When (and how) to watch The Franchise

Well, it's finally happened. Superhero movies have gotten so big that they're getting the Silicon Valley treatment. Produced by Sam Mendes and Armando Iannucci, The Franchise is a new original series that skewers the world of big budget blockbusters and caped crusaders in the way that only the Scottish satirist behind Veep, The Thick of It and The Death of Stalin can.

Here in Australia, The Franchise will be streaming exclusively on Binge. 

Typically Max (formerly HBO Max) TV shows end up on Binge or Foxtel Now or both (and occasionally on Stan) but The Franchise will be streaming on-demand exclusively on Binge and airing later on FOX8 via Foxtel. 

Binge is Foxtel's streaming service that's closer to something like Netflix than it is its pay TV forefather Foxtel. It's a no-contract situation with three plan tiers ranging from $10 to $22 per month. Here's how each Binge plan compares: 

While The Franchise follows a fictional series of superhero movies, the lines between it and its real world inspirations are pretty thin. From Richard E. Grant to Aya Cash and Daniel Bruhl, the ensemble cast is littered with names and faces who have turned up in one cinematic universe or another over the years. Even if the tilt on the series' loose adaptation of real-but-crazy behind the scenes shenanigans is built for the haters, there's probably just as much fun to be had here for those who enjoy the movies that The Franchise is making fun of.

The official synopsis for the series is as follows:

If you're interested in revisiting Armando Iannucci's earlier work, you'll have to do a bit of leg work to track it down. Although you won't have to go far to watch Veep as the series is available to stream through Foxtel Now subscription (or a Binge subscription), you'll have to shell out for Netflix if you want to witness the The Death of Stalin. Meanwhile, The Thick of It can be found on Britbox.

Here's how those services compare with other streaming services available in Australia: