"D20 Thirst" but mostly Brennan

Lots of people saying “well this might seem weird to us but it’s important for them to grow”. Well it’s a stupid move from a business perspective, because you’re risking alienating your diehard fan base who got you to this level of popularity, just to appear on a show and be seen by people who MAY go on to watch some of your clips on social media, if they even realize Dropout is a real thing outside of the episode. Seems like their previous strategy was working great, tbh! A million subscribers! Celebrity talent coming onto your shows! Recognition from traditional media - including Time magazine! But clearly they wanted to reach a new audience keep broadening their appeal. And, bafflingly, they don’t seem to have considered that in doing so, they’re removing the parts of themselves that made them appealing and unique in today’s crowded media landscape.

And it’s an asshole move from a personal/moral perspective. Say what you will about parasocial fans, but Dropout has Intentionally, intensively cultivated a brand identity of being your progressive pals, they’re different, they literally DROPPING OUT of traditional media so they can make stuff the way they want, the stuff WE want, without compromising. And now. Turns out it’s more important to get to cosplay Network Television Show than to maintain your studio’s whole identity and supposed values. Can’t imagine being an employee right now living in LA, seeing firsthand the harm done every day by one of the most bloated, over-militarized, notoriously corrupt police forces in history… and then going in to work where your boss announces they’ll be helping launder the reputation of the people who spend their time harassing homeless people, murdering protestors and assisting ICE. Even if this WAS a genius financial move… would it be worth it? Do your principles only exist when they’re convenient? Do you care how this might feel for Black and brown fans? How it might feel for anyone who’s been targeted by the actual police force that you’re doing PR for? Have you considered that there are REASONS people don’t like cops, that it’s not just a quirky funny joke to sell on a t-shirt?

Absolutely insane choice to make. Hope Sam had a lot of fun feeling like a Real Hollywood Actor! Glad to know how much contempt he has for where his career is at, that he so badly wanted to get to the ‘next level’. Very reminiscent of Watcher’s desperation to be a Production Company, not just a silly YouTube channel. Well people like silly YouTube channels, and they liked what dropout did!!!! “Brands don’t care about you” is very true. But this brand is created and run by people who have intentionally used their likability to garner support for their projects. If they’re not likable… then why should we support them?

1) because The Rookie is not the only show on TV. You're telling there is no other show that wants to do a cross-over? Even if not, is helping three of your actors get parts on this show really worth cratering a huge portion of audience trust? Did you really think that your audience was going to ignore its values (that you also championed) because they like your work that much.

2) your actors are already getting parts on mainstream networks. Vic is in PONIES on Peacock. Why don't you believe in cast to get these parts on their own? I imagine it's more about getting the name of the company out to the regular tv audience, but again, at what cost? Is the conversion rate (Rookie viewer to Dropout subscriber) going to be that high versus the conversion rate for clips of the shows posted on social media? I'm sure there are parts of the calculus that we aren't seeing, but I can't see any of it being the loss of audience trust. Unless, they think that they aren't going to lose the audience just anger them.

That Dropout/The Rookie episode Sam Reich said he hopes someone watches because at least they were pretty good in it has aired, and it is predicitbly, really baaaaaad. Clips are airing and it's some of the most unfunily written shit you can imagine that not even the dropout actors can salvage with performance, always treating them like the butt of the joke like they are DnD or Video Games in a sitcom epsiode made for normies.

Absolutely devastating look