What happens if the superhero franchise your team is putting everything they’ve got into making ends up dead in the water? This is the premise of Sam Mendes and Armando Iannucci’s new comedy series The Franchise.
The Franchise follows the adventures and exploits of a crew working on a doomed superhero franchise film as they fight for their movie’s existence in the chaotic world of filmmaking. It also asks the simple question: how exactly do these movies get made, anyway? And perhaps more poignant, especially in this day and age of superhero fatigue, are these movies still worth making?
Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch the latest installment in the superhero craze.
STREAM: Every episode of The Franchise on MAX
Where to watch The Franchise and episode schedule
The Franchise will debut on Max on Oct. 6 at 10 p.m. ET. New episodes will be available each Sunday, and the eight-episode series will conclude on Nov. 24.
- Episode 1: Sunday, Oct. 6
- Episode 2: Sunday, Oct. 13
- Episode 3: Sunday, Oct. 20
- Episode 4: Sunday, Oct. 27
- Episode 5: Sunday, Nov. 3
- Episode 6: Sunday, Nov. 10
- Episode 7: Sunday, Nov. 17
- Episode 8: Sunday, Nov. 24
The Franchise cast details
The show’s cast members include Billy Magnussen as Adam, Aya Cash as Anita, Himesh Patel as Daniel, Lolly Adefope as Dag, Jessica Hynes as Steph, Isaac Powell as Bryson, Darren Goldstein as Pat, Ruaridh Mollica as Jaz, Sandra Huggett as Jaky Wheeler, Will Rowlands as Jack The Fireman, John Cummins as Milo, Geoffrey Austin Newland as Art Super, Richard E. Grant as Peter, Daniel Brühl as Eric, AJ Vaage as Tom, Alex Gaumond as Justin, Jennifer Collings as Lo Olsen, and Urs Rechn as DoP Tobias.
The series is produced by Mendes’ All3Media label Neal Street Productions and Iannucci’s Dundee Productions. The latter is no stranger to comedy on TV, having previously produced Veep. Mendes is well known for making movies that are visually astounding, which should make this series a feast for the eyes.
The Franchise official trailer
HBO released the teaser trailer for The Franchise on Sept. 9. From the beginning of the clip it’s clear that the movie in question is going nowhere fast, and it’s up to Patel and his crew to do their best to save it. A near manic tone vibrates throughout the minute-and-a-half long clip, conveying a sense of urgency… and also the sense that while the crew might not be completely organized, they have a shot at pulling this off.