Lights, camera, action! We're diving into the world of TV shows that pull back the curtain on Hollywood, exploring the hilarious, heartbreaking, and sometimes brutal reality of show business through the lens of some of the most iconic series ever created.
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00:00Hi, I'm Cary Dubik and I'm reading for the role of Man at Party Who Smells Fart.
00:06Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for fictional shows that turned
00:10the cameras back on the entertainment industry, actors, and all things Hollywood.
00:15You're the one with all the stories, what do I have to even say?
00:19That's the thing.
00:20You gotta go figure it out.
00:24Number 10.
00:25Extras.
00:26Who are you?
00:2790.
00:28What's that?
00:29Nobody.
00:30Nobody.
00:31That's right.
00:32Nobody.
00:33Yeah, and who am I?
00:35It's either Starsky or Archer, I can never remember.
00:39After killing it with the original British version of The Office, co-creators Ricky Gervais
00:44and Steven Merchant turned their attention to the very business that made them stars.
00:49In Extras, Gervais plays Andy Millman, a frustrated actor trying to make it in the industry.
00:54Andy's frustration comes from being seen as an extra.
00:57We're gonna do, we're gonna have a big spring clean.
01:00Yeah, my husband's gonna be rummaging around in my basement while I polish his Oscar.
01:05I certainly won't, no, because I'm gonna be in the garage probably, just cleaning the
01:11car, giving the old girls headlamps a good soaping up.
01:15The show follows him as he struggles with the anonymity of being what he calls a background
01:20artist, and then how stunted his creativity is when he finally lands a hit show.
01:25Gervais touches on themes of art and commerce, celebrity worship, and personal fulfillment.
01:30You've seen Star Trek The Next Generation, right?
01:32I haven't, no.
01:33Well, your wife won't let you have it on, will she?
01:36I'm not married.
01:37Oh, you're girlfriend, then.
01:38I haven't got a girlfriend, I live alone.
01:41You're not married, you haven't got a girlfriend, and you've never watched Star Trek?
01:47No.
01:48Good Lord.
01:51Number 9.
01:52Entourage
01:54Although loosely based on actor Mark Wahlberg's real-life exploits when he first came to Hollywood,
01:59Entourage had to be toned down for the TV audience.
02:02That's a big statement, considering it aired on HBO, home of The Sopranos.
02:06Can we stay off the business and have a good time?
02:09Seriously, guys, this is a celebration.
02:11Okay, okay.
02:12I don't know about you guys, but I cannot wait to get into that party, have myself a
02:17nice lobster tail.
02:18Lobster?
02:19Nice.
02:20After eight seasons, it followed A-list actor Vincent Chase as he adjusted to newfound fame
02:26and the men who formed his inner circle.
02:28The lifelong friends are portrayed against a heightened version of Hollywood, with many
02:32stars making cameos as themselves.
02:34I like that.
02:35Get the dog, Turtle.
02:36Quick decisions, that's why you're a star, Vince.
02:38Yeah, do what you gotta do, but I don't pick up dog shit.
02:40Whoa, it's the wrecking crew.
02:41Hey, Turtle, I hooked you up with my friend, right?
02:44The show received criticism for its male-centric perspective and controversial humor, but it
02:49also has a lot to say about friendship and family in the chaos of the entertainment industry.
02:54You guys gonna be tonight?
02:55I wanna meet you out.
02:56Nah, Vince is tired.
02:57We're staying in.
02:58Why are you so dressed up, then?
02:59I hate that you can see me, you know that?
03:02I love that I can see you.
03:03That's why I bought the thing for you.
03:05Show me your little nipple.
03:06Bye.
03:07Number eight, The Larry Sanders Show.
03:10The only reason I'm not running for president this year, I swear to God, is I am afraid
03:16that no woman would come forward to say she had sex with me.
03:19I swear, I feel I would be doing one of those CNN interviews looking into the camera going,
03:24come on, Susie, you know you did it with me.
03:27Why be a late-night host when you can just play one on TV?
03:30Although it's yet to make a resurgence among young viewers, The Larry Sanders Show was
03:34a groundbreaker.
03:36It starred comedian Gary Shanling as a fictional late-night talk show host who's suspiciously
03:41similar to Gary Shanling.
