The Studio: Why Episode 2 might be the best yet in this 93% RT-scored Emmy contender

A satirical and cringe comedy show, The Studio, is created by Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, Peter Huyck, Alex Gregory, and Frida Perez. The show features Rogen in the role of Matt Remick, who is the new head of the Continental Studios, which is a floundering film production company. The show focuses on how Matt tries to balance the company’s corporate aims with his own desire to produce quality movies.

The show was released on March 26, 2025, and has received critical and commercial acclaim for its humor, satire, direction, and themes. The Studio received 23 nominations at the 77th Emmy Awards and has become the most-nominated comedy show for a first season. Noted for its high-profile celebrity cameos and use of long takes, the second episode of The Studio, cleverly titled “The Oner," has become a critical and commercial favorite, as the episode provides a meta-commentary on the challenges of filming long takes while also filming the episode in a long take.

Here's a look at why the episode is so special and how it was filmed.

Why Episode 2 of The Studio is the best one yet

The second episode of The Studio, titled “The Oner," has already garnered rave reviews. The reason for this lies in how meta the whole episode is. The Studio is known for its commentary on the film industry, and this episode of the show particularly comments on the obsession within filmmaking circles to shoot an episode or scene in one take. From the episode’s title to the way in which it is shot, it is self-referential and self-aware.

The episode focuses on the chaos that ensues when a director wants to take a technically ambitious and uninterrupted take, known as “the oner." Interestingly, the episode is also shot in a single take and highlights the problems that arise while filming such scenes. While an actual one-take shot has to be perfect in nature, the second episode of the show is hilariously chaotic. The episode is so self-aware that “the oner” becomes a character in itself.

Further, the episode has a lot of references to some dialogues spoken by the cast members during the episode. For example, when Matt and Sarah discuss using a joint in the final scene to bookend the film, the actual episode is also bookended with a shot in the car. Further, the episode has an instance where the characters criticize the use of whip pans as lazy editing tricks, and the episode then uses one mid-conversation to stitch that scene together. Lastly, the episode ends with a Rolling Stones track, which is the same song that the director in the episode wants to use to close her movie. Therefore, the episode is extremely self-referential and is clever and stylish.

How The Studio pulled off “The Oner” episode

The second episode’s meta genius highlights the fact that The Studio is quickly becoming one of the most celebrated shows in modern times. In an interview with GQ, Seth Rogen and Sarah Polley discussed how they shot the episode. Rogen co-directed the episode and described it as being “unbelievably stressful." Rogen also talked about keeping the comedic nature of the show while filming such long takes and also making it look natural. Polley also talked about how it was “astonishing to watch” the whole thing, as it felt like watching “magic tricks” every time the episode was shot.

“The Oner” is one of the best episodes on TV this year, as it provides a meta commentary on its own subject—the challenge of capturing a continuous, long take. The show is a sharp satire on Hollywood, and the second episode of the show is a must-watch for fans of the show and those who love satire.

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The Studio is available on Apple TV+.

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