Dropout has announced a new original series, titled MP3. Unlike many of the streaming service's improv-focused shows, MP3 is a live-action scripted series comprising three episodes. The show is set to spoof music video countdown programs, reminiscent of MTV's iconic Total Request Live.
Starring Saturday Night Live's Jeremy Culhane, alongside Skye Townsend, Aparna Nancherla, and Paul F. