‘The Studio’ and ‘Platonic’ represent a new era of smarter but still silly – the face of “male buddy humour” has finally cleaned up his act
I was never a Seth Rogen fan. He used to be that goofy guy my boyfriend liked with the big booming laugh – until now. This year, I’ve found myself checking his socials and beaming at the screen while I watch him in his latest show The Studio, where he plays a desperate-to-be-liked Hollywood movie exec; I even bought a bucket hat he wears in Platonic, the male/female friendship comedy series with Rose Bryne, to emulate my new obsession. And when my (now) husband asked me why I like him so much all of a sudden, I had to think about it.
“You never liked him before,” he said, while I howled with laughter over the latest episode of Platonic by myself, as soon as it dropped.
It’s true. I watched his movies with my husband when we were both teenagers, and always felt slightly outside of the joke. He had a poster of him on his wall when we were 18, in 2009 – a close up of Rogen from the shoulders up, big unstyled hair, wearing something crumpled-looking and brown, with a goofy smile on his face. It felt like quite a green flag in the “lad mag” era, when other options were pornstars or cars, but I can’t say I liked it.
Of course, his films in the noughties (like Knocked Up) left a lot to be desired for a female audience. Women were cast in thankless, one-dimensional roles: the whiny girlfriend, or uptight wife, nagging plot devices who only existed for the development of male characters. The men, in contrast, were goofy and loveable no matter how incompetent, lazy, or unattractive.
It was classic “male buddy humour”, a genre of comedy Rogen was the face of, where male friendship is the story, and women were only ever obstacles to their fun, or objects of desire. There wasn’t much for women to connect with, because we were always the punchline – and comedy that says “women are a joke” isn’t something I enjoy. It felt like he spent a decade making fun of me.
Rogen, and the rest of them, always had a love interest he didn’t deserve – who was outrageously gorgeous. These films said: “Unkempt men deserve women 10 times hotter than them and they shouldn’t have to treat them properly.”
It was male fantasy for teenage boys, which is what my husband was at the time of said poster. But in 2025, at 43-years-old, it seems Seth Rogen has finally cleaned up his act: The Studio and Platonic represent a new era of smarter but still silly.
He’s cleaned up literally, too. He looks amazing: he has a fantastic new wardrobe, he’s had a sharp haircut, and a shave. His greying temples are sexy. But it’s not just his physical appearance that’s doing it for me.
He’s distanced himself from the “shlubby slacker” and manchild roles of yore – recognising where his earlier work fell short in various interviews. He also very publicly ended his friendship with his friend and collaborator James Franco, in the face of multiple sexual misconduct allegations, renouncing his alleged actions.
That break was more than personal. It signalled a deliberate choice to move beyond the stoner-bro culture and boys’ club comedy scene he was once associated with.
In Platonic, he takes a swipe at Russell Brand, saying he smells like “hummus and sexual assault accusations”. There’s also a line in The Studio (which he created and co-wrote) where he calls Woody Allen a pervert. His stance is clear. He’s an ally. He’s calling everyone out.
It’s how you want men to react to their sexist mates at the pub. The accountability is very attractive. I’ll say it, I think I’m in love with him – and Hollywood is, too. He cleaned up at The Emmys in September, taking home four awards for The Studio, winning outstanding lead actor in a comedy series personally – and he thanked his wife.
So wait a minute, he recognises the role his wife plays in his professional success (and not in the patronising “you’re our superhero” way), he calls out sexism, he can acknowledge and learn from his past mistakes, and he looks like he doesn’t peel his dirty clothes off his bedroom floor anymore? Where do I sign him up for “Sexiest Man of The Year”?
Seth Rogen has grown up, and the industry, and audiences like me, are finally taking him seriously. Or, as my husband describes it: “You used to hate him, and now you love him, and it’s just because he wore a hat you liked.”
The season finale of ‘Platonic’ is out today on Apple TV+
