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May 27, 2021
At the time of writing, news just broke that Amazon is acquiring MGM for almost 9 billion dollars. This news has prompted me to finish writing this post that has been sitting in my drafts for far too long. The initial motivation for this piece came from my disdain for the entertainment monolith that is Disney. That sentiment remains, and is now accompanied by the news of this acquisition among many others. But enough preamble, what I really want to talk about is Dropout.tv, and why you should absolutely subscribe to their service.
Dropout.tv is the evolution of the old internet comedy website CollegeHumor. A few years back they launched Dropout as a subscription service to provide high-quality, independent comedy. Until January of 2020, they were funded by IAC, the company that owns Tinder. However, In January 2020, IAC dropped funding for Dropout and CollegeHumor entirely. This should have spelled the end of Dropout. However, CollegeHumor CEO Sam Reich saved the service by acquiring it outright from IAC. Though almost the entire staff was laid off and the budget was now significantly lower, Dropout was still alive, and for that I am eternally grateful.
Now, let me get into what I love about Dropout.tv.
If you are just jumping into Dropout, there is an immense back catalogue of content for you to enjoy. From the earliest CollegeHumor videos to newer Dropout exclusives, there is no shortage of comedy shows to watch. Below are just a few that I really enjoyed:
Um, Actually: Um, Actually is a game show where contestants buzz in to correct incorrect statements made by the host, but all answers must be proceeded by the words “Um, Actually”. The questions are taken from all genres of nerdom, from high fantasy novels to anime. There are different contestants on each episode, with a majority of them being comedians or entertainers in different media. The questions are interesting and I definitely learned more than I knew, while also laughing hysterically at the contestants' shenanigans.
Troopers: Troopers was an immensely popular show made years ago on CollegeHumor. It follows two dorky stormtrooper-esque characters as they navigate life on a deathstar-esque ship. With Dropout, Troopers was revived for another season, with a higher budget and new characters. The hijinx and hilarity never ceases and is a blast to watch.
Dropout Vodcasts: While Dropout was under IAC, there were an incredible number of vodcasts started by members of the CollegeHumor cast. Though most of the shows have ended, the back catalogue of vodcasts are great. Some of my favourites are “Tales From The Closet”, “Erotic Book Club”, and “TablePop”. There are Plenty more and I highly encourage you to check them out.
These are just few shows I picked out from dozens available on the platform. I highly recommend scrolling through the immense catalogue and trying a few different shows.
Dimension 20 is by far Dropout's most popular show. It is an actual play DnD show that has a number of seasons with more continuing to be developed. Dimension 20 is my favorite DnD actual play show, and it all starts with the incredible DM Brennan Lee Mulligan. His mastery of balancing comedy with action is unparalleled. As an incredible actor and improvisor, Brennan skillfully plays off his players to create scenes ranging from “doubled-over with laughter” funny to absolutely gut-wrenching. On top of all of this, Brennan is a master storyteller. Every campaign has an incredibly captivating story with twists and turns that keeps me on the edge of my seat.
I think the one of the strongest parts of Dimension 20 is its diverse cast and characters. There is an incredible amount of diversity in player characters as well as NPCs. Brennan and the cast play characters of colour, queer and trans characters, as well as neurodivergent characters. The cast members themselves are incredibly diverse and bring their own experiences and perspectives to the game. Brennan also plays an incredibly diverse number of NPCs, hiring sensitivity consultants to ensure he does justice to the characters he portrays.
If you have even a passing interest in DnD actual play content, I cannot recommend Dimension 20 enough. Though some of the content is available on YouTube, I encourage you to subscribe to Dropout.tv to experience all the Dimension 20 shows and bonus content as it is meant to be experienced.
At the end of the day, there's little we can do individually to stop conglomerates from swallowing up every entertainment platform to create a homogeneous, cultural and entertainment monolith. What we can do is support those networks and creators creating the truly diverse and interesting content the entertainment behemoths are too afraid to produce.
Create the content you want to see in the world. If you can't create it, support it!