\n
\n\tRob Reiner played Ace Amberg, the head of Ace Studios, in this limited series, which hailed from Ian Brennan and Ryan Murphy. Ace greenlights the movie-within-the-show, which is first titled Peg and then renamed Meg, which also features his own daughter, Claire (Samara Weaving), in a role. Later, when Ace has a heart attack, his wife, Avis (Patti LuPone), is put in charge of the studio.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
\nThe Muppets (2011)\u00a0<\/h2>\n
\t\t\t![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-hollywoodreporter-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/MCDMUPP_EC001-H-2025.jpg?w=1296\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Patrick Wymore\/\u00a9Walt Disney Pictures\/Courtesy Everett Collection\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
\n\tWith help from Walter (Jason Segel), the Muppets set out to raise money to save their theater. To do so, they decide to hold a telethon, pitching several networks, including the fictional CDE, where executive Veronica Martin (played by Rashida Jones) agrees to air the show if they get land a celebrity host. The Muppets end up kidnapping Jack Black and forcing him into the gig. (Incidentally, Jones also puppeteered the female trumpet player in the Muppet Orchestra, whom she named Dolores.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
\nNetwork (1976)<\/h2>\n
\t\t\t![\"Network,](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/M8DNETW_EC009-H-2025.jpg?w=1296\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Courtesy Everett Collection\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
\n\tWilliam Holden portrays Max Schumacher, the network executive at the fictional Union Broadcasting System who oversees UBS Evening News. The plot kicks off when Max tells Howard Beale (Peter Finch), the program\u2019s veteran anchor, that he will be out of a job in two weeks due to declining ratings. That leads to Howard\u2019s on-air monologue\/rant in which he famously declares, \u201cI\u2019m as mad as hell and I\u2019m not going to take this anymore!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
\nOnce Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019)<\/h2>\n
\t\t\t![\"Once](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/MCDONUP_EC181-H-2025.jpg?w=1296\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Andrew Cooper\/Columbia Pictures\/Courtesy Everett Collection\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
\n\tWhile he\u2019s not a studio executive, Al Pacino\u2019s Marvin Schwarz still has the power to influence a career as the Hollywood agent to actor Rick Dalton (Leonardo DiCaprio) in this Quentin Tarantino-directed movie. Pacino made the most of his brief time onscreen as Marvin, who has a brutally honest conversation with Rick in the opening minutes of the film that manages to convince the once big-time star that he\u2019s now a has-been whose best career move would be to relocate to Italy and take roles in spaghetti Westerns. Pacino, and the rest of the cast, earned a SAG Award for best ensemble cast in a motion picture.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
\nThe Player (1992)<\/h2>\n
\t\t\t![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/MSDPLAY_EC001-H-2025.jpg?w=1296\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Miramax\/Courtesy Everett Collection\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
\n\tRobert Altman directed this Hollywood satire\/mystery starring Tim Robbins as Griffin Mill, a studio executive who has been receiving death threats, which he suspects are coming from a screenwriter whose pitch he previously rejected. At the same time, Griffin is facing the possibility that he might be replaced by an up-and-coming executive, played by Peter Gallagher. The inside look at the inner workings of Tinseltown earned Altman an Oscar nom.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
\nSaving Mr. Banks (2013)<\/h2>\n
\t\t\t![\"Saving](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/MCDSAMI_EC028-H-2025.jpg?w=1296\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Francois Duhamel\/Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures\/Courtesy Everett Collection\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
\n\tTom Hanks plays none other than Walt Disney in this film, which follows the meetings between his character and Mary Poppins author Pamela \u201cP.L.\u201d Travers (played by Emma Thompson) as he tries to obtain the film rights to her story and the disagreements they had while developing the movie. During the process, he also uncovers some secrets about her past. Hanks was nominated for best supporting actor at the London Critics Circle Film Awards and received the Chairman\u2019s Award at the Palm Springs International Festival for his performance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
\nSeinfeld (1989-98)<\/h2>\n
\t\t\t![\"Seinfeld,](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TSDSEIN_CK030-H-2025.jpg?w=1296\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Carin Baer\/Castle Rock Entertainment\/Courtesy Everett Collection\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
