On its face, HBO’s new series “The Franchise” may look like a blunt send-up of some of the well-known pitfalls of making a superhero film — and it is. But it’s also a love letter to the under-recognized crews full of people who actually care very deeply about their jobs.
That’s especially true of Himesh Patel’s character, Daniel. In the series, he’s the First AD on a fictional superhero film called “Tecto: Eye of the Storm.” And though he’s definitely jaded about what’s happening on set and within the franchise as a whole, he still actively tries to pitch ideas to make it better.