The following contains spoilers for The Franchise, now streaming on MaxThe Franchisehas been canceled by HBO after 1 season, and there are some pretty clear reasons why. Debuting in 2024,The Franchiseparodied superhero franchises like the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the DC Extended Universe by focusing on the chaotic production of an in-universe superhero movie series. The latest entry in the titular franchise,Tecto: Eye of the Stormproved to be a breeding ground for bizarre creative compromises, constantly conflicting egos, and occasional filmmaking.
The Franchise’s cast of characterswere hilarious riffs on archetypes of the entertainment industry, ranging from the executive level down to the central focus on assistant directors. However, the show’s approach to mocking its own industry ultimately couldn’t find a wide enough audience. Although HBO has formally announced they won’t be renewingthe MCU and DCEU parody, their official response didn’t include specific reasons why the show has ended. However, there are some likely economic reasons the show couldn’t continue, despite the show’s strengths and growing potential.
The Franchise Has Been Canceled After 1 Season
The FranchiseEnds On An Emotional Cliffhanger
The Franchisehas been canceled by HBO after 1 season, which makes sense from a financial standpointbut is still a blow considering how good the characters were becomingand how cutting the satire had become. A collaboration between Jon Brown, Armando Iannucci and Sam Mendes,The Franchisewas a self-aware poke in the eye towards the current state of blockbuster filmmaking. The show made fun of the exorbitant costs, bizarre decisions, and petty people who are behind the scenes of Hollywood’s biggest productions.
“Superhero Movies Killed Cinema”: HBO’s New Superhero Show Makes Martin Scorsese’s Divisive MCU Comments Even Harsher
The Franchise’s take on Martin Scorsese’s comments about the MCU goes beyond poking fun at the superhero franchise, targeting the whole film industry.
The Franchiseending with season 1is a surprise from a narrative stand-point, as the story teases up a clear follow-up season. “Scene 117: The Death of Eye” saw the in-universe superhero movieTecto: Eye of the Stormelevated to a tentpole film, while 1st Assistant Director Dan was set up to become a more dedicated foil to his director Eric. The season’s cliffhanger ending, which left Dan considering whether to stay on the production or finally spend time with his son, now effectively serves as the final beat in the show.
The Franchise Was Too Expensive To Produce Easily
The FranchiseLikely Cost HBO A Lot More Than Some Smaller-Scale Comedies
While the official statement from HBO offered no clear explanation for why the network didn’t renewThe Franchise, there are some likely factors that explain the decision from a business stand-point.The clearest reason is likely the cost of the show, withThe Franchise’s parody of blockbuster filming likely requiring a matching budget. The show featured plenty of expansive locations and sequences to reflect the subject matter, even blowing up a bridge in the season’s penultimate episode as part of a gag about the crew’s ineptitude.
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Darren Goldstein
On top of the natural cost of making a show that required its own unique superhero sets, costumes, and special effects,The Franchise’s large cast of in-demand actors also likely amplified the costs. The show featured nine main characters who had prominent appearances in each episode. The sheer scale of that cast allowed for a lot of different comical set-ups, with plenty of contrasting characters bouncing off one another and causing chaos on the set. However, this likely also contributed to the cost ofThe Franchise, making it a more difficult show to produce.
The Franchise Wasn’t Popular Enough To Keep For Season 2
The FranchiseWas Well-Liked But Couldn’t Find A Big Enough Audience
Another aspect ofThe Franchise’s cancelation was likely the reception to the show.The Franchiseearned a 74% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes, indicating it was well-liked by critics but not universally so. Many reviews noted that while they enjoyed the show,The Franchisewasn’t revolutionary enough to deserve oversized attention from the TV viewing audience. That audience also didn’t turn out forThe Franchise, withDeadlinereporting thatthe show was never among Nielsen’s Top 10 streaming rankings.
While the show received a relatively good response from critics, Screen Rant’s Mae Abdulbaki gave the show a 9/10 in herreview ofThe Franchise, describing it as “excellent.”
Part of the problem forThe Franchiseis the show’s very specific subject matter. The show was deeply rooted in poking fun at the world of filmmaking, mocking everything from actor egos and negative fan reception to the costly mistakes that a studio can make while producing a potential blockbuster.Movies and shows about the making of movies and shows can be a hard sell with general audiences, makingThe Franchsiefar from the only example of a entertainment parody failing to find the viewership it needed to justify further seasons.
The Franchise Isn’t The Only Armando Iannucci Show HBO Canceled
The Franchise’s Early Cancelation Is Even Harsher AfterAvenue 5’s Abrupt Ending
The Franchiseending after one season makes it the second Armando Iannucci comedy to suffer a similar fate in less than five years. BeforeThe Franchise, HBO aired two seasons ofAvenue 5. Centered around a futuristic sci-fi luxury cruise through space that suffers a number of technical difficulties that severely complicate the flight, the show was a similar dark comedy that blended bizarre character beats with a harsh satire about the monetary and ethical compromises made in life.Avenue 5also boasted an impressive cast of comedy stars, led by Hugh Laurie and Josh Gad.
Avenue 5debuted in 2020, and was canceled after two seasons in 2023.
While both shows benefited from Iannucci and his collaborators' dark sense of humor,neither show ultimately reached the popularity or longevity of the Italian satirists' more successful HBO show,Veep.Avenue 5andThe Franchiseboth had great scripts, solid characters, and some really good potential for long-running success. However, the apparent cost and slow start to the shows gave HBO reason to cancel them even when their narratives were clearly setting the stage for more stories. It’s a frustrating development too, given thatVeepproved how goodThe Franchise(andAvenue 5for that matter) could have become.
The Franchise Deserved Another Season — But Could It Come Back?
The Franchisewas a very solid show that steadily developed its riffs on filmmaking archetypes into compelling characters across the first season. One-note concepts like the difficult director or the anxiety-riddled actor were developed into comically pathetic but strangely engaging characters.Himesh Patel’s Daniel was a particularly compelling character, a witty but genuinely talented filmmaker with a love for the superhero genre whose personal ambitions and dry wit cause more problems than they solve.
There is always the chance that HBO could renew [The Franchise] down the line, but the network’s focus on expanding other IP makes that unlikely.
Given further time and depth,Daniel could have become a great entertainment answer to Selina Meyer fromVeep. Sadly, the show’s cost and lack of early audience meansThe Franchisewon’t get the chance to expand Dan and the rest of the cast into their full potential. There is always the chance that HBO could renew the series down the line, but the network’s focus on expanding other IP makes that unlikely. It’s a shame, becauseThe Franchiseshowed real promise across its biting and frequently hilarious season 1.
The Franchise
Cast
The Franchise is a Max original comedy television series that follows a film crew as they document their increasingly chaotic and hectic work on a Superhero film franchise. Acting as a satire on the industry, the show looks to lampoon the process and the sometimes unreasonable expectations of keeping a long-standing franchise alive and kicking.
