Creators Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg recently told the Times of London that Season 2 of “The Studio” will “acknowledge” the death of series star Catherine O’Hara, who died in January at the age of 71.
“It was an incredible challenge,” Goldberg said of continuing the show without O’Hara. “Of course, in terms of the emotional stuff, dealing with loss, and the show itself. We wrote this show so that she was there, all set up, and the shockwaves permeate throughout the new season. It was difficult. You put it better than we did. She was the anchor, and now the anchor is gone.”
Rogen added, “If anything, we acknowledge the idea that we’re a little bit unanchored. But honestly, it’s part of life and it’s something that we all go through. So we try not to dwell too much on the heavy themes on this show, but they’re still there in this second season. We’re not ignoring that.”
O’Hara starred in Season 1 of “The Studio” as Patti Lee, a Hollywood executive and pseudo-mentor to Rogen’s studio head Matt Remick. For this role, she was nominated for the 2025 Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
According to her agency CAA, O’Hara passed away at her home in Los Angeles on January 30th after a short illness. Highlights of her 50-year career in comedy include starring roles in films such as “Best in Show,” “Home Alone,” “Beetlejuice” and “After Hours.” Her most famous role was playing Moriah Rose, a housewife caught in a scam, on the CBC sitcom “Schitt’s Creek.” O’Hara won her second Emmy Award in 2020 for this role.
After winning 13 Emmy Awards for its first season, “The Studio” was renewed for a second season on Apple TV in May 2025. Rogen told reporters at the Golden Globes that the new season is expected to begin production in mid-January.
