Why Dropout Stopped Making Sketches (and how we help resume them)
Dropout could have just resumed publishing sketch comedy on the Dropout platform, right? Well, not quite.
In this article, I will explore why they stopped making sketches and theorize how we can get them back.
Let's dive in, shall we?
Adventuring Academy Provided The Context
The premiere of Adventuring Academy was a conversation between Brennan and Sam. It provided a lot of insight into how decisions get made at Dropout.
Sam provided some information I'll share below, but the episode is really good overall and shows great chemistry between these two.
You can watch it here:
Dropout Is a Business Even If We Don't Want to Believe It
Many of us like to believe Dropout exists and survives because it's cool and we love it. However, in order to survive, real business decisions need to be made.
Sam referenced those actions in that episode. Dropout doesn't just do anything on a whim. There should be real value to the company behind those decisions.
And we can see it quite easily in retrospect:
- There are more Dimension 20 seasons with Brennan at the helm because they bring in more views.
- Dimension 20 core cast members' seasons keep happening because that's what the fandom wants. The side-quest seasons are there to fill the void between them.
- Make Some Noise was born because those episodes on Game Changer were the most watched.
- Remember Play It By Ear? It was a cool show but very niche. The last we heard of it was November 2023. Will it come back? Maybe. But so far, it seems its social media handles are dead. No views = no renewal.
- Breaking News Keeps happening because it's low-cost and keeps the YouTube Channel afloat. For a long time, Breaking News episodes were the only thing Dropout published there aside from trailers.
This brings me to the next point which was an amazing quote from Brennan.
"Audiences Don't Know The Power They Have"
Honestly? We don't.
It's like unionizing, but against the streaming services and on an international level. If all the viewers of the world had decided to watch Stargate back in 2005, that show would never have been canceled.
If you all decide to suddenly re-watch The Ravening War, we will definitely see more seasons in the A Crown of Candy world (or more seasons with Matt Mercer as a DM).
So How Do We Bring Back Sketches?
The answer is simple in theory but quite impossible in practice: We watch more sketches. We watch them on YouTube and on Dropout.
Believe me, if suddenly the Hardly Working playlist on Dropout got a huge spike in views, someone will raise an eyebrow at Dropout HQ and ask, what do we learn from this? Analytics exists exactly for this reason.
Petitions are the lazy way to ask for something. You could start a petition to bring back Sketches. You might even get 10k signatures. But what did you actually do here? Nothing much. You might force Dropout to create one new sketch to test the waters, have it completely flop, and shelf the idea again.
Instead of focusing on Dropout, we need to focus on us, the audience. Dropout will make their decisions wherever we go anyway.
I gave sketches as an example here, but you could do this with literally anything else:
- Do you want more Aabria seasons? Watch and re-watch all existing Aabria seasons. Get more people to watch those seasons. Let Dropout know, unequivocably, that Aabria is awesome, and we want to see her again.
- Want to get Amazon to produce a new Stargate show? Rewatch all the old ones. Get your friends to watch them, too, on Amazon Prime. Show Amazon's Analytics that Stargate is alive and kicking!
- Want to get Terra from Teen Titans back because it broke your heart how she was treated and how her storyline ended? Rewatch all the episodes she guested on. Someone will get the hint sooner or later (okay, that one was personal).
As a fandom, we have power. And it's not like we're trying to influence the world. It's stupid to stop buying the iPhone because you hate Apple. Many other people like it, and you won't convince them. But for Dropout, a company with a fandom in the hundreds of thousands or even single-digit millions, we can make a difference.
It all begins by joining the communities where other Dropout viewers hang out. There are various communities on Reddit, some groups on Facebook, and active hashtags on social media.
You could also create content and bring in a completely new audience from sources like SEO. It all trickles down to your pocket. Vote with your pocket and your browsing history.
What show would you bring back if you had the power to do so? Let me know in the comments below!
