Franchisography

We interrupt our regularly scheduled mini-series with a BONUS FEATURE as we return to Wes Anderson for a look at his latest film, 2023’s ASTEROID CITY. Releasing less than 2 years after The French Dispatch, Wes Anderson returns to cinemas … Continue reading →

It’s a Betweenisode! Join Nick & Scott as they discuss the conclusion of the Apatow mini-series, what they want to see him do next, and announce our next mini-series (beginning on July 14)! Next Week: ASTEROID CITY FRANCHISE POTENTIAL: Zack … Continue reading →

As all of humanity grappled with a worldwide pandemic, writer-director Judd Apatow wanted to provide filmgoers with distraction and laughter, but could he provide that distraction while also investigating the existential crisis of lockdown and quarantine with his patented brand … Continue reading →

Five years after Trainwreck, director Judd Apatow was now nearly two decades into his storied career as Hollywood’s leading comedy director. For his next film, Apatow would return to a now familiar formula: Collaborating with a young star-in-the-making to craft … Continue reading →

One day while stuck in LA traffic, Judd Apatow heard stand-up comedian Amy Schumer talking on Howard Stern and felt the same excitement and curiosity he felt when he first discovered Steve Carrell, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and Lena Dunham. … Continue reading →

We interrupt your regularly scheduled mini-series for a Centenisode! Join Nick and Scott as they celebrate 100 episodes of Franchisography, answer listener questions, and rank all of the franchises that we’ve covered so far. Plus, what better way to commemorate … Continue reading →

2009’s Funny People was neither the critical nor the commercial success that his previous films were, but for his follow-up, writer/director Judd Apatow decided to get even more personal while returning to familiar characters from the world of his previous … Continue reading →

In the wake of Knocked Up’s critical and commercial success, Judd Apatow has become “The Guy:” The Guy Who Brought You Superbad,” “The Guy Who Brought You Pineapple Express,” “The Guy Who Brought You Forgetting Sarah Marshall.” But as his … Continue reading →

The 40-Year-Old-Virgin’s unexpected critical and box office success put Judd Apatow in a new and uncomfortable place in his career. No longer the guy who created much beloved, quickly canceled TV shows, but bona fide comedy blockbusters. For his next … Continue reading →

With the massive Star Trek series behind them, Nick and Scott begin a new FRANCHISOGRAPHY adventure by diving deep into the filmography of director Judd Apatow, famous for his profane and heartfelt comedies that launched several successful film careers and … Continue reading →

We interrupt our regularly scheduled mini-series with a BONUS FEATURE as we return to the Evil Dead franchise for a look at its latest entry, 2023’s EVIL DEAD RISE. It’s been a decade since Fede Alvarez’s EVIL DEAD and in … Continue reading →

We interrupt our regularly scheduled mini-series with a BONUS FEATURE as we return to the Scream franchise for a look at its latest entry, 2023’s SCREAM VI. Only 1 year after the success of 2022’s Scream, writers James Vanderbilt & … Continue reading →

We interrupt our regularly scheduled mini-series with a BONUS FEATURE as we return to the Rocky franchise for a look at its latest entry, 2023’s CREED III. Eight years after stunning the boxing world with his electric debut against “Pretty” … Continue reading →

It’s a Betweenisode! Join Nick & Scott as they discuss the conclusion of the Star Trek mini-series, the future of the franchise, rank all 13 films, and announce our next mini-series (beginning on May 5th)! Next Week: CREED III FRANCHISE … Continue reading →

After the controversy of Into Darkness, and in need of a new Trek film for its 50th anniversary, Paramount wanted a fresh take with a safe, geek-friendly writer, so they turned to actor/writer Simon Pegg and paired him with an … Continue reading →

2009’s Star Trek was a huge success and a sequel was greenlit quickly, but with Abrams busy making Super 8, writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci turned in a script that was too long and didn’t feature a traditional villain, … Continue reading →

We interrupt your previously scheduled mini-series with a Franchisography Bonus Special! Round 1 of this year’s Listener Pick Tournament is over and Nick & Scott are here to discuss where the choices made by our listeners on Discord and Patreon … Continue reading →

After the failure of Nemesis, the Star Trek brand was put on ice for a while only to be resurrected as a reboot (which was the style at the time) that was also a sequel (which was not) in an … Continue reading →

The creative and commercial failure of Insurrection required a slight reset. Producer Rick Berman was determined to continue the TNG film franchise, but Paramount was hesitant. Ultimately, to get the next film greenlit, Berman would have to agree to hire … Continue reading →

After the success of First Contact, writers Braga & Moore decided to go out on top and leave Star Trek behind as they moved on with their writing careers, leaving producer Rick Berman in search of a new writer. With … Continue reading →

After the success of Generations, it was time for the TNG crew to try and make a go of it on their own. Producer Rick Berman returned to writers Braga & Moore for the screenplay with two stipulations: it had … Continue reading →

With The Undiscovered Country, the original Enterprise crew had taken their final bow and with the end of The Next Generation on the horizon after seven seasons, it was time for Picard’s crew to pick up the mantle of Big … Continue reading →

We interrupt your previously scheduled mini-series with a Franchisography Bonus Special! March is nearly upon us, so join Nick & Scott as they discuss the changes being made to the voting process in this year’s Listener Pick Tournament (bye, Twitter!) … Continue reading →

Paramount Pictures had a Star Trek problem. After the muted reception to The Final Frontier, the studio was unsure of what direction to take their still potentially lucrative franchise next. Longtime producer Harve Bennett suggested a Top Gun-like origin story … Continue reading →

After The Voyage Home hit big at the box office and scored four nominations at the 1987 Academy Awards, producer Harve Bennett and the whole Trek team felt unstoppable. But before heading into Trek 5, they had one commitment they … Continue reading →