrealistic studio demands of Hollywood moviemaking, but it creates more cringing than laughter. (Eight 30-minute eps)

Boring story, dull characters, zero sharp dialogue. Why did this self-indulgent mess even get made? Normally Ianucci is on the ball but this show says nothing fresh about the industry, unless it’s some kind of meta-commentary about itself.