Earlier, Prem wrote about Sasha Velour’s upcoming show on Quibi, the “bite-sized” streaming platform designed for quick hit entertainment. Whenever Quibi comes up in my social media, there’s a real air of condescension and thinly veiled contempt for it surrounding the news releases. But as Prem pointed out, there is an entire generation who prefers quick, digital content. Why not meet them where they are? A streaming platform engineered to satisfy the craving for short-form content is not a bad idea; in fact, it is a very good idea. I will not be surprised to see Quibi outlast two-thirds of the upcoming studio/network streaming platforms.
Quibi is also being very smart in their partnerships, going for top-tier creatives like Sasha Velour, Chrissy Tiegen, and now, Kevin Hart. Hart will produce and star in a series called Action Scene, inspired by the opening sequence of one of his comedy specials. You know what no one likes? The opening of a comedy special. But Hart’s idea to adapt this into a short-form series makes up for the inherent lameness of comedy special openings. He’s going to play himself, rejected from an action role, only to encounter an action star. It sounds like each episode will be a different action star popping in to do a stunt sequence with Kevin Hart. One of them will FOR SURE be The Rock, you know it will. I would never admit to copping this idea from the opening of a comedy special because, again, lame, but that’s a solid short-form hook.
There is a HUGE amount of potential in short-form entertainment. People can laugh at Quibi for its dumb name, but this is a unique approach to the streaming space we haven’t seen yet. And the appeal goes beyond baby millennials and Gen Z. I don’t like watching movies on my phone, but sketch comedy? Absolutely. And I would totally watch something like Action Scene, too. For the last couple of weeks, I’ve been obsessively re-watching THE BEST SHOW of the summer, Sarah’s Channel. It’s a six-part Youtube Series about a social media influencer. The whole thing takes barely thirty minutes to watch, perfect for my commute. I have legit watched it once every day since discovering it. It is DELIGHTFUL. You should watch Sarah’s Channel, too. Don’t look up anything about it. Just watch it. This could not work in any format except short-form web series. If Quibi brings me stuff like Sarah’s Channel, count me in. And yes, this entire post is an excuse to get you to watch Sarah’s Channel. Like and subscribe!
