The new series "The Factory", written, directed and starred by the well-known Hollywood comedian Seth Rogen, received rave reviews after it was released on the streaming platform Apple TV+ on March 26. This satirical drama that exposes the "behind-the-scenes truth of Hollywood" not only tears off the fig leaf of this glamorous industry for ordinary audiences, but also features numerous celebrities and famous directors making cameo appearances as themselves, satisfying people's curiosity about both the on-stage and off-stage aspects of Hollywood.  

One of the most brutal satirical comedies about Hollywood itself

"The Factory" sets the story in a fictional, long-established Hollywood film studio and tells the story of how the company's senior management struggles to keep it afloat in a world where art and commerce are increasingly difficult to coexist. In the series, Rogen plays Matt Remick, the new executive of this veteran studio. Although he also wants to pull the studio out of its predicament, he can't resist his artistic creation ideals in his heart and is unwilling to produce mediocre commercial works. In the first episode, he invites the master filmmaker Martin Scorsese to shoot a blockbuster with a budget of $200 million. Thus, the show reveals to the audience how the behind-the-scenes players in Hollywood sway and struggle between art and commerce. Although the studio and the main characters in the series are fictional, the movies, stars, directors, and detailed cases involved are real. For example, the characters in the series talk at length about the secrets of the success of the 2023 Hollywood film "Barbie", and celebrities in the film industry such as Charlize Theron, Paul Dano, Anthony Mackie, Ron Howard, and Scorsese will also make appearances. They even seriously create the script, making movie fans extremely satisfied. This all owes to Rogen's familiarity with the Hollywood system and the connections he has accumulated through years of hard work. As an industry drama, "The Factory" mocks the real-life Hollywood executives, famous directors, and stars. Despite their great reputations, they find it difficult to balance commerce and art, and it's not easy to create a hit like "Barbie". "This 10-episode series explains how artists make bad movies," commented National Public Radio. "The studio head played by Rogen tries to solve the problem but eventually causes a disaster. This is one of the most brutal satirical comedies about Hollywood itself produced by Hollywood."  

Are the inside jokes within the industry difficult for ordinary audiences to understand?

Thanks to this kind of "self-deprecation", "The Factory" has received favorable reviews from mainstream British and American media since its premiere. It has achieved a freshness rating of 95% (media score) on the Rotten Tomatoes film review website, and has also received a high score of 80 on the Metacritic website. "Time" magazine praised the series as "the best show so far in 2025, and one of the sharpest self-portraits of Hollywood in recent years." The "Times" commented that "every twist in the plot reminds people of the Golden Age of Hollywood (from the late 1920s to the 1960s), walking a tightrope carefully between foolishness, satire, and sentimentality. The sun of Old Hollywood may be setting, while the best new comedy this year is rising." The Roger Ebert film review website believes that one of the highlights of the show is "the depiction of those egotistical studio executives": "They are completely out of touch with the audience. While mocking these clumsy executives, the creators also pay tribute to various types of movies and technologies." However, in the view of "The Hollywood Reporter", the sense of humor of "The Factory" is not suitable for everyone. "Even though the latter part is relatively mild, it is still too intense overall." The numerous "inside jokes" within the film and television production industry that appear in the show also distance it from ordinary audiences. Compared with the media score of as high as 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, the popcorn score (audience score) of "The Factory" is 69%, making it another work in Hollywood where there is a divergence between the opinions of professional film critics and the public.

Disenchanting the Entertainment Industry

Those who know the entertainment industry best are naturally the people within it. In addition to this series "The Factory", Hollywood has produced a number of film and television works that expose the ins and outs of the entertainment industry over the years. From the classic "Sunset Boulevard" and "Singin' in the Rain" to recent works like "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood", these works contain both satire and a fair amount of sentimentality, and at the same time, they "disenchant" the entertainment industry in the eyes of the audience. Last year, the series "Spectacle", directed in part by the renowned director Sam Mendes (known for masterpieces such as "American Beauty" and the "007" series), revolved around the process of filming a popular "superhero blockbuster" at the time. Producers, directors, screenwriters, and actors got caught up in a game of strategies in order to save the project, reflecting that while Hollywood chases box office success, it has to give up on its artistic pursuits. The series is full of satire and reflection on this kind of IP adaptation works. However, after one season, the series received a lukewarm response and was not renewed.