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Armando Iannucci, the genius behind “The Thick of It,” “Veep,” and “The Death of Stalin,” feels like a perfect fit for a takedown of superhero movie culture. After all, he knows how to puncture the balloons of people who take themselves way too seriously, and the amount of pretension in the political pools in which he plays could only be matched by the self-importance of people who mine pop culture for blockbuster billions. Iannucci produces the latest HBO comedy, “The Franchise,” about the tumultuous production of a high-budget movie, one deep enough into an extended universe that phrases like “superhero fatigue” and “female fan problems” are in consideration. Without taking direct aim at the MCU, “The Franchise” parodies an alternate version of them that shares many of the same modern issues of blockbuster production, including cancelled stars, on-set drama, and even Martin Scorsese claiming they’re killing cinema. 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.
Perhaps that’s because the “Veep” head isn’t actually in the writer or director seat here. “The Franchise” was actually created by Jon Brown, with a premiere directed by the Oscar-winning Sam Mendes. Those two have cast their comedy series just about perfectly, which counts for so much in a production like this one, understanding that Himesh Patel makes an excellent straight man for the chaos they plan to unleash around him. Patel plays Daniel, an Assistant Director on a “Tecto” sequel, a superhero franchise that’s a bit undefined but seems to bear a few resemblances to a “Thor” or a “Guardians of the Galaxy” with its goofy costumes and end-of-the-universe mythologizing. Director Eric (Daniel Brühl) seems to be a bit out of his depth, the kind of guy who probably made a few hit indies before being hired to do something for which he has never proven his qualifications, leaving Daniel to make a lot of the key decisions. When the producer ends up being his ex-partner Anita (Aya Cash, so great on “You’re the Worst”), it only amplifies his daily stress level.
Two great comic actors take on the egocentric divas who play hero and villain in the film-within-a-show: Billy Magnussen and Richard E. Grant. The “Game Night” star nails the insecure nature of rising action stars, who know that everything they’re working for could collapse if the film doesn’t connect with its target audience. He’s not exactly built for this kind of on-set pressure. On the other end, Grant captures the kind of experienced character actor who can drop into an MCU movie, even one that stinks, and then simply go back to the better material they enjoy doing more anyway. He can’t hide his disdain for all of it, really only coming to life when he’s yelling at people about his background doing Shakespeare on the stage.
Grant is the best thing about “The Franchise,” giving a wonderfully droll supporting turn. However, Lolly Adefope is also excellent as one of Daniel’s allies, and Darren Goldstein is just perfect as the studio stooge who’s constantly threatening to shut it all down. He has a bit wherein he just shouts soundbites for an EPK that’s among my favorite scenes in any show this year: “Sparks will fly!”
The big stuff in “The Franchise” often feels a little easy, but the writers avoid the obvious targets just enough to keep the show from reminding us too much of “The Bubble” (Judd Apatow’s awful comedy with a similar milieu). The fourth episode is especially phenomenal, featuring a great guest turn from Nick Kroll as The Gurgler, the minor character the production gets as their cameo when their first choice goes to another film.
The bits about fighting with another in-production superhero movie are some of the show’s sharpest as “Maximus” steals product placement and cameos, making one wonder if James Gunn and Taika Waititi have similar turf battles while making their movies. A series of scenes about product placement for a line of Chinese tractors are amazing, but it’s the throwaway lines that work best, such as when they refer to a scene as “Big Fight Over Glowy Thing.” As someone who has reviewed more superhero movies in the last decade than I ever would have imagined, I know exactly what that means.
Whole season screened for review. Premieres on Sunday, October 6th.
