Is This Year’s 23-Time Emmy-Nominated Show Really Inspired by True Events?

Apple TV+’s new comedy series The Studio has quickly become one of the year’s most talked-about shows, earning critical praise and 23 Emmy nominations.

The satire, which pokes fun at Hollywood’s obsession with profit and image, stars Seth Rogen as Matt Remick, a movie studio boss who loves films but constantly finds himself compromising them to satisfy corporate demands.

While the series exaggerates for laughs, Rogen says some of the most absurd parts actually come from real life. During a sit-down on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, the actor, director, and co-creator opened up about the personal experiences that helped shape the show.

“In the show, I run a Hollywood movie studio that exists in today’s version,” Rogen explained. “And in the show, the major conflict is one I’m sure you’re familiar with is that of, like, art versus commerce. And my character loves movies and is a huge movie fan, but as the head of a studio often has to make choices that make movies worse.”

“And he loves directors and he loves movie stars, but he’s constantly having to disappoint them by giving them notes they don’t want to hear or by just, in general, ruining their passion.”

That tension, he said, reflects what actually happens behind the scenes in Hollywood. He recalled an early career moment when he and longtime collaborator Evan Goldberg were asked to rewrite a movie. They wanted to push it in a darker, more adult direction, but an executive told them that wasn’t possible.

“Very much so!” Rogen responded when Colbert asked if someone had really said their job was to ruin movies. “

Me and my partner Evan [Goldberg] were in a meeting early in our career, we were rewriting a movie, and the executive said exactly that. He was giving us notes. We wanted to make it very R-rated and edgy, and he was telling us we couldn’t, and even though he thought it was funny, he hung his head and said exactly that: ‘I got into this because I love movies and now it’s my job to ruin them.’”

Rogen later confirmed that executive was Steve Asbell, now the president of 20th Century Studios. He was quick to add that Asbell is someone he likes and respects, even if the comment stuck with him. “He’s great. He’s a lovely guy, but he’s very conflicted about what he has to do,” Rogen joked.

But that wasn’t the only true story baked into the show. Rogen revealed that one of the episodes was based on a Golden Globes experience he’ll never forget. He and Goldberg once celebrated a win with studio executives, only to find one of them crying at the afterparty. At first, they thought it was out of joy. It turned out the person was upset because they hadn’t been thanked in the acceptance speech.

“There’s an episode in particular about the Golden Globes and the whole thing is my character just wants desperately to be thanked in the Golden Globe speech, which is very important to Hollywood executives,” Rogen told Colbert.

“Years ago, we made a film that won a Golden Globe and at the afterparty, we saw one of the executives crying, and we assumed they were crying because we won and they were happy. We went over and we’re like, ‘We won! Is that why you’re crying?’ And they said, ‘No, they forgot to thank me during the speech.’”

That moment ended up inspiring a full storyline in The Studio. According to Rogen, the executive who served as the basis for that episode knows it was about them and wasn’t happy. “The person who it’s based on knows that we made a whole episode about it and, in no uncertain terms, yelled at me very recently,” he said with a laugh.

Not everyone is mad, though. Rogen admitted that several executives have reached out after watching the show, some identifying with characters who weren’t even based on them. “People have projected themselves onto these characters in a way that is not accurate,” he said. On the flip side, one studio head even called him to say the series felt so authentic that they cried while watching. Ironically, Rogen said the character had nothing to do with them.

The Studio has been praised for its sharp satire, its long takes, and its surprising cameos. With Rogen and his team confirming it will return for another season, it seems likely more real-life Hollywood stories will make their way into the show.

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