The Franchise answers the question of whether superhero films are killing cinema with a resounding yes right off the bat, sending up everything from convoluted cinematic universes

The Franchise,' a new series from HBO premiering Sunday that stars Himesh Patel and Lolly Adefope, takes a comic look at the production of a second-tier superhero movie from a Marvel-like studio.

Is the comics-to-screen formula played out? Yes. Should this series work harder to make good jokes about that? Yes.

Superhero films are make-believe, and The Franchise, the latest from executive producer Armando Iannucci (Veep, Avenue 5), contends that there’s just as much phoniness behind the scenes as there is in front of the camera.

The new HBO satire shows the behind-the-scenes chaos of making a blockbuster, as star Daniel Brühl confirmed, "There's so much truth in it."

All that’s before we come onto dwindling box office, hostile crew, neurotic talent, ambulance-chasing press, VFX artists going postal, and Martin Scorsese issuing edicts that movies like Tecto are destroying moviemaking, while everybody involved is just trying to get through their 27-hour day and complete the paperwork on their divorce.

And it’s the main thing differentiating “The Franchise,” HBO’s latest sendup of the entertainment industry, from all the other satires about superhero movies, Hollywood and the crass commercialization of art.