A new oddball streaming service is gearing up to enter the streaming fray. And with just weeks before its official U.S. launch on April 7, the company has revealed it’s initial rollout will include 50 shows—yes, five-zero—with episodes of each running 10 minutes or fewer.
Basically, Quibi categorises its content in three categories of “quick bites,” another way of saying short-form content—or, at least, content that’s broken up to be viewed that way. Those categories are movies in chapters, description and documentary programming, and daily essentials, the latter encapsulating Quibi’s news and entertainment content. Quibi has for months teased out its celebrity talent attached to its various projects, but the service today released its dizzying roster of everything coming to the service at launch—and dare I say, some of it seems actually good.
Quibi will launch next month with two tiers: $US5 ($8) monthly for ad-supported and $US8 ($12) per month to go ad-free. (You can get three months of the service for free, though, for a limited time. We walk you through how to get it right here.) Below, we’ll walk you through what’s coming to Quibi at launch so you can decide for yourself whether to dig into your wallet for yet another streaming service—this one, mostly, intended for when you’re on the go.
Most Dangerous Game
Starring Christoph Waltz and Liam Hemsworth, Most Dangerous Game centres on terminally ill and cash-strapped Maynard (Hemsworth) who, in an apparent attempt to take care of his pregnant wife before he dies, signs up for a deadly 24-hour game for which he learns he’s the target. I’m getting some very The Hunt vibes crossed with, like, Nerve. According to Quibi, the “dystopian action-thriller explores the limits of how far someone would go to fight for their life and their family. Let the games begin.” OK!
When the Streetlights Go On
This one, like Most Dangerous Game, will be a so-called “movie in chapters.” When the Streetlights Go On follows a group of high school friends and the sister of a recently murdered teen. This one’s got some Big Suburbia energy, so it’s probably safe to expect a fair amount of teen angst as well. It stars Chosen Jacobs, Sophie Thatcher, Sam Strike, David Lewis, Mark Duplass, Cameron Bancroft, Tony Hale, Beh Ahlers, Kristine Froseth, and Queen Latifah.
Survive
Survive is a multi-part thriller starring Sophie Turner and Corey Hawkins. Jane (Turner), who struggles with personal trauma, survives a deadly plane crash with one other passenger (Hawkins), and from the looks of it in a remote and snowy region. The (movie? content? show?) is based on Alex Morel’s novel of the same name. Facing dire circumstances and little resources, Jane and her companion must figure out how to go it alone in the middle of the wilderness and—well, you get the idea.
Flipped
Starring Will Forte, Kaitlin Olson, Arturo Catstro, Eva Longoria, and Andy Garcia, Flipped follows Jann and Cricket on their pursuit of being the next big thing in home renovation entertainment, that is, until an unfortunate chain of events lands them squarely in the sights of a cartel, for whom they become both prisoners as well as interior designers.
Murder House Flip
Yes, another home improvement-premised content offering, this one as part of Quibi’s unscripted series. This delusional and fantastic TV premise bills itself as “an unconventional new home renovation show that takes on the country’s most infamous homes: the ones known for mysterious murders committed behind their walls.” Hosted by Mikel Welch and Joelle Uzyel, “remove the stains of the past and take these homes from morbid to marvellous.”
By stains, I can only home we mean blood stains?! This show is certainly among Quibi’s more bizarre, and I will absolutely be eagerly awaiting the arrival of each and every dumbass episode. Murder House Flip comes from the executive producer of CSI.
Thanks a Million
Executive produced by Jennifer Lopez and featuring episodes starring Kristen Bell, Nick Jonas, Tracy Morgan, Aaron Rodgers, Yara Shahidi, Gabriel Iglesias, Anthony Davis, Kevin Hart, Karlie Kloss, and Lopez herself, Thanks a Million will see each star give $US100,000 ($150,851) to an unsuspecting person, who must then “pay it forward.”
Chrissy’s Court
Chrissy Teigen will hear order in her small claims court, where her mother is a bailiff and Chrissy’s word is the last one.
Punk’d With Chance the Rapper
You know what it is. Pranked by Chance the Rapper? Why not!
Skrrt with Offset
This Offset-hosted series will explore all things cars and will feature guest appearances from celebrities like Cardi B, Chance the Rapper, Dapper Dan, Jay Leno, Quavo and Takeoff from Migos, Lil Yachty, and T-Pain, among others.
“Quibi will give me a chance to connect with my fans in yet another way,” Offset said in a statement. “They don’t know how much I know about cars for real. This platform will let them see there is more to me than just buying cars.”
The Sauce
The Sauce will see dancers Ayo & Teo explore dance cultures in U.S. cities, with Usher—who executive produced the show—judging dance competitions for which winners will receive cash prizes.
Nikki Fre$h
This show—produced by and starring Nicole Richie—sounds absolutely fucking ridiculous. Here’s how Quibi describes it: “Nikki Fre$h unites her passions for Mother Earth and hip hop into her eponymous alter ego, Nikki Fre$h. Nikki brings a new voice to wellness with a totally fresh style of music—dropping socially conscious and educational rhymes on the world. Nikki Fre$h will interact with real life seekers and consciousness experts to learn ways to better serve our bodies and our planet—while comedically exaggerating those solutions to the edge of sanity.”
I don’t even know what to say.
