Welcome to The Vertical Bloom, a weekly dive into the fast-growing world of microseries and vertical storytelling. Here, we unpack the platforms, creators, and deals shaping the format that’s quietly redefining what it means to make, and watch, scripted content in the mobile age.
This week, the sitcom isn’t dead, it’s just waiting to be reborn as a microseries, Variety wonders if microdramas could save Hollywood, and Scott reviews a review of James’ Franco’s microdrama.
So then-
Let’s talk about James Franco.
Specifically, let’s talk about Variety’s recent review and analysis of his microseries.
It was critical, yes. It addressed much of the problematic history surrounding Franco, yes. And I’m not interested in minimizing or relitigating any of that.
But there was something else in the article that, as the eternal optimist about this medium, I couldn’t help but notice.
Because if you look at the context of the criticism, I think there’s meaningful evidence of the dramatic shift microseries continue to experience.
The article criticized Franco’s performance and what it perceived as a lack of enthusiasm for the material.
Think about what that criticism implicitly says:
Verticals deserve passionate, talented acting.
The article praised Taye Diggs for fully committing to his role in his recent CandyJar production. I obviously can’t know why Franco made the choices he did in his performance, but my read of the Variety piece was that he wasn’t giving this audience the range and commitment he had demonstrated in some of his previous work.
The premise that a microseries deserves that range and commitment is meaningful.
But there was something even more striking to me.
The article suggested that this microseries might have offered Franco a kind of renaissance with younger audiences had he executed at a high level - that some form of career comeback might have been possible had he embraced the role and committed to it as fully as he had in films like 127 Hours and The Disaster Artist.
To be very clear: whether James Franco deserves redemption, a comeback, or anything else is not my argument here.
What interests me is that one of our industry’s most important publications entertained the premise that a microseries could be the vehicle for it.
That should speak volumes about how the medium is now being perceived.
Had Franco appeared in a used-car commercial, a corporate explainer, or some other artistically disposable piece of material, the idea that he had squandered an opportunity for artistic and commercial reinvention wouldn’t even be part of the conversation.
But here it was.
In Variety.
A microseries was being discussed as a place where meaningful artistic reinvention was possible - even if, in the writer’s estimation, that opportunity was missed.
That speaks volumes to me about where we are.
I don’t want to dissect James Franco’s career and conduct. That’s a conversation where there are people far more qualified and relevant than I.
I simply wanted to highlight something I saw as meaningful:
Microseries are increasingly being discussed the same way we discuss other legitimate artistic and commercial mediums - by publications that cover those mediums at the highest level.
And with the right kind of eyes, I think you can see a glimpse of the future.
Alright, let’s get into it.
Vertical Video Economy Worth $150B, Even Without China – Owl & Co Report
Unless you’re sleeping under a rock you will have seen us cover the Owl and Co analysis that the vertical format biz is now worth $150B. Microdramas are up $1B since last year and are showing growth in subscription platforms.
The boom has tracked along with that of generative AI and I would warn companies against building an AI-centered reputation for microseries. Jesse Whittock notes, “Across the seven leading paid-for apps, series releases rose ‘more than fivefold’ since the second quarter of this year. However, average time spent per new title dropped.” The viewer’s interest is piqued but it must be rewarded with strong storytelling in order to keep them watching.
Can Microdramas Save Hollywood? Why the New Vertical Boom Isn’t Quibi 2.0
Range Media Partners’ Rachel Douglas describes being surprised by the enthusiasm from SNL alum Kenan Thompson in regards to his new vertical series for Range. Verticals are giving writers the opportunity to launch projects that streaming platforms and television won’t take a chance on. That’s the same excitement writers had around Quibi, but now we have a more robust scripted-digital business model in order to take those risks.
Here Michael Schneider points to subscription fees and pre-pandemic roll out as the primary faults of Quibi. The difference now is that most viewers are getting hooked on vertical microdramas from ad-supported platforms like TikTok and YouTube, and more and more are making the jump to subscription services. Additionally, in the post-pandemic landscape, vertical content is part of everyone’s day and the creators that inhabit that content are as familiar to viewers as news anchors and morning show hosts.
As far as saving the industry, the rise of AI-generated characters and stories has stalled the growth, but could serve as a short-lived experiment against human storytelling.
