No I've got beef with this take.
Like yes, if you've only ever seen screenshots of the more popular D20 games, or clips of Brenan Lee Mulligan losing his mind on game changer? Ok yeah, no I absolutely see where you're getting that vibe from.
But Dropout routinely features crazy talented and wildly diverse actors and comedians and writers.
They're shows are funny, wholesome, queer as all hell.
So actually, if you're sick and tired of the Big Bangification of entertainment, and you hate the idea of nerds and outcasts as depicted by Hollywood board members, here's a list of reasons why Dropout is actually fantastic.
1) Dropout is diverse as hell. If you care about inclusivity, if you care about representation? Sure, there are straight white guys here. But they are not the majority.
Dropout has introduced me to such amazing talents. Zac Oyama and Lou Wilson are two of the funniest people I have ever watched, and I am THRILLED anytime they are in anything.
Multiple shows routinely feature guests who are super funny and entertaining to watch, but who I would've never known about otherwise, including but not limited to: Rekha Shankar, Kimia Behpoornia, Ify Nwadiwe, Aabria Iyengar, Erika Ishii, Jacquis Neal.
None of these people are white, and plenty of them are not men.
And it's not just that they feature people who aren't white men, they have multiple shows hosted and written by people who are not straight white men.
Ify is the host of "Um Actually" which is like, if nerd trivia was actually fun. From the few episodes I've seen, they have a good mix of easier pop culture questions and super niche nerdy as hell questions. If you're sick of "nerd" being equated to comics or Star Wars, and nothing else? Great, so are the writers of "Um Actually"
"Dirty Laundry" is hosted by Lily Du, and is such good fun if you love drama and gossip about people you'll never meet. It's got the vibes of truth or dare at a sleepover, but the players willingly offered up their embarrassing stories and every episode comes with a cocktail recipe.
Rekha Shankar host "Smartypants", Vic Michaelis hosts "Very Important People", and while she may not be the main DM, Aabria Iyengar has DMed multiple D20 campaigns.
2) I can't think of any platform where every show is just, so gay.
You want outcasts? You know how every gay person ever feels super underrepresented in mainstream media??? Well guess what! There's countless instances of queer rep here baby!
Dimension 20, is bursting with queer characters (including my favorite explicitly asexual character in any media ever. Riz my love ❤️), queer players, and gay as hell storylines. Like idk where to start even, it feels like every campaign I've watched is just brimming with characters who are some flavor of queer or outcast. There's even a whole campaign done in drag if that's your style.
Once again, shows like "Game Changer" and "Make Some Noise" are full of diverse players. And this includes so many openly gay and genderqueer personalities. Ally Beardsley, Vic Michaelis, Jessica Ross, Grant O'Brien, I could go on.
Ally Beardsley underwent their transition while being on multiple shows, and everyone was so openly supportive of them.
Vic Michaelis is like, one of the only she/theys I have ever seen treated with any actual regard to their gender on screen. Like, not only are their pronouns properly displayed when they're introduced on any show. But she's also not just put in a "woman" box by default.
3) If you are a woman enjoyer like me? Can I just say?
They are so loud, and so weird, and so wonderful. They aren't hollywood "quirky" in a way thats still sexy. Isabella Roland is DEMANDING we look at cartoon buttholes, and its hillarious!
Like. I could go on and on and on, but Im getting tired of typing. So rapid fire, a few other reasons I love Dropout
Have vehemently supported and stood by the SAG AFTRA strikes
As far as I can tell, all of their shows are made by super creative individuals who are deeply passionate about making fun shit
Multiple cast members openly support Palestine, women's rights, queer rights, and human rights.
There are at least 3 episodes of their shows dedicated to making individual cast members feel loved and supported, I can not watch them without sobbing. They are the kindest things.
These shows are FUNNY. and they are funny and witty and creative without punching down. If a joke is crass or dark, it is very obviously in good faith and almost always at the expense of the person making the joke.
Jacob Wysocki. I just love him.
Game Changer apparently has a system in place to gauge what players are willing to consent to. The show is by nature, a surprise to the contestants on it, but even though no one is ever made to do something they are uncomfortable with, they also get some ammount of warning when theyre asked to participate as to how extreme an episode may be
They've put actual effort into making their platform actually accessible. Content warnings with timestamps, subtitles that don't censor shit
The subscription is $6.99 a month, but they have absolutely NO advertising. (To compare, Netflix is $17.99 if you dont want ads) They also don't limit devices.
They still practice COVID safety. You can literally see crew in some shots wearing masks even on recent shows.
Anyways, sorry to hijack this post. I just. I really love and appreciate seeing creative people have a platform to make things they want to make. And if Dropout was made for anyone, it was made for theater kids actually. But also absolutely for the outcasts.
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