Was about to say this but you beat me to it, watching fun people get into weirdness or odd challenges with arbitrary prizes and challenges is some real standard panel show stuff, throw in taskmaster to parallel with game changer and we're all set up
Watching this video made me think "American discovers panel shows". Even in the youtube sphere Tom Scot had multiple indie panel shows, so I don't really know why focus on Dropout.
Dropout is essentially just the American equivalent of a panel show in the uk. They have comedians on them where there’s a game structure at the centre but the focus is on the comedy surrounding the contestants. Taskmaster springs to mind as a parallel but that’s a whole season of the same cast rather than just 1 episode
@@Zach90888 yeah, overall the dropout shows are like regular panel shows, but Game changer is still the most innovative, and that one is like taskmaster, the most innovative panel show
Funny that you mention that, because Dropout actually wanted to license task master at some point. Sadly it didn’t come to fruition. I would kill to see Brennan Lee Mulligan in Taskmaster.
British panel shows are exactly the same. QI, Would I lie to you?, Taskmaster, Eight out of 10 cats, all have a “gameshow”-like format (and many similar ideas to the dropout shows) but the point is the entertainment, not the winning. Honestly a lot of actual “game shows” in the UK don’t even really have a prize - the prize for winning countdown is a teapot. Basically dropout shows have a lot more in common with British Quiz and Panel shows than American “big money big prizes” gameshows. I love dropout but I don’t think they’ve really reinvented anything. Their genius really comes in the ways they’ve adapted this kind of format to showcase the wit and personalities of the contestants.
The thing that makes CH and Droppout stand out to me is their good-natured vibe. They love each other and the audience, and they’re so accepting of and open to everyone. You won’t find mean-spirited jokes pointed at people who don’t deserve it here. You’ll find good friends talking shit to each other while still clearly showing the love they have for all involved.
I find it, in a way, fascinating that he's kept under wraps that he's just doing his BLM character on Game Changer. Brennan almost specifically says this in his Adventuring Academy with Sam. He is of course competitive, but he turns it up to 11 when he's on Game Changer. This is a man who made it onto Who Wants to be a Millionaire years ago. He's far more humble than some people might think, but also so smart that he doesn't want to make it easy. Having watched almost everything he's either DMed or played on camera, he is fully invested, but still loves to see his friends succeed, even if his plans fall to ruin because of their genius or Ally's crazy rolls. As long as Dropout is like this, I'll be a subscriber, and tell everyone who will listen how amazing their content is. Thank you Sam for saving this company and making it even better, thank you BLM for your wit and class, and the entire crew for making these things possible for us to see. Sorry if this is long, it's something I love and love to spread. I 100% support this group, too many to name, but if anyone ever sees this, know that the content is amazing, and should be shared.
this is why Smartypants is a great addition to their show because they are introducing new personalities that their audience can recognize and be a fan of.
I think that while they're new, smartypants and thousandaires have so far been really fun, and it's because like most of dropout the focus is on having fun with the game/show rather than winning. thousandaires is a group of friends (usually of established cast, and they all like each other so there's great chemistry) and the whole point is who can have the most fun. smartypants is a rotating group and they get to talk about something that interests them (it's not really a game show but it's still great so far)
Nailed it. Having Thousandaires even exist is a wonderful testament to the fact that *some* positivity still exists in the world. It was like they were discussing the company, and this conversation happened: Sam: "So we're making a lot of money from subscribers who want to see new things from us. Any ideas?" Someone: "How about we just do whatever we want to have fun together?" Sam: "We don't have *that* much money!" Someone: "How about we just do whatever we want *within $5k per episode* to have fun together?" Sam: "Sold! Get to work on that!"
I signed up for Dropout a few months ago, specifically to watch The Ravening War. It's probably my favorite streaming service, one where I watch pretty much everything they put out. I think you really hit the nail on the head here. The humor is great obviously, but it's incredibly easy to form that parasocial bond with these people.
