Good morning. 15 years after its debut, The Social Network is getting a sequel focused on Mark Zuckerberg’s role in the 2020 presidential election. 

We’re happy to announce we will be playing the supporting role of “people lowballing on Facebook Marketplace.”  

By the way: All three stories in today’s newsletter focus on the intersection between YouTube and TV—we’d love to hear your POV on that blurring line. Hit respond and tell us what’s on your mind.

— Hannah Doyle & Syd Cohen

The latest scripted 20-minute comedy series won’t be found on streaming—it’s made by creators, owned by creators, and published exclusively on YouTube. 

Tee it up: Golf comedy Shanked, which drops its second episode today, was written by comedy creator trio James Lynch, Mikey Smith, and Patrick Farley and stars internet comedians including Mitsy Sanderson and Dylan Adler. Soda brand Olipop is sponsoring the series.

Shanked releases episodes every other week on YouTube, with daily clips released on Reels, Shorts, and TikTok. So far, the first episode has received over 140K views, and 75% of viewers have come from YouTube recommendations on TV.

Breaking down the business: The creators and cast share ownership of the show with production company London Alley. Here’s how they’re funding the series →

Big picture: Scripted content hasn’t always thrived on YouTube because of 1) lack of demand and 2) cost. YouTube scripted shows like Cobra Kai and Step Up moved to streaming platforms in 2020, and YouTube closed its scripted arm, YouTube Originals, in 2022. 

But as YouTube replaces TV for more viewers, creators like Alan Chikin Chow, Kinigra Deon, and Dhar Mann have succeeded with scripted content. They’re also finding new ways to cut production costs.

London Alley estimated that Shanked cost about 10% of what it would take to produce for a streamer, given its leaner production team that didn’t have to navigate Hollywood guilds and unions. 

“In retrospect, [YouTube scripted content] was too early and top-down, not bottom-up. It was predominantly Hollywood talent trying to make stuff on YouTube, not creators,” Horrigan said. “So with Shanked, it’s endemic to creators with Hollywood talent in the margins supporting, but supporting the creators’ vision, not creators acting in a Hollywood production.”

Following Nickelodeon’s abrupt cancellation of the Emmy-winning animation series The Tiny Chef Show, its creators put out a call: “Tiny Chef needs your help.” 

Tiny Chef’s ask? Fan donations, so the creators of the show can take it to social media. 

The Tiny Chef team is 1) asking for financial support via Venmo and Zelle and 2) encouraging its audience to subscribe to their YouTube channel and share Tiny Chef content across platforms. 

The response has been significant. The video has been viewed over 100 million times on X, outpacing the original show’s reach and finding a new audience to support it. 

Big picture: Original scripted content for TV is still limping following the writers’ and actors’ strikes two years ago. In 2024, there were 25% fewer first-run series than in 2022. 

So? Many streaming services have relied on online success to indicate whether they should pick up a show (like SpindleHorse’s Helluva Boss). If this trend continues, more original programming like The Tiny Chef Show may find its way to social platforms instead.

As YouTube dominates televisions (making up 12.4% of TV watchtime), other platforms are trying to run its playbook. Both Meta and Bytedance, the parent companies of Instagram and TikTok, respectively, are working on apps to optimize their content for TV screens, according to The Information.

Context: TikTok launched a made-for-TV app in 2021 but discontinued it last month. Instagram experimented with 60-minute IGTV videos in 2022.

Zoom out: With more high quality content becoming native to social platforms, the integration of more TV apps is a natural successor to YouTube’s living room achievement.

The content we’re looking forward to reading, watching, and listening to this weekend.