The Franchise season 1: Full cast list explored

The first three episodes of The Franchise season 1 have been released so far on HBO Max, with the series premiering on October 6, 2024. Created by Jon Brown, the satirical comedy series parodies the practices and policies of big studios and shows how they seemingly curtail the liberties of filmmakers.

The premiere of The Franchise season 1 opens with a prolonged single-take shot, in which Daniel Kumar (Himesh Patel) takes the viewers through a chaotic movie set. The film being shot is called Tecto: Eye Of The Storm, and as the subsequent episodes show, the filmmakers are constantly interrupted by the money-minded studio executives who keep changing things around.

The series stars established actors like Himesh Patel, Aya Cash, and Daniel Brühl, among others. Read on to find out more about the cast of The Franchise season 1.

Disclaimer: The article contains some spoilers about the show. Reader's discretion is advised.

The Franchise season 1: Cast members and the characters they play

1) Himesh Patel as Daniel Kumar

Right from episode 1, it is Patel’s Daniel Kumar from whose perspective much of the story is shown. He is the first assistant director, and since the director of Tecto, Eric, is often busy with abstract thoughts, it is Daniel who has to deal with the chaos and confusion of the movie set on a daily basis.

Further, by episode 3, it is quite clear that Daniel had a messy break-up with Anita some years back. As luck would have it, Anita becomes the producer of Tecto in episode 2. Patel is known for his roles in shows like EastEnders, Damned, Station Eleven, and The Luminaries, among others.

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2) Aya Cash as Anita

Cash plays Anita in The Franchise season 1. Driven and ambitious, Anita is the person who somehow gets the job done, or at least that is how she sees herself. But as the first three episodes of the series have already shown, things often go out of her hands thanks to her rash decisions and poor people-management skills.

As a result, she has to team up with her ex, Daniel, and try to wrap up the shooting as soon as possible. Cash has appeared in shows like The Boys, Modern Family, Traffic Light, and Law & Order, among others.

3) Billy Magnussen as Adam

Magnussen plays Adam in the series. Adam is the titular superhero of Tecto. Adam is a vain and insecure actor who cannot tolerate other actors getting roles that might steal the limelight from him even for a second. Further, he is struggling to come to terms with the side effects of the supplements he has been taking to get the physique he now has.

Episode 3 shows the vulnerable side of Adam, as Daniel has to assure the panicking actor that he is alright and nothing bad is really happening to him due to the supplements. Magnussen has been seen in films like Into the Woods (2014), The Great Gilly Hopkins (2016), and No Time to Die (2021).

4) Richard E. Grant as Peter Fairchild

Richard E. Grant as Peter Fairchild (Image via HBO)

Grant plays Peter Fairchild in The Franchise season 1. At par with Adam when it comes to vanity, Peter is also quite proud of the fact that he is a veteran theater actor. Peter plays the Eye in Tecto, and constantly bickers with Adam on the movie set.

The silly and frequent fights between Peter and Adam in the series parody the egoistic nature of celebrity actors. A famous actor, Grant is known for his roles in films like Warlock (1989), Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), The Age of Innocence (1993), The Portrait of a Lady (1996), Saltburn (2023), and others.

5) Darren Goldstein as Pat

Goldstein plays Pat, a self-proclaimed philistine who is the embodiment of the vices of big studios. A senior executive at Maximum Studios, he invades the movie set and starts altering things, affecting the script in significant ways, keeping in mind the revenue perspective of the studio.

It is Pat who asks Anita to empower the only noticeable female character in Tecto because fans have alleged that Maximum Studios does not feature many strong female characters. However, as the conclusion of episode 3 shows, this strategy backfires. Goldstein has been seen in shows like Law & Order, FBI, and Blue Bloods, among others.

6) Daniel Brühl as Eric Bouchard

Brühl plays Eric in The Franchise season 1. Eric is the director of Tecto, and when he is not directing, he is immersed in philosophical thoughts pertaining to the art of cinema. A frustrated auteur, he is annoyed by the changes he is asked by Pat to make, in what he considers to be his film.

A renowned actor, Brühl is known for his roles in films like Good Bye, Lenin!, Inglourious Basterds, Rush, Captain America: Civil War, and All Quiet on the Western Front, among others. In 2017, he was awarded the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French government at the Berlin International Film Festival, for his contribution to world cinema.

Other cast members of The Franchise season 1

Jessica Hynes as Steph
Lolly Adefope as Dag
Isaac Powell as Bryson
Justin Edwards as Rufus Maley
Ruaridh Mollica as Jax Cox
Alex Gaumond as Justin Barrett
Urs Rechn as Horst Sommer
Katherine Waterston as Quinn Walker

Edited by Ameen Fatima