I will probably have to write another small post soon about three more.
The Studio (2025)
I have never found Seth Rogan especially funny. Loud, yes. Obnoxious, too. Very on the nose. Yet now that I have finally seen all the ten episodes of The Studio, I can report that I haven't laughed this much since the last season of Veep.
The TV show is, of course, about the excess and the madness of Hollywood. The new studio head (played by Rogan himself, who is also a co-writer and co-director) is full of ideas and aspirations - but he gets stuck inside the Hollywood machine. Which is merciless and cruel but also, essentially, a lot of fun. His first assignment, given to him by the studio's CEO Griffin Mill (played, with complete abandon, by Bryan Cranston), is to make a Kool-Aid film. And that is just the beginning.
The guest cast includes everyone from Martin Scorsese to Ice Cube. The Studio is often an uncomfortable watch, but in the best way possible. Matt Remick (Rogan's character) is forever stuck between the desire to make money and remain, somehow, an artist. And that premise is a goldmine if exploited with reason and taste. The Studio succeeds, if only because it is, at its heart, about our love of cinema.
Bookish (2025)
Bookish, on the other hand, was a major disappointment. Or maybe I shouldn't say "major" as there is nothing major about Bookish. It is a cozy little series from Britain set in post-war London. The writer is Mark Gatiss and he is also its main star, a bookshop owner (hence the title) and a private detective.
I may just tired of all these detective TV shows, but I believe there is more. The whole thing feels so contrived and so artificial it is difficult to care for any of it: the plot, the characters and who the actual culprit is in each episode. I guess if you are a big Mark Gatiss fan, this could work, but I got sick of all the mannerisms very quickly.
It was nice to see Paul McGann in a minor role, but otherwise I saw no point in this. Bookish is basically Sherlock Holmes buried under a lot of dust and pretence. It is precious and stylish, and also unforgivably grating.
Adolescence (2025)
Interesting how several people I recommended this to got back to me saying how dissatisfied they were with the ending. Interesting, but it is easy to see why this happened: one expects a detective story from this, a mystery. Adolescence is neither, and if you are looking for the answer to the easiest question, it is given to you during the first five minutes.
Famously, all four episodes of Adolescence were made with one shot. This gives the series a real live feeling and grips you and never lets go. The show drags you through the workings of a police station, the insides of a modern-day school (horrifying, frankly), a masterful episode-long interview with a forensic psychologist and an absolutely harrowing meltdown of the finale. You will also learn a lot about the social network shenanigans, and you will probably need subtitles for that. I know I did.
We start with a 13-year old boy dragged out of bed and taken to a police station for committing a gruesome murder. The boy pisses himself out of fear. Again, do not expect a detective story. It may feel that way on occasion but what it is, essentially, is a full-on soul-crushing drama about the relationship between parents and children, masterfully conceived and executed. Also, on the off chance that you haven't heard it yet: the acting of the boy really is phenomenal.
