Seth Rogenhas really made a name for himself in the movie business, both starring in and writing various comedy hits, ranging from romantic to raunchy. While the Canadian actor got his start in television with the short-lived and now considered cult classic seriesFreaks and Geeks, he has primarily focused on movies for the bulk of his career.
Today, more than a quarter-century later, Rogen has continued to act but also writes and produces both movies and TV shows. And when it comes to the latter, he’s batting a thousand with hits likeThe StudioandPlatonic, in which he stars, as well as shows likeThe Boys, for which he serves as an executive producer. This suggests the actor, comedian, and filmmaker might have discovered a previously untapped talent for the small screen.
Why Rogen’s Projects Excel on the Small Screen
Rogen is known for his juvenile humor and raunchy storylines, as seen in movies likeSausage Party. He later followed it withthe seriesSausage Party: Foodtopia, which released its second season on July 24, 2025. But beneath the silliness, there are real stories to tell. These don’t often get told in movies because there are only a couple of hours to provide a beginning, middle, and end that entertains and excites.
With Rogen’s TV projects, he has the room to develop and offer a lot more between the frat boy jokes and dumb plots.The Studio, for example, is his latest creation for Apple TV+, which Rogen not only created (with others) but also executive produces, directs, and stars in. The satirical cringe comedy cleverly skewers the very industry that Rogen is entrenched in: Hollywood. He plays a big-time studio executive who is desperate to keep the passion for film alive. But he is forced to balance this unfulfilled desire with corporate greed. He might want to make movies that provoke thought, but the head honchos want blockbusters that earn bank.
Every episode of the show dives further into issues and scenarios that seem like life imitating art. Rogen is unafraid to tell it like it is, even convincing real-life directors like Ron Howard and actors like Anthony Mackie to make cameos as themselves, poking fun at the industry and all its elitist drama. It’s brilliant writing and acting, so it’sno surprise thatThe Studioearned rave reviewsalong with an impressive 23 Primetime Emmy nominations. It has broken the record for the most-nominated comedy for a first season and ties the record for the most nominations for a single season of a comedy.
Then there’sPlatonic, another Rogen Apple TV+ show that premiered its first season in 2023 to rave reviews. The second season was released in early August 2025to similar results. Rogen did not write the show, but he does serve as an executive producer and stars in it alongside Rose Byrne, with whom he has collaborated in movies as well. They are long-time best friends who reconnect in their 40s while both going through tough times in their lives.
With less raunch and more heart,Platonichas all the same humor you’d expect from a Rogen movie. But it’s spread out across multiple episodes per season, so the story can develop in a more meaningful way. He plays a goofy character who is almost like an exaggerated version of himself. As a man in his 40s like his character, Rogen wonderfully captures the essence of what it’s like to reach middle age and the various challenges that come with it. The show is so relatable, even if the storylines are completely outlandish, sometimes comical and slapstick, even. It offers a wonderful balance of light, feel-good fun, and serious undertones. It’s yet another TV success for Rogen, proving he understands the small-screen landscape just as much, if not more than, movie land.
As one of the executive producers of the FX on Hulu series,Pam & Tommy, which earned 10 Emmy Award nominations, Rogen also starred in that series (and he earned one of those nominations for his acting). It was a more dramatic role, but it also proved that Rogen is more than just a one-trick pony.
Finding the Right Mix of Subversion and Storytelling
Beyond his on-screen roles, Rogen has contributed to some of the most successful shows on television, in which he doesn’t even star. He co-developed the AMC seriesPreacherand served as a writer, executive producer, and director. He is an executive producer of the Prime Video seriesThe Boysand its spin-offGen V. Additionally, he’s an executive producer ofInvincibleon Prime Video.
BothThe BoysandGen Vfit right in with Rogen’s irreverent style of humor, combining extreme raunchiness with superhero culture, political satire, and vulgarity. They’re the types of shows that have Rogen written all over them. The fan reception indicates that he recognizes what his audience wants and knows how to deliver it, or at least backs the right projects that do.
He also makes a point to, well, make a point in every project.The Boys,which is soon to return withits fifth and final season, heavily mocks the current political landscape and societal and economic woes, becoming bolder with each passing season. As noted,The Studioshines a spotlight on the fractured Hollywood movie industry that is more concerned about making crappy movies that make bank than appreciating the actual art of movie-making. AndPlatonicpokes fun at middle-aged soccer moms desperate to reclaim their youth. Yet it’s not in an offensive way. He takes risks with his projects, and they always seem to pay off.
This could be a product of Rogen’s fearlessness in parodying just about anything or anyone. Rogen, after all, got Ron Howard to go on camera and look like a complete a**hole while playing a version of himself, Charlize Theron and Olivia Wilde to come across as either mean or unhinged, and Martin Scorsese to portray himself as a director who gets screwed over by a nobody studio head (as if that would ever happen).Not many actors would be able to convince these revered Hollywood types to parody themselves in such an overt and even insulting way.
Rogen Has More Coming in TV, and We’re All for It
Rogen started his work behind-the-scenes in TV withFuture Manfrom 2017-2019, and the rest is seemingly history. Almost all the projects he has chosen for the small screen have been incredibly popular. He has a knack for creating, acting in, or backing projects that reflect what the public wants. While Rogen continues to make movies, withTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2,Figment, andThe Somethingall currently in development, I hope he focuses more on the TV side of the landscape. That’s where he truly shines.
There are some TV projects in the works, too, thankfully, suggesting that Rogen is going to capitalize on the momentum.Vought Risingis a prequel seriestoThe Boysthat is currently in pre-production. He is also working on a TV miniseries calledConsole Warsabout a team of game developers at SEGA who try to make a console that’s better than the one from their rival Nintendo. Rogen will also be directing that series.
Rogen was once considered a silly movie actor, appearing in a string of movies likeThe 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Superbad, This Is the End, Neighbors, and the list goes on. But as he began to work behind the scenes as well, it became evident that there was so much more he had to offer besides being in front of the camera.
His career is on the rise, and that’s in large part because of not only his talent but also his fantastic choices when it comes to selecting projects to stand behind. Of course, he doesn’t do it all alone. A frequent collaborator on projects is Evan Goldberg, Rogen’s long-time writing partner. But even on screen, while Rogen always seems to be playing some variation of the same character, perhaps even himself, it doesn’t matter. There’s an endearing quality. Based on the projects he has chosen, where he doesn’t even appear, there’s a lot more beneath the goofy personality, too. Perhaps much like his character inThe Studio,Rogen cares most about art, creativity, and messaging, choosing to write or be involved with shows that are thoughtful and, in many cases, even provocative, far beyond what a two-hour comedy movie could present.
