16 shows-within-a-show: a deep dive

It’s really a little strange that so few people in series and movies actually watch or even talk about series and movies. Perhaps that’s just part of the movieland magic, like always finding a parking space, having music follow you wherever you go, or waking up with perfect hair and makeup. 

But when we do see characters enjoying their own shows now and then, it’s fascinating. The show-within-a-show world is a playful reflection of our own, whether characters are obsessed with vampire cops, twisted Housewives, or puppet aliens. We’ve hunted down our favourite show-within-a-show moments for series that we’d like to watch for real. Here’s your schedule.

1. Fantasmas Season 1, episode 6: The True Women of New York

Aside from the sitcom Melf (a parody of 80s sitcom Alf) in episode 1, Fantasmas’ peak show-within-a-show is the reality series The True Women of New York. 

After luring us in with absurd catchphrases like “Don’t talk to me when you talk to me”, a reality show producer uses blackmailed and brainwashed rich women who’re perpetually dressed in evening gowns, with brittle hairdos (played by Emma Stone, Rozie Perez, Cole Escola, and Rachel Dratch) to act out his fantasies about his evil, rich mother. Arguments erupt and schisms break out over the pettiest things, including, in the episode we see, a “void” space in a restaurant’s design. 

We’re seeing the show in its “raw” phase, with blocky CGI standing in for locations like beach resorts, which will (presumably) be fully realised only in post-production. It’s overacted and overwrought, but still a note-perfect parody of The Real Housewives, as well as being a sharp commentary on how both producers and fans dehumanise reality show casts. 

We’d watch it to see Rellany’s (Rachel Dratch) deliver on her catchphrase: “Want to know what’s chilling? This is me already in therapy.”

2. House Season 4, episode 14: Prescription Passion

Curmudgeonly doctor Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) loves three things: being right, vicodin, and the soap opera Prescription Passion. The episode opens by taking us behind the scenes of the show to reveal Evan Greer (Jason Lewis), the actor who plays Dr Brock Sterling, complaining about the quality of Prescription Passion and its obsessed fans. And he films a scene of Dr Brock getting drunk so he can operate on his fiancée and fainting when her sister Marie – his secret lover – announces that she’s pregnant with their baby. His scrubs are tailored. Her white nurse’s uniform is practically a bodycon dress with a plunging neckline. And the dialogue includes clunkers like “My heart, doctor, it’s racing … shouldn’t you examine me?” It’s sexy trash with a refillable prescription.

But when House becomes convinced that Evan has a serious medical condition, he resorts to abducting him and taking him to a real hospital for tests. He also visits the set to find out what’s behind Even’s altered line readings over the past two months. House isn’t just being a weird stalker, though, because before long Evan starts replying to questions by reciting lines from the previous season of Prescription Passion. And when he goes into a coma, House quips that the last time Brock was in a coma, he fathered two children.

Love a soapy medical drama? Prescription Passion also appears in Season 1, episode 1, 4 & 9, and Season 4, episode 13.

3. Barry Season 3: Joplin

Throughout Season 3 of crime dramedy series Barry, actress Sally Reid (Sarah Goldberg) struggles to get her prestige drama TV series Joplin made. It’s a semi-autobiographical tale of a woman who’s trying to break the cycle of abuse to save her daughter. While there are glimpses of what the show might be like, what we really get from Joplin is a behind-the-scenes dissection of just how difficult and absurd studio filmmaking can be.

Series co-creators Bill Hader and Alec Berg and their writers gleefully milk every terrible real-life Hollywood writers room, boardroom encounter, and vague studio head note they’ve had themselves, to bring Joplin to the screen. How vague are the notes? One studio exec (Vanessa Bayer) seems to speak only in noncommittal nods, grunts, mews and squeaks that no one could possibly hold her accountable for later.

Joplin finally premieres to rave reviews, only to vanish from the service’s homepage, then get cancelled just 12 hours after its debut, thanks to streaming platform BanShe’s algorithm (actually based on a real-life incident). While Sally’s appalled, her assistant Natalie (D’Arcy Carden) takes every irrational note and demented focus group research tidbit (did you know if viewers see someone eating a dessert, or kittens, or Central Park, or actor Dev Pattel in the first two minutes of a show they almost always finish the season?) and uses them to create the ultimate super-successful soulless sitcom, Just Desserts.

