How YouTube Stars are Changing TV

By Lena Donovan

Published April 26, 2026

Netflix, Hulu, and other streaming services have been incredibly disappointing the past few years. With rising prices, more commercials, and lackluster content, these services are slowly being abandoned. Netflix is famous for cancelling shows, such as  “The OA” and “Glow,” before their stories are over. In many cases, the shows are seen as too abstract and Netflix would rather stick to more generic formulas. Netflix may be user-friendly, but it’s disappointing for viewers. Hulu, on the other hand, is a complete mess. Everything is slow and laggy, even before the show or movie starts playing. The ads are ridiculous, and the price ($19.99/month without ads) is far too high. Netflix and Hulu are only two examples but, most, if not all, streaming services are guilty of the same things. Luckily, there is a new way of producing videos that is leading to a new, unexpected era of television. 

Dropout, a comedy streaming service and production company, started out as “CollegeHumor.” Josh Abramson and Ricky Van Veen started the CollegeHumor website in 1999 and eventually moved their content to YouTube in its early days. Like many early YouTube videos, the content was mainly loud sketch comedy. CollegeHumor’s main audience was young adults. Beginning around 2010, CollegeHumor began producing shows that gained a large following quickly, including “Jake and Amir,” “Adam Ruins Everything,” and “The CollegeHumor Show.” Looking back, their content was very 2010s Millennial-coded. CollegeHumor was very popular and was only growing. Though YouTube was good and did its job, CollegeHumor became too big for it and, in an effort to reach a larger and older audience, shifted their focus to Dropout TV in 2018.  

CollegeHumor became Dropout and their shows moved to their new streaming service. The shows transitioned from sketches to improv and live shows. Dropout’s CEO, Sam Reich, took on the role of making television feel new and special. “Game Changer” is a game show where the game changes every episode and the contestants go in blind. “Very Important People,” hosted by Vic Michaelis, dresses up actors in strange costumes or disguises. The actors then create and improvise a character based on the costume. Another popular show is “Dimension 20.” Hosted by Dungeon Master Brennan Lee Mulligan, the show is all about playing Dungeon and Dragons with friends. 

Dropout’s streaming app is relatively cheap ($6.99/month), has no ads, and includes a huge selection of shows to choose from. Dropout has paved a way for a new era of television that is inclusive and chaotic, but also well-organized.

The content on YouTube itself is changing too. Smosh.com was created in 2002 by Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox. It was first presented as a social platform where people could upload videos, animations, or just chat with friends. Padilla and Hecox decided to join YouTube in late 2005. They were one of the first popular channels. Their first viral video was of them lip syncing to the Pokemon theme song. They started out as two bored kids but quickly built a business out of it. In 2009, Smosh was bought by Defy Media, giving Padilla and Hecox more freedom to make the videos they wanted. At first, that meant silly sketches written by the duo, but their channel quickly became something much larger. Around 2014, Smosh hired its cast, which gave the channel even more to do. With series like “Try Not to Laugh” and “Smosh Summer Games,” Smosh was one of the biggest YouTube channels at the time. However, while the channel was doing well, there were many complications behind the scenes. Padilla ended up leaving, and the videos were clearly missing something. Fans were disappointed and the ownership changed a few times. While still popular, the channel wasn’t treading like it once was. 

Hecox had to build back his original success. With the audience getting bored of material, there had to be a change. In 2023, Padilla and Hecox announced they bought back Smosh, with Padilla rejoining the group. Around this time, “Smosh Reads Reddit Stories” was a new show where Shayne Topp read Reddit stories to castmates. The podcast immediately blew up. As more shows were appearing, Smosh was back on top of YouTube. What once was an offbeat lip syncing channel grew to be a well-developed company with high-quality videos. Like Dropout, Smosh began incorporating more games into their videos. However, their previous content was much more punishment based; contestants have to belly flop in Summer Games, for example. These new videos were much more positive and made viewers feel at home. 

Seeing Padilla and Hecox back together, with well-constructed videos and a loveable cast, made fans fall back in love. The “Smosh Mouth” podcast feels like listening to two old friends catch up, while “Beopardy” makes me cry from laughter. There are endless videos to watch, each with good content that’s uplifting. The recurring theme is “comedy rooted in friendship,” a phrase often said at Smosh. The channel shows strong positive bonds between castmates and the crew. Fans have come back to this old channel for something new. 

Dropout and Smosh are just the most popular examples of how television is shifting. The audience wants something that feels comfortable, like seeing people play games and joke around with each other. The production of each channel is great, but it’s the content that is needed. While Dropout has its own streaming service, Smosh remains on YouTube, free to watch. “Almost Friday TV” is another great example of how entertainment is changing. It’s seeing friends make jokes together, no matter how good or bad the production is. If regular streaming services are disappointing you, then I would strongly recommend these channels.