HBO superhero satire Cathartic but thin

Although HBO's latest comedy is called The Franchise, there's no doubt about it which Franchise creator Jon Brown (“Succession,” “Veep”) has in mind. The beleaguered crew, harried producers and insecure stars of “Tecto: Eye of the Storm” form a tiny fiefdom of a sprawling empire. Under the supervision of an unseen puppeteer, the main narrative is a jumble of continuity errors. Depending on plot holes, actors are taken off set for a cameo appearance elsewhere on the dreary, ordinary lot. Directors and artists with prestigious resumes make time for a paycheck and are praised for their visionary genius while their every contribution is overruled or ignored. If this IP abomination had a name, it would be Blah-rvel Cinematic Universe. But of course you don't need one.

A byproduct of the superhero era has been a lot of (barely) fictionalized lamentation about what the superhero era did. “The Boys” has expanded its eponymous comic into a profane broadside against giant corporations and the “content” they produce. (The Amazon drama shares a cast member with “The Franchise” in “Aya Cash.”) Hollywood satires like “Hacks” and “The Other Two” have criticized the state of blockbuster media. Even the MCU has gone into overdrive, breaking the fourth wall with attempts at self-awareness, a la Deadpool & Wolverine and Disney+'s She-Hulk: Attorney-at-Law.

What “The Franchise” brings to the table, then, is not a new insight into the problems plaguing popular culture, but the well-honed cynicism of a comedy coach. The half-hour series spits its bile with eloquence and conviction that, at least initially, provides its own momentum. But ultimately, “The Franchise” is more of a (loud, amusing) response to the zeitgeist than a standalone entity.

“The Franchise” is executive produced by Armando Iannucci, creator of “Veep” and “The Thick of It,” and the writing team includes alumni of his many projects, including Brown and “In the Loop” co-writer Tony Roche . The eight-episode season shows signs of shared DNA with these predecessors: its characters, like the minor political officials of the previous works, are unfortunate cogs in a rudderless institution. You can also swear a blue stripe. “You popped my eyes, you spineless idiot!” one screams after the series premiere culminates in an on-set accident.

The hero who comes closest to “The Franchise” is Daniel (Himesh Patel). He is the first assistant director – the person tasked with managing the set during filming actually Director and arthouse hothead Eric (Daniel Brühl) argues about product placement. Flanked by his third AD, the cheerfully ineffectual Dag (Lolly Adefope), Daniel spends his days putting out fires and dealing with his egos. The film's protagonist, American bull Adam (Billy Magnussen), has made himself “Dorito” with injectable sheep hormones – thick top, thin bottom; The villain, British theater veteran Peter (Richard E. Grant), insists on addressing his colleagues using the number on the call sheet. (He also claims to be “low maintenance.”) Pat (Darren Goldstein), the studio's ever-present eyes and ears, is an idiot who prides himself on his bad taste. When an aspiring artist drops the name Ingmar Bergman, Pat needs clarification: “Who is Berg Man? The Ice Cube Guy?”

The fruit hangs low, but it's cathartic to snatch it with such naked mockery. These are the pros and cons of The Franchise's take, a caustic mockery tempered only by a palpable sense of weariness. “Nose clips on, let’s eat shit, Amen” is Peter’s idea of ​​a hype-up chant; When a minor hero, played by Nick Kroll, stops by for a cameo, he quickly rates the gig as “BFOGT: Big Fight Over Glowy Thing,” adding, “I did that scene three times in two years.”

This jaded attitude is reinforced by a sense of specificity. “The Franchise” is not just about superhero dominance broadly, but also about the particular late-imperial moment in which the machine is stuck after “Avengers: Endgame,” with declining box office receipts and increasingly burdensome volumes interconnected backstories. There are references to the curtailment of a crowded release calendar, as ordered by Disney CEO Bob Iger, and to car accidents on the way home from night shoots, a horror story cited in the lead-up to the IATSE union's near-strike in 2021. A Story About Katherine Particularly poignant is Waterston's rare female protagonist facing an avalanche of online hate. “The Franchise” may not like what it sees, but its creators have clearly spent years watching the field or, more likely, submitting to it.

As well-deserved as this pessimism may be – about the future of show business, about the possibility of making real art within an unyielding structure – when sustained over four hours, it is unrelentingly bleak. “The Franchise” never leaves its claustrophobic soundstage, and the film crew’s life outside its walls is limited to a handful of quickly ended phone conversations. Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes, who produced and directed the pilot, strips away the Technicolor CGI to reveal a neon-lit facility. The vibrant energy that the shoot exudes is due to the constant rush of adrenaline from its workers.

“The Franchise” could counteract this depressing mood by investing more in its characters. Overshadowed by the flashier personalities above the line, many of the lower-level contributors fade into the background, an unfortunate case when they make their point a little too well. But even when the groundwork is laid for a more personal plot point, the best is rarely made of it. We learn that Daniel shares a romantic past with his new boss, the producer played by Cash. There's little showing of what resentment or rekindled sparks such a situation might provoke; The ex-couple are simply too busy steering their sinking ship. Unlike the bloated mess it mocks, “The Franchise” remains focused on the task at hand. This task merely skewers its goal, a goal to which the human players are mostly just a means.

The first episode of The Franchise will premiere on HBO and Max on October 6 at 10pm ET, with remaining episodes airing weekly on Sundays.