PS: The series ends with hitman-turned-actor Barry’s story getting the Hollywood treatment in the ludicrously inaccurate heroic biopic The Mask Collector. 

4. A Black Lady Sketch Show Season 4, episode 5: Why You Ain’t Say Nothing?

This episode goes for broke on the fake TV shows, including the sitcom Why You Ain’t Say Nothing?, reality series The Real Housewives of BC (in which BC stands for the caveman days), and Actors Behind the Lens Speaking Seriously, a super-serious documentary series that features face-to-face interviews with famous performers, which we see pop up throughout the episode. 

But it’s the gossipy Why You Ain’t Say Nothing? that’s on our must-watch list thanks to an episode that centres on a couple of two-faced friends talking smack about their other friends’ dreadful relationship every time they leave the room … all the way until an awkward proposal. It gives us no-holds-barred sitcom acting, with all the exaggerated physical comedy of a Disney kids’ show. If for nothing else, see it for guests stars Quincy Isaiah and Sam Richardson going full ham to work the catchphrase title into every scene. 

Also watch: Sit Down Somewhere in Season 2, episode 5, and Trey’s Anatomy in Season 3, episode 1.

5. Parks and Recreation Season 7, episode 10: The Johnny Karate Super Awesome Musical Explosion Show

Andy Dwyer’s (Chris Pratt) high energy kids’ variety show includes segments like the Funky Monkey Dunk Tank, April’s Animal Corner, Carpenter Ron’s wood shop, science with Professor Smartbrain, Ninja Strike, and Mailman Barry, all starring the Parks and Recreation staff. Guest stars include the actual John Cena, and the credits list Andy as the series’ creator, writer, producer, casting director, makeup artist, ninja trainer, “time tailor”, driver, snack provider and more. He also plays Johnny Karate and FBI Agent Burt Macklin (in black and white segments).

The lively, over-the-top Johnny Karate theme tune promises to be a headache for parents everywhere as kids sing, “It’s time to punch boredom in its stupid face, and drop-kick sadness into outer space”. Every time Johnny thinks that a segment is getting boring, he presses the big, red “Boring Buzzer” to interrupt and karate chop something. Also watch Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman) demanding that the “hug moment” graphic be taken down during his segment, and pause the disclaimer at the end of the episode to see what Andy sneakily typed into the show’s legal boilerplate message. 

6. The Righteous Gemstones Season 3: Baby Billy’s Bible Bonkers

Having a TV show is old hat and halo for the Gemstones, a family of televangelists. But what do you mean you ain’t never heard of Baby Billy’s Bible Bonkers? 

The Gemstones’ uncle, Baby Billy Freeman (Walton Goggins), pushes, prays and pitches to have his own bible-based TV quiz show (a ripoff of quiz show Family Feud) from the start of Season 3. He shoehorns the topic into every family gathering, including in the middle of a kidnapping. And look out for when Billy pitches the show with a miniature of its set design, complete with a figurine of host Baby Billy with an orange tan, white hair and blue suit. 

Billy finally gets his way in the season finale, and the show debuts on its big shiny stage, complete with dazzling lights, a live studio audience, a squad of breakdancers, and a big band playing a theme tune whose lyrics include the phrase “From Abraham and Sarah to Adam and Eve, A little burning bush to an olive tree, Let’s go Bible Bonkers,” along with the claim that the show is “God’s favourite game”.

PS: Walton has revealed that he had to practise saying “Baby Billy’s Bible Bonkers” over 1 000 times before he was comfortable that he wouldn’t mess it up during a take. 

7. The Curse Season 1: Flipanthropy/Green Queen

Comedy-drama series The Curse centres on married couple Whitney (Emma Stone) and Asher Siegel (Nathan Fielder) who’re in a small town filming their “cute” house flipping TV series, while trying to conceal the fact (from themselves and their audience) that they’re ruthless property developers who’re evicting tenants from houses, using greenwashing to hide the fact that they’re remodelling buildings in impractical and expensive ways that don’t harmonise with the surrounding buildings, and destroying a close-knit community to feed their ravenous egos. 

Flipanthory co-host Whitney is far more focussed on being seen to do the right thing, than she is on actually doing the right thing, which is captured in The Curse as their producer Dougie (Benny Safdie) starts manipulating the situations and his stars to create his own warts-and-all reality show version of Flipanthropy, titled Green Queen (the title changes in episode 6). 