That BTN has been swirling forever, but legend says one day its hunger shall be sated. Not this day, nor any day soon, but one day... maybe... perhaps. Also, Breaking News in particular is about the Sam & Grant Torment Nexus 😂
@@IceMetalPunk Breaking News is in particular Grant trying to torment the cast unsuccessfully, the cast turning his ploy around and tormenting him instead on his own episodes, and Sam being a hardline conservative nationalist whose only kept from fascism by his corporate excess. (The Joke of course being Sam is not those things, he's a lovely human being doing a great job trying to improve the world starting with the people closest to him)
As others have said, it's definitely more like British panel shows. Or another way to think about it: Dropout "game shows" are just Whose Line style improv comedy -- with main cast and rotating cast included -- except with a single long-form game per episode instead of multiple short-form games. And just like Whose Line, even if there's a prize, everything's made up and the points don't matter. (Unless you're Brennan... then the points are his phylacteries.)
This is why I think Jeopardy made the best decision ever when they got rid of the 5-day limit. They've had so many superchampions recently, and getting to know a contestant over the course of like 2 weeks instead of just a few games is so much more fun. Like, if Ken Jennings had only been on for 5 episodes in 2004, he wouldn't be so well-known, let alone be hosting the show. One of my favorite episodes of Jeopardy ever was the Exhibition Game for the 2022 Tournament of Champions. Three of the players that season broke into the top 5 for most consecutive games won in Jeopardy history, so they were automatically put through to the semi-finals, and their episode was literally just for fun with no real money or stakes for winning. They started joking about wagering "magic beans" or whatever, and it's also the only episode I've ever heard them have to bleep out something Ken said as host (he accidentally gave away the theme of a category when they still had one question left, basically giving away the answer, and went "oh shit" when he realized his mistake -- but everybody just laughed it off since the game itself didn't actually matter). I also love that they keep bringing people back for Jeopardy Masters and other invitational tournaments. A lot of those contestants have known each other for years and are friends in real life because of their shared success on Jeopardy and their love for trivia. Just like in Dropout shows, the better the contestants know each other (and the host), and the more comfortable they are playing the game and being on TV, the more fun it is to watch them banter and be genuinely entertaining. And they're the people that are the best at the actual game itself! In the words of Mike Trapp on Um, Actually, "There's something very satisfying about watching someone just be very good at something." :)
I’ve been obsessed with British panel shows forever and I’m so glad we finally have the equivalent in the US. Equal parts Jeopardy, Whose Line, and Great British Bake Off. Wholesome, hilarious, thought provoking, and easy to watch.
Yh I didnt think how audiences without panel shows would view theese shows. Um Actualy = QI, Dirty Laundry = Would I Lie To You, and Game Changer = Taskmaster. Ive always viewed them this way theve never been a gameshows to me... just read comments apprently im just an echo XD
Proof that America can't handle the idea of a panel show. Btw check out basically any popular UK panel show, like Taskmaster, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, QI, etc
It's just not a format most Americans have been exposed to. I was lucky to get QI recommended to me many years ago, but most Americans don't watch British TV. Clearly, people actually like it now that they have seen it. Cheers, mate.
@@injuringchip3161i truly think they should let dropout make a version of taskmaster with a mix of their cast and sourcing talent to fill spots. like a mix of both each season. it would be so good
They're more like Panel Shows, "Um Actually" is like a nerdier pop culture version of "QI".
Was about to say this but you beat me to it, watching fun people get into weirdness or odd challenges with arbitrary prizes and challenges is some real standard panel show stuff, throw in taskmaster to parallel with game changer and we're all set up
You can draw parallels to most of them, going all the way back to who's line is it anyway.
Speaking of which now, I'd love to see Brennan Lee Mulligan on Have I Got News For You.
Watching this video made me think "American discovers panel shows". Even in the youtube sphere Tom Scot had multiple indie panel shows, so I don't really know why focus on Dropout.
From all this you might enjoy Taskmaster, if you haven't allready seen it. Great work by the way!
this is a great analysis on how Dropout craft their shows. well done!
🤗 Promo sm
the zoom in on brennan at 3:45 while you say "a lot of contestants really don't seem to try that hard to win" made me laugh
Same, 10/10 editing right there
There is no part of his soul he won't sell for a point, Icarus! 😂
Dropout is essentially just the American equivalent of a panel show in the uk. They have comedians on them where there’s a game structure at the centre but the focus is on the comedy surrounding the contestants. Taskmaster springs to mind as a parallel but that’s a whole season of the same cast rather than just 1 episode
Ironic, because taskmaster is the least like any other panel show out there.