&MUSIC
&MUSIC, a documentary series, will introduce viewers to the behind-the-scenes talent that props up well-known artists and musicians. Episodes will pair up and feature: Scott and Brian Nicholson & Ariana Grande, Gabe Fraboni & Martin Garrix, Ramiro Agudelo & J Balvin, Derek Ali aka MixedByAli & YG, Jasmine Benjamin & Anderson .Paak, as well as Andrew Watt & Ozzy Osbourne. Could be neat if you like music.
Elba v Block
Elba will face-off against Ken Block, professional rally driver, in this stunt series.
Gone Mental With Lior
This series starring mentalist Lior Suchard will pair him with a series of celebrities and, presumably, mess with their minds while performing a series of tricks. The show will see appearances from Kate Hudson, The Miz (Mike Mizanin), Big E (Ettore Ewen), Sasha Banks, Bayley, Ben Stiller, Rob Gronkowski, James Corden, David Dobrik, and Zooey Deschanel.
Singled Out
This 20-episode dating reality TV series hosted by Keke Palmer and Joel Kim Booster where a primary date-seeking subject “is linked to the pool of diverse singles through social media.” Hard to know exactly what that means and images from the show so far don’t offer much help.
Gayme Show!
This LGBTQ+ series, hosted by comedians Matt Rogers and Dave Mizzoni, will pair two participants with a celebrity “life partner” as they compete in challenges for the winning title of “Queen of the Straights.” Celebrity “life partners” will include Ilana Glazer, D’Arcy Carden, Trixie Mattel, Jon Lovett, Nicole Byer, Rachel Bloom, and Guy Branum, among others.
Dishmantled
What would a 50-show rollout be with a star-studded cooking competition? Hosted by Tituss Burgess, DISHMANTLED will evidently start each episode with the “cannon-blasting of a mystery food dish into the faces of two blindfolded chefs,” who will then have to identify the dish and recreate it themselves to win a cash prize. The show will feature guest judges Wolfgang Puck, Jane Krakowski, Antoni Porowski, Rachel Dratch, Dany Levy, and Roy Choi, among others.
Sort of like a Nickelodeon game show for adults.
You Ain’t Got These
You Ain’t Got These is a series about sneaker culture executive produced by and featuring Lena Waithe. Each episode will feature an appearance by Carmelo Anthony, Billie Jean King, Hasan Minhaj, Candance Parker, Questlove, Nas, Jazerai Allen- Lord, Kerby Jean-Raymond, Mike Epps, Jemele Hill, Lena Waithe, Josh Luber, and Eric Koston.
Fierce Queens
Perhaps the most wholesome of Quibi’s many, many at-launch offerings, Fierce Queens—which is hosted by Reese Witherspoon—is a nature series that explores the so-described “fierce queens” of the animal world. And it comes from the BBC Studios Natural History Unit, which produces the Planet Earth and The Blue Planet series, so you better know it’s gonna be good.
Prodigy
Hosted by Megan Rapinoe, Prodigy will examine the lives and achievements of various exceptional athletes, from the fastest woman in swimming history to the highest-ranked high school basketball player in the country. Once more for those in the back: IT’S HOSTED BY MEGAN RAPINOE.
Run This City
Executive produced by Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson, Archie Gips, and Brent Hodge, this series will explore the story of Jasiel Correia II, the youngest person elected as mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts. Last year, he was charged for allegedly extorting weed dealers for hundreds of thousands of dollars, in addition to other crimes—a truly insane story that I won’t spoil here but that 100 per cent seems worth a watch.
Shape of Pasta
Chef Evan Funke will pursue masters of the art of pasta in a “whirlwind tour of Italy to keep these traditions alive.”
NightGowns
NightGowns will follow Sasha Velour over eight episodes as she transforms her Brooklyn grad show to a full stage production. Each episode will follow a different performer and examine their performance process and story.
That’s a lot, right? Right. But that’s just the shows and long-form content. The service will also feature a bunch of shorter, recurring daily shows that include:
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The Nod with Brittany & Eric adapted from the podcast
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Last Night’s Late Night by Entertainment Weekly, which will rehash the best content late night hosts
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The Daily Chill for guided meditation, with each episode featuring visuals from a new global destination
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The Rachel Hollis Show for daily doses of motivation
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Sexology with Shan Boodram
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Fashion’s A Drag hosted by Willam Belli and Denise Bidot
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60 in 6 by CBS NEWS
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Around the World by BBC News
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Morning Report by NBC NEWS
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Evening Report by NBC NEWS
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Saturday Report by NBC NEWS
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Sunday Report by NBC NEWS
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Pulso News by Telemundo
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For the Cultura by Telemundo
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Weather Today by The Weather Channel
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NewsDay by CTV News
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NewsNight by CTV News
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TSN Sports Show (untitled)
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The Replay by ESPN
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All The Feels by the Dodo
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Close Up by E! News
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Fresh Daily by Rotten Tomatoes
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No Filter by TMZ: AM
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No Filter by TMZ: PM
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Speedrun by Polygon
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Trailers by Fandango
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Pop5
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Hot off the Mic featuring established and emerging comedians
After hearing what’s on the Quibi lineup right out of the gate, I can honestly say that I—a person who was highly sceptical of this service when word first broke that it was in the works—am legitimately curious about it. A lot of these shows seem like programming I’d really, genuinely enjoy, especially as something to pass the time when riding the train home from Manhattan to Brooklyn. We have another month before we’ll get to see what Quibi’s all about, and whether the functionality of its service matches the hype it’s tried to drum up ahead of its rollout.
And, of course, if you’re still on the fence about ponying up for a subscription, take Quibi up on its offer for a 90-day free trial to see for yourself what all the noise is about.