After seeing all the real behind-the-scenes scandals playing out, watching the rough cut of Flipanthory/Green Queen during episode 9 douses viewers in nuclear level cringe thanks to its fakeness. The tug of war between truth kicks off from the start, with Whitney and Asher introducing the series as Flipanthropy, and Dougie inserting a second title, Green Queen, while saying in voiceover, “I am the Green Queen, and this is my city.” Dougie continues to editorialise through the rough cut, in his efforts to make a scandalous show about a troubled couple whose marriage is on the skids. This blindsides Asher, and Whitney shows him some cut diary segments in which she tears him and their marriage apart. 

But there’s more executive meddling to come when HGTV execs want the episode recut to deliver what they’re really looking for: a sweet, uncomplicated show that’s heavy on the cute couple and aesthetic reno, light on the marriage drama, political issues and sustainability. On a dime, we see Whitney turn on the charm and romance for the cameras, even as cutaway scenes show her dead-eyed expression at the thought of being tied down by Asher forever … or at least for a second season.

8. Game of Thrones Season 6, episode 5: The Bloody Hand

They don’t have streaming services and series back in the dragon and direwolf days, but what they do have is street theatre. We see Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) in Essos in Bravos, watching a lavish and slanderous performance of The King’s Play, which summarises the back half of Game of Thrones Season 1, all the way to more recent events like Tyrion and Sansa’s wedding. A boar gores King Robert Baratheon to death (the actor holds a parcel of silk intestines in front of himself). As he slowly dies, a beautiful, ethereal Cercei asks who will guide their son Joffrey to be king. 

The dialogue is hysterically libellous, for example:
Joffrey: “Oh father, in bed you must lie! I love you father, please don’t die!”

Robert: ”Shut up you swine! Cersei more wine!”

The crowd roars with laughter as Robert dies, complete with farting sound effects. And the stage version of Ned Stark, who enters grabbing at his crotch and swaggering is portrayed as a lecherous rural idiot, while stage Tyrion is portrayed as a corrupt conspirator who sucks up to Ned. Joffrey is preparing to have Ned beheaded but relents when Sansa pleads for his life, only for Tyrion to bribe the executioner to behead Ned and try to take Sansa for himself. With grotesque Baratheons and Starks contrasted to lovely Lannisters, it seems Cersei’s propaganda machine is hard at work.

PS: This same device is used in GOT prequel series House of the Dragon in Season 1, episode 4 when Daemon takes Rhaenyra out into the city and she sees an equally libellous street play that spoofs Targaryens’ succession drama.

9. Avenue 5 Season 2 (whole season): Avenue 5

People on Earth are caught up in the drama surrounding the spaceship Avenue 5 and its long, dangerous back to Earth as supplies run low. Well, that’s not 100% accurate. What is “hella trending” throughout Season 2 is the show about Avenue 5 being lost in space, titled Avenue 5. 

When Iris (Suzy Nakamura) fails to raise funds on Earth to help the real Avenue 5, she buys the show’s production company and casts bridge crew member Sarah’s (Daisy May Cooper) twin sister Zarah as the ship’s scientific officer in hopes of boosting popular support for a rescue mission. And the real-life people aboard the Avenue 5 start feeling slighted about how they’re portrayed on TV, while some problems like the lithium shortage, which are supposed to be confidential, are leaked by the plot of the drama series. Everyone is sexier, more romantic, better dressed, smarter and more profound in the show that they are in life, but the script isn’t anywhere near as funny. 

The story plays out throughout the season, and we see TV platform executives debating about blowing up the real Avenue 5 to prevent their actions from threatening the show … and to give the show’s season finale an “explosive” ending. It’s a fascinating commentary on how interpretations of both news and TV series create a kind of parallel reality that overshadows what’s really happening. 

10. Succession Season 3, episode 3: The Disruption

Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) becomes laser-focussed on his public image this season. He forces his associates to watch an episode of political talk comedy show The Disruption in which host Sophie Iwobi (Ziwe Fumudoh, host of the comedy talk show Ziwe) calls him things like “Snitchy Rich” and “A jar of mayonnaise in a Prada suit,” and claims that “Kendall suffers from a severe case of what doctors call Caucasian Rich Brain,” which Kendall tries to laugh off as if he’s the guest on a comedy roast. Perhaps after years of suffering his father and siblings’ contempt, he confuses being insulted with intimacy! 