@@Zach90888 yeah, overall the dropout shows are like regular panel shows, but Game changer is still the most innovative, and that one is like taskmaster, the most innovative panel show
Funny that you mention that, because Dropout actually wanted to license task master at some point. Sadly it didn’t come to fruition.
I would kill to see Brennan Lee Mulligan in Taskmaster.
@@eddie-roo Alex Horne and Sam Reich are apparently good friends, so I'm confident something will happen at some point
British panel shows are exactly the same. QI, Would I lie to you?, Taskmaster, Eight out of 10 cats, all have a “gameshow”-like format (and many similar ideas to the dropout shows) but the point is the entertainment, not the winning. Honestly a lot of actual “game shows” in the UK don’t even really have a prize - the prize for winning countdown is a teapot.
Basically dropout shows have a lot more in common with British Quiz and Panel shows than American “big money big prizes” gameshows.
I love dropout but I don’t think they’ve really reinvented anything. Their genius really comes in the ways they’ve adapted this kind of format to showcase the wit and personalities of the contestants.
The thing that makes CH and Droppout stand out to me is their good-natured vibe. They love each other and the audience, and they’re so accepting of and open to everyone. You won’t find mean-spirited jokes pointed at people who don’t deserve it here. You’ll find good friends talking shit to each other while still clearly showing the love they have for all involved.
"A lot of contestants don't really seem to try that hard to win"
*Smash cut to Brennan staring at the camera Office-style* XD
FUCKING I DO!!!!
Brennan Lee “There Is No Corner Of My Heart I Would Not Turn Over To The World For Five Points” Mulligan 😂
it you pause at that exact moment you can see for a very short time (exept for Brennan)
I find it, in a way, fascinating that he's kept under wraps that he's just doing his BLM character on Game Changer. Brennan almost specifically says this in his Adventuring Academy with Sam. He is of course competitive, but he turns it up to 11 when he's on Game Changer. This is a man who made it onto Who Wants to be a Millionaire years ago. He's far more humble than some people might think, but also so smart that he doesn't want to make it easy.
Having watched almost everything he's either DMed or played on camera, he is fully invested, but still loves to see his friends succeed, even if his plans fall to ruin because of their genius or Ally's crazy rolls. As long as Dropout is like this, I'll be a subscriber, and tell everyone who will listen how amazing their content is. Thank you Sam for saving this company and making it even better, thank you BLM for your wit and class, and the entire crew for making these things possible for us to see. Sorry if this is long, it's something I love and love to spread. I 100% support this group, too many to name, but if anyone ever sees this, know that the content is amazing, and should be shared.
this is why Smartypants is a great addition to their show because they are introducing new personalities that their audience can recognize and be a fan of.
I think that while they're new, smartypants and thousandaires have so far been really fun, and it's because like most of dropout the focus is on having fun with the game/show rather than winning.
thousandaires is a group of friends (usually of established cast, and they all like each other so there's great chemistry) and the whole point is who can have the most fun.
smartypants is a rotating group and they get to talk about something that interests them (it's not really a game show but it's still great so far)
Nailed it. Having Thousandaires even exist is a wonderful testament to the fact that *some* positivity still exists in the world. It was like they were discussing the company, and this conversation happened:
Sam: "So we're making a lot of money from subscribers who want to see new things from us. Any ideas?"
Someone: "How about we just do whatever we want to have fun together?"
Sam: "We don't have *that* much money!"
Someone: "How about we just do whatever we want *within $5k per episode* to have fun together?"
Sam: "Sold! Get to work on that!"
And the new monets slumber party show is something new entirely for dropout, but so far that show works wonderfully!
When you showed a clip of Who Wants to be a Millionaire, you really missed the chance to use Brennan's episode.
I signed up for Dropout a few months ago, specifically to watch The Ravening War. It's probably my favorite streaming service, one where I watch pretty much everything they put out. I think you really hit the nail on the head here. The humor is great obviously, but it's incredibly easy to form that parasocial bond with these people.
