As Seth Rogen won his Golden Globe this week, he mused on a strange sense of déjà vu. “This is so weird. We just pretended to do this, and now it’s happening.”

Rogen picked up the award for Best Male Actor in a Television Series Musical / Comedy for his lead role in Apple TV’s The Studio. The comedy sees him playing Matt Remick, the head of a fictional Hollywood film studio.

“I thought the only way I’d get to hold [this award] is to create a whole show to give myself a fake one,” he said, during his acceptance speech, referring to an episode in which the characters attended the Golden Globes.

The Studio’s winning blend of satire, slapstick and pseudo-realism has earned plenty of critical praise. But aside from the skilful comedic writing and direction, the show gives Hollywood A-Listers the chance to poke fun at themselves.  

Populating the world of The Studio are actors and directors like Greta Lee, Anthony Mackie, Zoe Kravitz, Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard and many more, all playing versions of their real selves. Olivia Wilde's guest appearance as "Olivia Wilde" working on a neo-noir film is particularly fun.

Of course, The Studio isn’t the first show to journey into the movie “meta-verse”, and it won’t be the last. Why is it so satisfying to watch actors play themselves? Maybe it’s because this nudge-nudge, wink-wink casting breaks the wall between our world and those distant luminaries. For most of us, Tinsel Town is a galaxy far far away. The industry in-jokes make us feel like we can at least visit.

If you loved The Studio, here are four more shows and films set in the entertainment industry to watch while you wait for Season 2.

The Player

Let’s start with the most iconic example, and a key inspiration for The Studio: Robert Altman’s cult classic film The Player (1992). Tim Robbins is Griffin Mill, a callous studio executive who starts to receive mysterious threats. Part satire, part thriller, The Player sends up Hollywood culture and famously includes dozens of stars playing themselves. It’s a veritable Who’s Who of early nineties fame: expect appearances from Cher, Julia Roberts, John Cusack and more.

Extras

Following their hit show The Office, Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant created a British sitcom, Extras, for the BBC and HBO. Set in the film and TV industry in the mid 2000’s, the show follows an aspiring actor (Gervais) and his friend (Ashley Jensen) working as background extras while looking for their big break. The show features actors from both sides of the pond, with acting royalty like Kate Winslet, Ben Stiller, Samuel L. Jackson and Ian McKellen all in on the joke.

Call My Agent!

This delightful French comedy-drama gained global attention when it was bought by Netflix in 2015. Call My Agent! (originally titled Dix Pour Cent, or Ten Percent, in French) ran for four seasons and garnered remakes around the world. Set in a Parisian talent firm, the series follows a group of talent agents through personal and professional drama. Real-life French stars play the agency’s clients, with names including Juliette Binoche, Isabelle Huppert and Jean Dujardin appearing across various episodes. 

Crashing

Loosely inspired by his own life, Crashing was created by comedian Pete Holmes and championed by executive producer Judd Apatow. Airing on HBO from 2017 to 2019, the sitcom is a poignantly funny look at Holmes’ journey as a stand-up comic at the very bottom of the feeding chain. Filmed in famed open mic venues like New York’s Comedy Cellar, Pete seeks out allies in comedians like John Mulaney, Bill Burr and T.J. Miller amid his struggles.

The Studio is now streaming on Apple TV.