03:43The show follows Larry, his producer, and his Ed McMahon-esque sidekick as they handle
03:48celebrity personalities on and off stage.
03:51Say hello to the garden weasel.
03:53Hello, garden weasel.
03:58Now, this garden weasel, this garden weasel does the work of ten men and a boy.
04:04One of its major innovations is one that's all over this list, the phenomenon of famous
04:09people playing caricatures of themselves.
04:12Some critics even credit the show's satirical take on celebrity persona and heightened reality
04:17as a precursor to scripted reality TV.
04:20I'd be careful.
04:23Why?
04:25Well, you sit next to someone for eight years and you think you know them, but you don't.
04:33Number seven, The Comeback.
04:39Well, I got it!
04:41Alright, you can't use that, okay?
04:43That was a crazy person and you cannot use it.
04:46And I need to know that I'm being heard.
04:49Okay, okay, we're done.
04:51Good.
04:53Thank you, everybody.
04:54Thanks.
04:55Lisa Kujo is a walking meme as Valerie Cherish.
04:59As the actress endures the stressful and demoralizing conventions of Hollywood, the only thing that
05:04protects her from total emotional ruin is her lack of self-awareness.
05:08We follow her through her attempts to remain relevant in a business where relevance is
05:13hard won and even harder kept.
05:15But the show is never too cruel to her.
05:18You know what?
05:19I got it, darling.
05:20Let's move on.
05:21Please, please, give me another take.
05:22Please, please, give me another take.
05:24Give me another take.
05:26Give her another take.
05:27Give her another take.
05:29The comeback is surprising for all things it's not.
05:32With all its cringeworthy humor at her expense, it's surprisingly compassionate toward Valerie
05:37and the possible real-life inspirations behind her.
05:40She's really just an artist trying her best in a profession that doesn't value her.
05:46And the Emmy goes to Valerie Cherish.
05:52Oh, it did happen.
05:56Number 6.
05:57Barry
05:58This series combined HBO show's two favorite subjects, organized crime and show business.
06:04I know there's more to me than that.
06:10Maybe, I don't know.
06:13Maybe there's not.
06:16Maybe that's all I'm good at.
06:18As Barry Berkman, former SNL ensemble member Bill Hader plays a repentant hitman who discovers
06:24a passion for acting.
06:25Most of the show's drama revolves around Barry trying to keep his past as a hired killer
06:30from derailing his newfound calling.
06:32That was amazing.
06:34Thanks.
06:35No, no, really.
06:37I mean, it was messy and complex and God, I didn't even know that all those things happened
06:42to you.
06:43I mean, that was crazy.
06:45You really heard me.
06:47You really let that wall come down a little.
06:50Even as it moved away from this original premise in later seasons, it still took satirical
06:55jabs at the business.
06:57Its skewering of Hollywood fame-seekers and the glamorization of violence are weirdly
07:02sharp for a show with this much star power and violence of its own.
07:06It's like you're only out for yourself.
07:08That's not true.
07:09That is not true.
07:10I don't know who you're talking to.
07:12I don't know who everybody's talking to, but I've been nothing but good to people.
07:16I'm a good friend.
07:18I'm a good person.
07:19That is who I am.
07:20Okay?
07:21This is me looking out for you.
07:23Number five, Hacks.
07:25I think you better leave.
07:26Yeah.
07:27Can I show you to the door?
07:28Would you like to go back up the chimney?
07:29Oh, no, I know my way out.
07:31By the way, so cool they let you move into a cheesecake factory.
07:34Oh, is that where you wait tables?
07:36That seems like a better fit.
07:37Oh, yeah.
07:38The showbiz world of Hacks is full of nepo babies and incompetents whose only real talent
07:43is glomming onto people who are talented.
07:46It's a cynical view of Hollywood, that's for sure.
07:49But it's two leads.
07:50The legendary Jean Smart and relative newcomer Hannah Einbinder always manage to find the
07:56funny.
07:57You're hired.
07:58Wait, what?
07:59I said I didn't want the job.
08:02Yeah, well, you need it.
08:03Write me 20 jokes before tomorrow morning.
08:05Oh, and nothing about pantyhose or the Challenger explosion.
08:09I've done them all.