Dropout is about the Brennan Torment Nexus (tm)
That BTN has been swirling forever, but legend says one day its hunger shall be sated. Not this day, nor any day soon, but one day... maybe... perhaps.
Also, Breaking News in particular is about the Sam & Grant Torment Nexus 😂
@@IceMetalPunk Breaking News is in particular Grant trying to torment the cast unsuccessfully, the cast turning his ploy around and tormenting him instead on his own episodes, and Sam being a hardline conservative nationalist whose only kept from fascism by his corporate excess. (The Joke of course being Sam is not those things, he's a lovely human being doing a great job trying to improve the world starting with the people closest to him)
As others have said, it's definitely more like British panel shows. Or another way to think about it: Dropout "game shows" are just Whose Line style improv comedy -- with main cast and rotating cast included -- except with a single long-form game per episode instead of multiple short-form games. And just like Whose Line, even if there's a prize, everything's made up and the points don't matter. (Unless you're Brennan... then the points are his phylacteries.)
Checkout out British panel shows they also do this. Cats does countdown and Taskmaster.
Literally the current Smosh philosophy
Like other people said, they're panel shows. Welcome and all the love in the world to you. Cheers!
Yeah, it's just QI blended with Whose Line is it Anyway?
I know you were living it up with bingo and the time loop episode
This is why I think Jeopardy made the best decision ever when they got rid of the 5-day limit. They've had so many superchampions recently, and getting to know a contestant over the course of like 2 weeks instead of just a few games is so much more fun. Like, if Ken Jennings had only been on for 5 episodes in 2004, he wouldn't be so well-known, let alone be hosting the show.
One of my favorite episodes of Jeopardy ever was the Exhibition Game for the 2022 Tournament of Champions. Three of the players that season broke into the top 5 for most consecutive games won in Jeopardy history, so they were automatically put through to the semi-finals, and their episode was literally just for fun with no real money or stakes for winning. They started joking about wagering "magic beans" or whatever, and it's also the only episode I've ever heard them have to bleep out something Ken said as host (he accidentally gave away the theme of a category when they still had one question left, basically giving away the answer, and went "oh shit" when he realized his mistake -- but everybody just laughed it off since the game itself didn't actually matter).
I also love that they keep bringing people back for Jeopardy Masters and other invitational tournaments. A lot of those contestants have known each other for years and are friends in real life because of their shared success on Jeopardy and their love for trivia. Just like in Dropout shows, the better the contestants know each other (and the host), and the more comfortable they are playing the game and being on TV, the more fun it is to watch them banter and be genuinely entertaining. And they're the people that are the best at the actual game itself! In the words of Mike Trapp on Um, Actually, "There's something very satisfying about watching someone just be very good at something." :)
I like it the show is about the players and not the game
I’ve been obsessed with British panel shows forever and I’m so glad we finally have the equivalent in the US. Equal parts Jeopardy, Whose Line, and Great British Bake Off. Wholesome, hilarious, thought provoking, and easy to watch.
Yh I didnt think how audiences without panel shows would view theese shows. Um Actualy = QI, Dirty Laundry = Would I Lie To You, and Game Changer = Taskmaster. Ive always viewed them this way theve never been a gameshows to me... just read comments apprently im just an echo XD
Oh, the decor!❤ I am ABSOLUTELY here for it.
The games were the comedians we followed along the way.
Brennan's side eye at 3:48 is so funny to me
The video was well made, but the whole thesis could be answered with "It's an American version of british panel shows".
i agree.
Watching Brennan not win was the best
Proof that America can't handle the idea of a panel show.
Btw check out basically any popular UK panel show, like Taskmaster, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, QI, etc
It's just not a format most Americans have been exposed to. I was lucky to get QI recommended to me many years ago, but most Americans don't watch British TV. Clearly, people actually like it now that they have seen it. Cheers, mate.
@zhazhagab0r hopefully this opens up the format to America so you can have a real Taskmaster and not whatever happened last time
@@injuringchip3161i truly think they should let dropout make a version of taskmaster with a mix of their cast and sourcing talent to fill spots. like a mix of both each season. it would be so good