Share and Follow
Apple TV+’s series The Studio plans to address the passing of its late star, Catherine O’Hara, in its forthcoming season.
“In many ways, we feel a bit adrift,” co-creator Seth Rogen shared with The Times of London in a feature published on Friday, April 3. He hinted at the upcoming season of the critically acclaimed comedy series. “However, it’s a reflection of life — something we all encounter. While our show typically steers away from somber themes, they will be present this season. We won’t shy away from it.”
O’Hara portrayed Patty Leigh in Rogen’s The Studio, which debuted in 2025, nearly a year prior to her passing at 71. Her death was attributed to a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot in the lungs, with rectal cancer noted as a contributing factor.
Evan Goldberg, Rogen’s creative collaborator on The Studio, also told The Times that continuing the series without O’Hara poses an “unbelievable challenge.”
Catherine O’Hara will be fondly remembered for her numerous iconic roles and achievements in Hollywood. Yet, she once revealed that her most valued accomplishment lay beyond the screen — the life she nurtured away from the spotlight. Two years prior, the Home Alone star expressed that her greatest pride was being “the mother of my children.”
“Obviously emotionally, dealing with the loss, but also when it comes to the show itself. We wrote it for her to be there,” Goldberg said. “We had it all set and the shock waves permeate throughout the entire new season. It’s been difficult. You worded it better than we could — she was the anchor and now the anchor is gone.”
O’Hara died in January and is survived by her husband and children. As for Rogen, he was among the well-wishers to offer his condolences via social media.
“Really don’t know what to say. I told O’Hara when I first met her I thought she was the funniest person I’d ever had the pleasure of watching on screen,” Rogen, 43, wrote via Instagram at the time. “Home Alone was the movie that made me want to make movies. Getting to work with her was a true honor. She was hysterical, kind, intuitive [and] generous.”
He continued, “She made me want to make our show good enough to be worthy of her presence in it. This is just devastating. We’re all lucky we got to live in a world with her in it.”
Rogen also mentioned O’Hara in his acceptance speech at the DGA Awards the following month.
Seth Rogen is celebrating Catherine O’Hara’s legacy more than one week after her shocking death. “Honestly, there’s no one we wish we could thank in person at this moment more than we would love to thank Catherine O’Hara,” Rogen, 43, said during his speech on Saturday, February 7, while accepting the trophy for Best Comedy […]
“Honestly, there’s no one we wish we could thank in person at this moment more than we would love to thank Catherine O’Hara,” Rogen, who won Best Comedy Series Director, said in his February speech. “It was an honor to get to direct her every day and we worked very hard to make the show good enough to warrant her time and her presence. So, ultimately, we would like to thank the DGA for this, but we would mostly like to thank Catherine O’Hara for being such a wonderful person and for blessing us with your presence.”
O’Hara later posthumously won the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series award at the 2026 Actor Awards last month. Rogen accepted the trophy on her behalf.
“I was asked to assume the very sad honor of accepting this award on [Catherine] O’Hara’s behalf,” the comedian shared at the March ceremony. “I know she would have been honored to receive this award from her fellow performers, who I know she respected so much. She was such a big fan of all of yours.”
The Studio season 2 does not yet have a premiere date.