Microdramas Meet CTV: Why Short-Form Vertical Stories Are Becoming a Streaming Ad Format
Microdramas are uniquely positioned to be ad-friendly. Some of the most successful microdrama production companies based in India are prioritizing free ad-supported content because, “It’s shorter, cheaper to produce against, easier to test creatively, and it can be sold at a completion rate that most CTV in-stream formats simply cannot match, because the content itself is engineered around the same compulsion loop that keeps a viewer scrolling in the first place.”
However, advertising within microseries needs to be optimized and researched as its own topic, not simply lumped in with short-form content.
FlareFlow & Europe’s Shorts Strike Four-Title Microdrama Pact
The two microdrama platforms are teaming up to produce four new projects that will push beyond the standard genres of microdramas. As microdramas have become more recognizable as a format, the demand for higher concept stories has been building. The playground of original vertical content has been built and now is the time to start getting creative and experimenting.
Your Next Favorite Sitcom Will Be a Microseries
Legacy media companies and streaming services are dropping the ball on one of America’s favorite genres: the sitcom. Most streaming shows are given less than twelve episodes to prove their concept. Even if the end result shows promise, it can be canned in a merger or a change of leadership. Writing rooms are suffering and there aren’t enough opportunities for young writers to cut their teeth on set.
The setbacks of the sitcom in legacy, could be solved by embracing the genre in microseries.
Here’s why:
Vertical content platforms are willing to take risks on new writers and new faces. The Sundace Lab has launched a digital learning program for writers focusing on micro-series. It makes headline news whenever a traditional media celebrity is starring in a microdrama because so far they’ve been populated almost entirely with fresh faces.
The microseries structure is perfect for comedy and zany plotlines. A one minute episode is a perfect amount of time to build to a great joke, and the plot-based punchlines can one-up each other with each episode.
New audience members are drawn into a microseries by familiar formats and IP. Sitcoms are frequently reinventing popular tropes and plot lines. And something as simple as a group of five 20-something friends in a city is instantly recognizable as a setup for funny antics, heartfelt relationships, and at least one slow burn romance.
The entertainment industry is always talking about watch time. Which platform has the most of it, which creator or project on that platform has the most of it, which advertisers are on that programming is getting most of it. We tell our friends that we feel like we should spend less time watching things and then we spend the next thirty minutes recommending things to watch.
I’ve been meaning to get to the theater for The Odyssey, but I didn’t have time this week so instead I watched all nine episodes of the new Mindy Khaling sitcom, Not Suitable for Work. (You’re on a newsletter about verticals. Clearly I’m a fan of broken-up bingeable content.)
It was an imperfect first season, but had likable characters and the seasoned direction of Khaling. Then on Monday Variety announced that the show was cancelled. Over on TikTok I saw fans complaining that shows just don’t get the time they need to get good anymore. All of the titans of the sitcom format had middling performances in their first nine episodes, with many of them having an entirely skippable first season.
The early audience sticks around for the chemistry between the actors and the ridiculously unfolding plotlines, and then they’re truly rewarded once the show finds its legs. The viewers on vertical content apps are already primed for that kind of devotion.
Why pull the audience away from the platform? A lot of the recent sitcoms are even poaching digital creatives. Jack Martin (Not Suitable for Work), Jack Innanen (FX’s Adults), and Benito Skinner (Prime’s Overcompensating) were all recognizable faces from TikTok.
The talent and the audience is already on the platform, they just need the right story. Instead of getting a measly nine episodes, they would have dozens. That creative team could continue to develop the story and the characters to build an ongoing series. I foresee shows taking a similar path to Chit, building their audience in vertical content on a platform like TikTok and then moving to a horizontal format on a platform like YouTube.
Viewers are willing to devote their time to creators that they’ve built a relationship with. They want to feel the pride of being the early disciples of a great show. I think the next great sitcom writers and actors are on TikTok and YouTube right now. The microseries industry loves new talent and is taking the time to develop it.
The microseries industry is still booming, but also finding its footing. People are tuning in, but it’s up to us to keep them watching. I think the key is a combination of great storytelling and highlighting digital content creators with promising talent.
That’s it for this week’s Vertical Bloom.
We’re excited to keep building this into a weekly home for the ideas, experiments, and creative voices shaping vertical storytelling in real time.
We’ll be back next Thursday with more headlines, more analysis, and another look at where this medium is headed. See you then.
Editor: Scott Brown
Writer: Jo Hoch