\n\tWhen Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) and George (Jason Alexander) meet with NBC to pitch their ill-fated television show, two of the execs they meet with are Russell Dalrymple (Bob Balaban), the fictional president of NBC, and Susan Ross (Heidi Swedberg). Russell later develops a crush on Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and quits NBC to join Greenpeace to impress her, after which the show falls apart. George, meanwhile, develops his own crush on Susan, and the two eventually get engaged \u2014 though (warning: 29-year-old spoiler alert coming!) she famously ends up dying from the toxic glue on their wedding invitation envelopes, much to his morbid delight.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
\nThe Studio (2015-)<\/h2>\n
\t\t\t![\"Seth](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/The_Studio_Photo_010202-H-2025.jpg?w=1296\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Apple TV+\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
\n\tSeth Rogen stars as Matt Remick, the newly installed chief of Continental Studios who describes himself as \u201cthe most talent-friendly studio executive in all of Hollywood.\u201d The show features a slew of cameos, including Martin Scorsese, as it gives viewers an inside look at the moviemaking process.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
\nSwimming With Sharks (1994)<\/h2>\n
\t\t\t![\"Swimming](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/MSDSWWI_TK005-H-2025.jpg?w=1296\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Trimark Pictures\/Courtesy Everett Collection\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
\n\tKevin Spacey plays Buddy Ackerman, described as \u201cthe biggest producer in Hollywood.\u201d When Guy (Frank Whaley) lands a job as his assistant, he thinks he\u2019s gotten his big break. But he soon finds out how abusive and cruel his new boss really is and decides to exact revenge \u2014 only to find out the truth behind Buddy\u2019s abusive behavior and discover how far he\u2019ll go to climb the Hollywood career.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
\nTropic Thunder (2008)<\/h2>\n
\t\t\t![\"Tom](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Tom-Cruise-Tropic-Thunder-Screenshot.jpg?w=1296\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Courtesy\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
\n\tWearing prosthetics and a bald headpiece, Tom Cruise is unrecognizable in his role as studio executive Les Grossman, who is prone to having angry outbursts, dropping profanity-laced rants and making death threats as a way of motivating those who work for him. He also flings insults such as \u201ca nutless monkey could do your job\u201d and is willing to let one of his stars die for the insurance payout. The Ben Stiller-directed film focuses on a group of actors who are filming a movie set during the Vietnam War. But things go awry when they are dropped in the middle of a jungle and are forced to fend for themselves. Cruise\u2019s Les is the studio exec frustrated with the film\u2019s inexperienced director, whose threat to cancel the project leads to the jungle debacle. Cruise landed a Golden Globe nomination for his performance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n
\nWho Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)<\/h2>\n
\t\t\t![\"Who](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/MSDWHFR_EC016-H-2025.jpg?w=1296\")
\n\t\t\t\t\tImage Credit: Buena Vista\/Courtesy Everett Collection\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\n
\n\tTwo studio execs \u2014 R.K. Maroon (Alan Tilvern) and Marvin Acme (Stubby Kaye) \u2014\u00a0both meet dire ends in this live-action\/animation hybrid. The death of Acme kicks off the mystery of the story, wherein toon character Roger Rabbit (voiced by Charles Fleischer) is framed for his murder. Private investigator Eddie Valiant (Bob Hoskins) reluctantly agrees to help Roger try to clear his name and find the real murderer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n
![\"Clockwise](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Studio-Chiefs-Onscreen-List-MAIN-Split-Everett-H-2025.jpg?w=1296&h=730&crop=1\")
<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n![\"Tilda](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/MV5BMGNmOWM5Y2QtMWZkYy00MGFjLWFkNWEtYWU5ZjNhZDY0MWQ0XkEyXkFqcGc@._V1_-H-2025.jpg?w=1296\")
![\"Babylon,](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/MCDBABY_PA071-H-2025.jpg?w=1296\")
![\"Reid](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/reid-scott_0-cr-John-P.-Johnson-HBO-H-2025.jpg?w=1296\")
![\"Entourage,](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/MCDENTO_EC011-H-2025.jpg?w=1296\")
![\"Hail,](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/MCDHACA_EC057-H-2025.jpg?w=1296\")
![\"Hollywood,](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/TCDHOLL_ZX038-H-2025.jpg?w=1296\")