08:10Smart stars as Debra Vance, a stand-up looking to revitalize her career.
08:15And Einbinder is the young writer assigned to help her.
08:18Their generational clashes prove that while some barriers have been broken for women in
08:23comedy, other barriers haven't gone away at all.
08:26They've just changed shape.
08:28You need to make space for your own work.
08:29Come on, I know what you're doing.
08:31You're pushing me away because you're afraid.
08:36Those people, they want you right now.
08:39They won't forever.
08:40You gotta take advantage of that.
08:42You gotta be a shark.
08:43You gotta do what's best for you.
08:45Number 4.
08:46The Other Two.
08:47Brooke and Carrie are two aspiring creatives learning to adjust to their younger brother's
08:52meteoric rise to fame.
08:54Soon, they watch their mothers and partners do the same.
08:57This is crazy.
09:01Is he gonna be, like, legit famous?
09:03No.
09:04There's no way.
09:05Yeah, no.
09:06I mean, how big could he really get?
09:14Much of its comedy is derived from the trappings of modern instastardom.
09:18Its co-leads always seem to be just within spitting distance of fame, but never quite
09:23get there.
09:25My brother's gay, and that's okay.
09:28The haters may hate, but I love how he's gay.
09:32He is so gay in every way.
09:36My brother Carrie is gay, and that's okay.
09:41It doesn't help that there are entire teams of executives, managers, and publicists consistently
09:47speaking the quiet parts of how the industry works out loud.
09:50The desperate lengths the pair will go to achieve some sort of relevance as everyone
09:54around them seems to stumble into fame is both ridiculous and heartbreaking.
09:59Man, she is bad, huh?
10:01Pretty much the worst one here by a mile.
10:04I'd say compared to her, we're all A-okay.
10:11You've seen stories about washed-up actors before, but have you ever seen a show about
10:16a washed-up actor who is also a horse?
10:19Those are my muffins!
10:20You keep eating my muffins!
10:22Hey, guess what?
10:23I can't give them back, because I ate them all, okay?
10:25Dude.
10:26Hold on.
10:27Just to be clear, since this morning, you ate all the muffins?
10:31Yeah, I ate them all in one sitting because I have no self-control, and I hate myself.
10:35Is that what you want to hear?
10:36BoJack Horseman is a former sitcom star eaten up by his own resentments.
10:41Over the show's six seasons, we watch as he and his showbiz colleagues wrestle with
10:46fame, misfortune, insecurity, mental health, and substance use disorder.
10:50You need to be better!
10:53I know.
10:54And I'm sorry, okay?
10:55I was drunk, and there was all this pressure with the Oscar campaign, but now that it's
11:00over, I-
11:01No!
11:02No.
11:03BoJack, just stop.
11:04You are all the things that are wrong with you.
11:07Their dilemmas are so achingly human, you kind of forget you're watching anthropomorphic
11:13horses, cats, and dogs alongside the occasional human characters.
11:17The surrealism just makes BoJack's hard truths hit harder.
11:21It might be the most depressing cartoon ever, but hey, that's Hollywood.
11:25I, and I alone, stole the D from the Hollywood sign.
11:31Just tell us why'd you do it?
11:33Oh, I'll tell you why.
11:34I did it all for my girlfriend, Diane.
11:40Son of a bitch.
11:42That literal son of a bitch.
11:44Number 2.
11:4530 Rock
11:46Tina Fey took her experiences writing for Saturday Night Live and filtered them through
11:50funhouse mirrors, with this as the result.
11:53Who's that a-kickin' it down the street, causin' a stir?
11:59Who's that I know that you're wonderin' that's her?
12:0330 Rock takes place at the legendary 30 Rockefeller Plaza, where SNL is famously produced.
12:09Fey plays Liz Lemon, the head writer of TGS, a fictional sketch show in the same vein.
12:14I never should have interfered with, um, whatever this is.
12:18Work husband slash uncle.
12:19Coworker slash little brother.
12:20Right, well, she's not ready to move on.
12:23It's true.
12:24I'm wearin' a Duane Reade bag as underwear today.
12:27Oh, right.
12:28And for whatever reason, he needs you too.
12:30It's a symbiotic relationship.