Kendall becomes determined to be a guest on The Disruption, but gets cold feet after his publicity stunt during his sister Shiv’s (Sarah Snook) press event backfires, and Shiv publishes an open letter in which she exposes his deepest flaws. And he backs out of the show 15 minutes before it’s due to go live on air after its producers refuse to restrict Sophie from bringing up the letter during his interview. In retaliation, Sophie uses the airtime to read Shiv’s letter on screen. 

The Disruption combines aspects of late night comedy talk shows Ziwe, and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. The role of Sarah was re-written to be more in line with Ziwe’s style on her own show after she auditioned for and won the role. She has admitted though, that she probably wouldn’t drive a real life billionaire with that much media clout into meltdown. 

11. Curb Your Enthusiasm Seasons 2 and 7: Seinfeld Reunion episode

In episode 1, Larry and Seinfeld star Jason Alexander (George) discuss creating a new TV series about an actor who can’t find work because of the resounding success of his previous role. Discussion continues in episode 2, and in episode 3 Julia Louis-Dreyfus (Elaine in Seinfeld) and Larry pitch the series to HBO, but with Julia instead of Jason taking the lead role after Jason offends Larry. But Larry botches their chance of landing the deal when he accuses HBO exec Allen Wasserman of stealing his shrimp. Unrepentant, Larry and Julia take the show to the ABC network, where it gets picked up in episode 7, only to get swiftly dropped again thanks to Larry’s blundering. And in the season finale, Larry and Julia pitch the show to CBS but he ruins their chances again. 

Seinfled raises its head again in Season 7, episode 3, when Larry agrees to create a Seinfeld reunion show as a plot for getting back together with Cheryl (Cheryl Hines). In episode 9, the cast reunites for their first table read together in 11 years, and we see them rehearsing for their roles. The central plot of the Seinfeld reunion episode, which we see in the season finale, episode 10, revolves around George having become rich and successful after inventing an app called iToilet, which users can refer to to find the nearest available public loo. But when his wife leaves him because he lost his fortune in a ponzi scheme, George moves in with Jerry (Jerry Seinfled). We also find out that Jerry is the biological father of Elaine’s nine-year-old daughter. It recreates the vibe of the show so perfectly that some critics now consider this Curb Your Enthusiasm episode to be the real Seinfeld finale. 

12. Insecure Season 2: Due North

Insecure is one of the rare shows that not only acknowledges that television exists, but has Issa (Issa Rae) as a committed fan. Despite their recent breakup, as the season starts, Issa and Lawrence (Jay Ellis) are still connected through watching their favourite series, Due North. In this prestige historical drama, Regina Hall plays Ninny, the enslaved woman in love with her master, Master Turnfellow (Scott Foley). And the title refers to how they arrange their trysts, with Turnfellow telling Ninny, “Follow the North Star to our spot by the creek.”

Sexy, political and romantic, Due North has hints of Kerry Washingston’s series, Scandal, Harriet Tubman drama Underground, and record label drama Empire. But all the action and dialogue is exaggerated for comic effect, while slyly referencing some storylines and relationship twists from Insecure itself. 

The eight-episode series is so fully realised that it even has its own IMDb page. But it started as a running joke about an interracial affair between two of Insecure writers, Ben Dougan and Dayna North (whose name is also referenced in Due North’s title). Insecure Season 1 also features the prison reality series Conjugal Visits, while in Season 3 Issa watches the sitcom Kev’yn.

13. Entourage Season 2, episode 9: Viking Quest

While the hit series (which is based on the life of exec producer Mark Wahlberg) centres around actor Vincent Chase’s (Adrian Grenier) Hollywood breakthrough, we also follow his actor brother Johnny “Drama” Chase (Kevin Dillion) as he battles with a career slump following the cancellation of his cult classic sci-fi series fantasy action series, Viking Quest. Tagline: “From the past comes the warrior of the future.” 

We get a deep dive into fandom as Johnny attends a Viking Quest convention in costume (leather armour, no shirt) in Season 2, episode 9, and belts out his character Tarvold’s signature battlecry, “Victory”. Johnny also goes online to rant about the injustice of how he and the show are treated by the network. 

