I watch a lot of TV – there's no two ways around it, if you're going to write as much about the best streaming services and platforms as I do. It means that I get through a lot of content, but I like to think that I've retained a sense of my own taste.
I can still judge when something isn't up to snuff, and if a show doesn't hit the right notes, then I'll happily bin it off to find something that does. Every so often, though, I'll watch something new that zaps me with a bolt of metaphorical electricity.
That sort of jolt is exactly what Apple TV+ hit me with as I sat down to start The Studio, the new Seth Rogen show it's been trailing for months. I can't remember enjoying an episode of TV that much in ages, and it's left me craving more episodes – which is tough since they're coming out weekly from now on.
The opening 45-minute episode of The Studio follows Rogen's character Matt as he arrives at work to discover that upheaval is happening. His studio, Continental, is changing, and his biggest mentor has been given the hoof. It's his time to step into the limelight, to potentially make the arthouse movies he's always loved.
Except he's going to have to figure out how to make a movie about Kool-Aid first. The best comedies have a sense of momentum to their episodes, and the way this pilot builds up is terrific – weaving in new characters and real-life figures (hello, Martin Scorsese) who all tie in eventually.
Stop if you don't want spoilers, but by the time Matt's realising that the only way to keep his new job is to kill the passion project that he just bought from Scorsese, I was loving every single line of dialogue. It's not that it was so intricate, but that build-up was really well-executed.
Plus, of course, it looks pretty gorgeous, in classic Apple TV+ style, and I basically can't wait for more. I hoovered up the second, much shorter episode (also great), and now have to sit on my hands each week in anticipation of further fun. I knew this one looked exciting, and now I might have found my favourite show of the year. Its pilot episode is certainly my favourite episode in ages.
