Some of you already know this about me, but I have worked in the film and TV business before (and hope to do so again in the future). I love this whole world, even if it’s not nearly as glamorous as Hollywood often makes it out to be.

Now, in honor of Ryan Murphy’s new show Hollywood soon premiering on Netflix (May 1st) – which I am very excited about!!! –  I thought it would be a fun idea to share some of my favourite movies and TV shows that take place in the film and TV business! Some of them try to portray the fantasy we all like to indulge in, others are a bit more critical of the matter. By no means is this a finite list or anything like that, it’s really just some movies that I have personally enjoyed, and you know how mushy I can be about stuff near and dear to my heart! I hope you enjoy!

Movies

LATE NIGHT

I have already declared my undying love for all Mindy Kaling projects and Late Night is no exception. It tackles the world of late night talkshows and does so especially from a female perspective. I don’t think very many people ever get a look behind the scenes of such shows, so I liked it (however realistic or unrealistic it was – that’s not the point of this post).

AMERICA’S SWEETHEARTS

What would one of these posts be without at least a single movie from the late 90s/early 00s!? America’s Sweethearts probably doesn’t go very in depth on the whole film making part of the business, but rather the way relationships are arranged for the public and media. I just really enjoy RomComs from that “era”, even if they always included some sort of toxic theme (e.g. the girl had to loose weight to become desirable …)

MORNING GLORY

Morning television is a very competitive field in reality, one where people don’t necessarily get to grow old in for aesthetic reasons, but that’s just why I enjoyed the Diane Keaton and Harrison Ford team up for the host positions all the more! And Rachel McAdams is always a plus as well. This one is light-hearted and sweet.

ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL

I threw this in more for all the book lovers out there than for its actual place in the film business, because as many of you know, this was adapted off of a YA novel. In all honesty, I loved this movie a whole lot more than the book though and it also is worth mentioning here, because the way the main character goes about filming and applying for film school with his material is how a lot of people get started out.

Having said that, this story deals with some heavy topics. Be prepared to cry!

Read more of my thoughts about it here!

TV Shows

THE NEWSROOM

To this day, I think that The Newsroom is one of the single best pieces of television ever created! I think they would have a field day with the current political climate and so much more content to work with, but I was happy with the season I got. These characters meant (and still mean) so much to me and have proven over and over again how important integrity is in journalism! Aaron Sorkin’s scripts are always a treat, but this one … I will never forget how great it was!

 

THE MORNING SHOW

Speaking of absolutely amazing content! I tried to mirror some of the topics from the movies in my list of TV shows, but I think the title already gives it away that this show is about morning television as well. However, this one is definitely higher up in terms of quality. I am halfway through the first season, so, not actually done yet, but the cast is phenomenal! It is current, it lets everyone play their own age and has a very compelling storyline. I am hooked!

UnREAL

Do you enjoy watching the Bachelor? Then you will likely enjoy this behind the scenes look at how shows like The Bachelor/Bachelorette/whatever-else-there-is-these-days is produced! I have been told that it’s not very far off from reality, so that’s a bit sobering for some, I am sure, but UnREAL has some of the most badass female characters – this is really their story!

Read more of my thoughts about it here!

FAMOUS IN LOVE

Another book to screen adaptation! And again, very different to its source material, which led me to enjoy the show a lot more than the book to be honest. This, in no way, feels like an accurate representation of how everything goes down. It’s very much a teen/new adult drama that just keeps piling on even more drama. But, if you like the idea of the overnight success, this is the show for you!

Read more of my thoughts about it here!

THE ARRANGEMENT

This is a more modern and less wholesome take on America’s Sweethearts in my eyes? People also have 100% compared this to Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes and Scientology, but I will not speak on that matter. It really does happen that public relationships are treated like contracts, but I like the fantasy of those fake-dating-but-becoming-real-lovers-type of stories. I find them cheesy, but fun! The “cult” element just adds some edge to it!

THE LAST TYCOON

And lastly, this is probably closest to the show that inspired this whole post. I had a massive F. Scott Fitzgerald phase and wanted to dive into everything that wasn’t The Great Gatsby. Unfortunately he never got to finish The Last Tycoon and similarly, Amazon never finished the show either, but I still think this was a beautiful show about the beginnings of Hollywood and old cinema.

Read more of my thoughts on the book here!

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Again, these were hardly all the existing shows and movies about the topic out there! Are some that come to mind for you? Let’s chat!