HBO’s 'The Franchise' Can’t Save Itself From The Superhero Soup
Saturday Night Live, an American institution, turns 50 this year, even though nearly every episode has at least one That Skit. You know the one: it’s funny, but it just goes on for too long? At some point, the Not Ready for Primetime players seem to be doing the skit simply for their amusement and not for the benefit of the audience at large. I bring this up because that’s exactly the feeling viewers might get when watching The Franchise.
Daniel: “You can make the movie you want to make but behind the movie they think you’re making.”
The eight-episode comedy, which premiered on HBO (and Max) on Sunday, October 6, isn’t about the latest Dunkin’ Donuts or McDonald’s opening up in your neighborhood. Rather, the series, from executive producer Sam Mendes, takes aim at the big superhero movie franchises that dominate our pop culture. The Franchise deliciously skewers the Marvel universe with the subtlety of Thor’s hammer.