12:33Throughout its seven seasons, we watched Liz and the show's ensemble of narcissists and
12:37goofballs make a career in television.
12:39They often succeed in spite of themselves.
12:41Known for its running gags and clever callbacks, 30 Rock was a hit with critics, the Emmys,
12:47and its loyal, if relatively small, following.
12:50Oh, boy.
12:51Okay.
12:52Look, Trey, it's not goodbye forever.
12:54I've enjoyed working with you, and I'm sure we'll get to do it again sometime.
12:57And we're all gonna stay friends.
12:59Sorry, is that the white lady's way of saying I'm going out to get cigarettes?
13:02Because that goodbye was atrocious.
13:04Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
13:09Episodes.
13:10Matt LeBlanc plays a version of himself in this BBC-produced sitcom.
13:14How come you're not wearing your thing?
13:15What do you mean?
13:16They said it was optional.
13:17Yeah, but who knows what optional means here?
13:20Besides, I kinda like it.
13:22I feel like Aladdin.
13:24Or Mrs. Roper.
13:25Master of None.
13:26Aziz Ansari plays Dev, a struggling actor.
13:30Bro, that was very powerful.
13:33If I'm Francesca, I'm giving you kissies 100%.
13:36Wanna run it again?
13:38No, this is getting a little weird.
13:40Wanna switch roles?
13:41I mean, I'm not sure why, but sure.
13:44Difficult People.
13:45Two acerbic and deeply unhappy New York comedians spread the misery.
13:49Can't imagine you'd have a stand-up.
13:51If you do, you shouldn't.
13:53You were just this awkward guy that they brought up and kind of made a goof of himself.
13:56Gee, you have no charisma.
13:58But I think that's maybe your strength.
14:00I don't know, it was fun for us to watch.
14:02Hey, now you remind me of a young Sherry Lewis.
14:06Jerry Lewis.
14:08Unreal.
14:09The twisted reality behind reality TV.
14:12You shot footage on him without a signed contract?
14:15He said he wanted to show it to his lawyers in London or some nonsense, alright?
14:18What was I supposed to do?
14:19We have seven and a half hours before sunrise.
14:21Can only shoot in hard nights and I need a frickin' show.
14:24That's great.
14:25So I what, I have no leverage?
14:27Oh, just make something up.
14:30Glow.
14:31But down on her luck, actress turns to professional wrestling.
14:34I think our match was good.
14:36I mean, I'm sure I'll hate it when I see it, but it felt good.
14:40Debbie, we were great.
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15:00Number 1.
15:01Curb Your Enthusiasm
15:03Seinfeld co-creator and executive producer Larry David was mostly a cult figure before he created Curb Your Enthusiasm.
15:11The semi-fictionalized version of himself in Curb takes George Costanza's cringe comedy possibilities to the nth degree.
15:18Congrats.
15:19Thank you very much.
15:20This is really something.
15:21Thank you very much.
15:22How long did this take?
15:23That's about a year and change of my life right there.
15:26Wow.
15:27Yeah, yeah, yeah.
15:28But yet it's very concise.
15:29Yeah, I tried to get it down to the essentials.
15:31Yeah, I'll read it with dinner.
15:33Every episode features Larry attending lunches and meetings around Hollywood, offending virtually every person he meets.
15:40From a fictional Seinfeld reunion to a civilized dinner party, no one makes enemies as easily as Larry David.
15:47Can I give him a little piece of advice?
15:48Please.
15:50I would call it raisins and then let people be surprised by the cashews.
15:56You're not serious, right?
15:58I am, yeah.
15:59It's better than being disappointed by buying something called cashew raisins.
16:03Apart from its rotating roster of guest stars, the show may be most known for its improvised dialogue.
16:09It gives the show an energy and roughness that makes its awkward interactions even more real and all the more uncomfortable.
16:16Breathe the free air, young man.
16:22Oh my God.
16:23Oh my God.
16:26This is how we should have ended the finale.
16:28Oh my God, you're right.
16:30How did we not think of that?
16:34Did your favorite show about show business make the cut?
16:36Sound off in the comments.
16:38I've seen everything, you know.
16:40I've seen it all.
16:41Do you agree with our picks?
16:43Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
16:45And be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
16:53.