With the title and concept being too good to pass up, throughout the series we get fully developed lore for Viking Quest, best described as Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, but cheaper. And HBO even released a real-life Viking Quest Flash game. But perhaps the best thing about Viking Quest is watching Johnny’s face light up whenever anyone reveals that they’ve actually watched the show. 

14. Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 4, episode 14: Serve & Protect

It’s a cop show within a cop show, when Jake (Andy Samberg) and Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) are sent to investigate a theft of a laptop from the set of their favourite TV series, police procedural drama Serve and Protect. Jake gets stars in his eyes when the series’ executive producer Gary Lurmax (Greg Germann) offers him a consulting producer role, and when deadly serious method actor Mark Devereaux (The Rookie star Nathan Fillion), who plays Detective Cole Tracker, arrives to “investigate” (his co-star claims that he really does believe he’s a detective, since he’s been playing one for 15 years). A starstruck Jake and Rosa repeat his character’s super dramatic catchphrase: “What’s it gonna be – rock, paper, scissors, or gun?”

Mark “accidentally” contaminates the crime scene with his fingerprints, claiming that he never wears latex gloves in scenes because fans supposedly love to see his fingers almost as much as they love seeing his feet. And he keeps interfering with the case and “interrogating” suspects. But there might be more to that than simple method acting. 

Jake gets to show the series’ writers how a real cop would investigate a scene, adding in his own cringeworthy catchphrases. And at the end of the episode, in retaliation for Jake accusing Gary of being the thief at one point, the Serve and Protect team create a criminal named Jake Peralta. 

On-screen Jake tells his victim that he’s made a saddle out of his latest victim’s sister that he’s going to put on her back. When she asks what’s wrong with him, he declares proudly, “I am Jake Peralta, the grossest criminal of all time!” Jake then gets shot about 14 times by series lead Cassie Sinclair’s (Kelly Sullivan) character, who calls him an “unbelievable creep” and spits on the floor, telling him, “Rot in hell, Jake Peralta!”

15. The Rookie: Feds Season 1, episode 12: Vampire Cop

While The Rookie Season 2, episode 9 brings us police procedural series Hot Suspect starring Sterling Freeman (Daniel Lissing) and Sabrina Fowler (Kayla Ewell) and critiques how unrealistic cop shows are, our must-watch show-within-a-show comes from its spinoff series. The Rookie: Feds delivers a fantasy twist with Vampire Cops. When the Feds are called to investigate imitation vampire attacks, they turn to FBI agent Brendon Acres (Kevin Zegers) for help, since he spent six years playing the lead actor in the series Vampire Cop before joining the FBI. His catchphrase? “You can’t kill what’s already dead.” 

As it turns out, Brandon heavily researched the role and became something of an expert on blood, which is ironic, since he can’t stand the sight of the stuff in his FBI job. Reality and fiction keep getting mixed up, as the episode includes the filming of a true-crime documentary with a mockumentary feel, which gets sidetracked from the murder investigation to ask Brandon’s dad whether his son is a real-life vampire. Dad, being supremely unhelpful, takes out a bag of Brandon’s baby teeth to rant about how sharp they are. The documentary includes footage from the Vampire Cop series as “evidence”.

16. The Comeback: Room and Bored

Get ready for a shows-within-a-show nesting doll! Comedy-drama series The Comeback centres on narcissistic actress Valerie Cherish (Lisa Kudrow), an older actress in Hollywood who’s gone from being America’s sweetheart to playing Aunt Sassy in the upcoming sitcom, Room and Bored, which centres on four sexy roommates and their fifth wheel, Aunt Sassy. Aunt Sassy’s catchphrases include “Note to self: I don’t need to see that!” From everything we see on screen, it would make a great hate-watch show. 

As Valerie prepares to make the greatest show ever to grace the small screen, her every career misstep and all those juicy behind-the-scenes secrets, including the piggish behaviour of Room and Bored writer Paulie G (played by Lance Barber) and the degrading way in which female sitcom characters are written, are also being captured for posterity for her new reality series, titled The Comeback. It leaves Valerie desperate to protect her image and cover up the chaos, but that’s like trying to plug a leak with peanut butter. 

The delusional Valerie was inspired by Lisa’s imaginary talk show guest character, which she made up before appearing on Friends, along with Lisa’s horror at watching a humiliating scene play out in reality series The Amazing Race, which had a competitor’s husband yelling at her while she cried and threw up.