Top 10 TV Shows About Show Business & Hollywood

After killing it with the original British version of “The Office,” co-creators Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant turned their attention to the very business that made them stars. In “Extras,” Gervais plays Andy Millman, a frustrated actor trying to make it in the industry. Andy’s frustration comes from being seen as an extra. The show follows him as he struggles with the anonymity of being what he calls a “background artist,” and then how stunted his creativity is when he finally lands a hit show. “Extras” touches on themes of art and commerce, celebrity worship, and personal fulfillment.

Although loosely based on actor Mark Wahlberg’s real-life exploits when he first came to Hollywood, “Entourage” had to be toned down for the TV audience. That’s a big statement, considering it aired on HBO, home of “The Sopranos.” Over its eight seasons, it followed A-list actor Vincent Chase as he adjusted to newfound fame, and the men who formed his inner circle. The lifelong friends are portrayed against a heightened version of Hollywood, with many stars making cameos as themselves. The show received criticism for its male-centric perspective and controversial humor, but it also has a lot to say about friendship and family in the chaos of the entertainment industry.

Why be a late-night host when you can just play one on TV? Although it’s yet to make a resurgence among young viewers, “The Larry Sanders Show” was a groundbreaker. It starred comedian Garry Shandling as a fictional late-night talk show host who’s suspiciously similar to Garry Shandling. We get to follow Larry, his producer, and his Ed McMahon-esque sidekick as they handle celebrity personalities on- and off-stage. One of its major innovations is one that’s all over this list: the phenomenon of famous people playing caricatures of themselves. Some critics even credit the show’s satirical take on celebrity persona and heightened reality as a precursor to scripted reality TV.

Lisa Kudrow is a walking meme as Valerie Cherish. As the actress endures the stressful and demoralizing conventions of Hollywood, the only thing that protects her from total emotional ruin is her lack of self-awareness. We follow her through her attempts to remain relevant in a business where relevance is hard-won and even harder-kept. But the show is never too cruel to her. “The Comeback” is surprising for all the things it’s not. With all its cringeworthy humor at her expense, it’s surprisingly compassionate toward Valerie and the possible real-life inspirations behind her. She’s really just an artist trying her best in a profession that doesn’t value her.

This series combined HBO shows’ two favorite subjects: organized crime and show business. As Barry Berkman, former “SNL” ensemble member Bill Hader plays a repentant hitman who discovers a passion for acting. Most of the show’s drama revolves around Barry trying to keep his past a hired killer from derailing his newfound calling. Even as it moved away from this original premise in later seasons, it still took satirical jabs at the business. Its skewering of Hollywood fame-seekers and the glamorization of violence are weirdly sharp for a show with this much star power and violence of its own.

The showbiz world of “Hacks” is full of nepo-babies and incompetents whose only real talent is glomming onto people who are talented. It’s a cynical view of Hollywood, that’s for sure. But its two leads, the legendary Jean Smart and relative newcomer Hannah Einbinder, always manage to find the funny. Smart stars as Deborah Vance, a stand-up looking to revitalize her career, and Einbinder is the young writer assigned to help her. Their generational clashes prove that while some barriers have been broken for women in comedy, other barriers haven’t gone away at all, they’ve just changed shape.

Brooke and Cary are two aspiring creatives learning to adjust to their younger brother’s meteoric rise to fame. Soon, they watch their mothers and partners do the same. Much of its comedy is derived from the trappings of modern insta-stardom. Its co-leads always seem to be just within spitting distance of fame, but never quite get there. It doesn’t help that there are entire teams of executives, managers, and publicists consistently speaking the quiet parts of how the industry works out loud. The desperate lengths the pair will go to achieve some sort of relevance as everyone around them seems to stumble into fame is both ridiculous and heartbreaking.

You’ve seen stories about washed-up actors before, but have you ever seen a show about a washed-up actor who is also a horse? BoJack Horseman is a former sitcom star eaten up by his own resentments. Over the show’s six seasons, we watch as he and his showbiz colleagues wrestle with fame, misfortune, insecurity, mental health, and substance use disorder. Their dilemmas are so achingly human you kind of forget you’re watching anthropomorphic horses, cats, and dogs alongside the occasional human characters. The surrealism just makes “BoJack’s” hard truths hit harder. It might be the most depressing cartoon ever, but hey, that’s Hollywood.

Tina Fey took her experiences writing for “Saturday Night Live” and filtered them through funhouse mirrors, with this as the result. “30 Rock” takes place at the legendary 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where “SNL” is famously produced. Fey plays Liz Lemon, the head writer of “TGS,” a fictional sketch show in the same vein. Throughout its seven seasons, we watched Liz and the show’s ensemble of narcissists and goofballs make a career in television. They often succeed in spite of themselves. Known for its running gags and clever callbacks, “30 Rock” was a hit with critics, the Emmys, and its loyal, if relatively small, following.


Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.

Matt LeBlanc Plays a Version of Himself in This BBC-Produced Sitcom

Aziz Ansari Plays Dev, a Struggling Actor

Two Acerbic and Deeply Unhappy New York Comedians Spread the Misery

The Twisted Reality Behind Reality TV

A Down-on-Her-Luck Actress Turns to Professional Wrestling

“Seinfeld” co-creator and executive producer Larry David was mostly a cult figure before he created “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” The semi-fictionalized version of himself in “Curb” takes George Costanza’s cringe comedy possibilities to the nth degree. Every episode features Larry attending lunches and meetings around Hollywood, offending virtually every person he meets. From a fictional “Seinfeld” reunion to a civilized dinner party, no one makes enemies as easily as Larry David. Apart from its rotating roster of guest stars, the show may be most known for its improvised dialogue. It gives the show an energy and roughness that makes its awkward interactions even more real and all the more uncomfortable.

Did your favorite show about show business make the cut? Sound off in the comments.