'The Franchise' Review: New HBO Comedy Asks If Superhero Movies Are 'Killing Cinema'

“Have you ever thought, 'I'm killing the cinema'?”

That's the question third assistant director Dag (Lolly Adefope) asks first assistant director Daniel (Himesh Patel) while working on a fictional superhero film Tecto: Eye of the Storm.

This question has been asked of a lot of comic book movies lately, especially as superhero fatigue set in and filmmaking legends like Martin Scorsese questioned their merits. It is also the core question The franchisea new HBO comedy from Consequence writers and Veep Producer Jon Brown. Veep And The thickness of it Creator Armando Iannucci and Skyfall And 1917 Director Sam Mendes also served as producer, with Mendes directing the first episode.

The franchise answers the question of whether superhero movies are killing cinema with a resounding yes right off the bat, bringing up everything from convoluted cinematic universes to unnecessary cameos. But more than just pointing fingers and laughing at superhero movies, The franchise doesn't really have much to say and therefore falters.

what is The franchise around?

Richard E. Grant, Katherine Waterston and Billy Magnussen in “The Franchise.”
Photo credit: Colin Hutton / HBO

The franchise takes us into the chaotic world of Tectothe latest project from not-so-subtle Marvel replacement Maximum Studios. While production is already in full swing, filming is anything but smooth. Director Eric (Daniel Brühl) is a demanding writer, leads Adam (Billy Magnussen) and Peter (Richard E. Grant) are at each other's throats, and producer Anita (Aya Cash) is ready to implement some drastic cost-cutting strategies. Additionally, there is the troubling fact that overbearing superiors at Maxmium Studios, such as CEO Pat (Darren Goldstein) and Kevin Feige-like overlord Shane, who only communicates through deputy Bryson (Isaac Powell), are losing faith in the project. It's up to Daniel and the newly arrived Dag to put out and save all these (sometimes literal) fires Tecto brisk.

The promise of The franchise is most evident in its ambitious opening, a long shot that follows Daniel as he shows Dag around on her first day on set. He juggles everything from actors worrying about their heavy prosthetics to Peter's attempts to make a problematic joke, cleverly anticipating the latter six seconds in advance. It's the perfect portrait of controlled chaos and a solid introduction to the world of blue screens and superhero spandex that we'll live in for eight episodes. But from then on, laughter comes intermittently. This also applies to the satire, which given all this you would expect to be outstanding Veep Connections behind the scenes.

The franchiseThe satire is lackluster.

Himesh Patel, Isaac Powell, Lolly Adefope, Jessica Hynes, Aya Cash and Daniel Brühl in “The Franchise”.
Photo credit: Colin Hutton / HBO

The Veep The comparison hangs heavy The franchisewhich tries some of the same tricks, but with far less rewarding results. Eric's dynamic with his overly eager right-hand man Steph (Jessica Hynes) initially feels like an attempt to recreate the dynamic in between VeepThis is Selina Meyer (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and her bag man Gary (Tony Hale). But there is no depth or background to their relationship, no levels of Steph coddling her charge. Elsewhere, a scene in which Steph advises Eric to let out all his swearing before directing produces memorable results with creative swear words like “cocktangle” and “fuckclump,” but even these come across as rehashed leftovers of Veep And The thickness of itThe greatest hits.

As for the actual satire, The franchise is haunted by shades of other shows that have done a better job of parodying the superhero movie industrial complex in the past. BarryCameo appearance by CODA Writer/director Sian Heder as the new franchise director was a solid push from award-winning filmmakers who were passionate about comic book movies so the studio could score prestige points. The boys“Many nods to comic book movies and shows – including A-Train's (Jessie T. Usher) extremely expensive TV show reboots – prove it's consistently a sharp point in a show otherwise lacking in poignancy loses. The franchise To compete, it has to be more than an endless list of superhero movie buzzwords. Mention of “phases” and exploited VFX workers can only have so much impact.

Part of what makes up The franchiseThe interpretation of comic book films is so ineffective that it is obviously despised. Many of his criticisms – including Maximum's “woman problem” and his fans' treatment of the women involved in the films – are valid, if rather superficial. And yes, the comic book film's influence on pop culture is ripe for parody and deserves a closer look. But overall the show lacks any understanding Why These kinds of franchises may have had any appeal at all, or why they are so much more disappointing today than they were five years ago, in the era of Avengers: Endgame. Since no character in the project comes from a foster home – except Daniel, who we learned loved the original Tecto Comics, but whose love has been squashed by years of thankless work in the service of show business – we're stuck in a swamp of smug cynicism, that of someone who has always stood outside the world he's made fun of, without even bothering to to make them accept a closer look.

The franchise could have been so much more.

Himesh Patel in The Franchise.
Photo credit: Colin Hutton / HBO

Fortunately, The franchise is not without highlights. Grant's performance as a trained theater actor who can't stop being problematic and thinking about it Tecto there is turmoil under him. (Even more so when you remember Grant's guest appearance Loki as classic Loki.) Magnussen's Adam, whose brawn is only matched by his many insecurities, is an excellent foil to Grant's simplicity. Brühl, himself an MCU veteran as Baron Zemo, also has a lot of fun; He's part nervous director plagued by imposter syndrome, part diva. So it's a shame that the rest of the more than capable ensemble, like Patel, Adefope, Cash and Hynes, are stuck playing varying degrees of stress and contempt.

Another highlight of The franchise comes in the end credits as we catch glimpses of dramatized behind-the-scenes interviews with various cast and crew members. Here, actors like Peter and Adam go to particular lengths to maintain the façade that everything is fine, even when they are inches away from breaking. The comedic tension there is infinitely more rewarding than just being forced into it Tecto'S There is constant chaos and you can't help but wonder if The franchise could have benefited from a larger behind-the-scenes documentary format. The show we got ends up being anything but great.

The franchise Premiering October 6th at 10pm ET/PT on HBO and Max, with a new episode every Sunday.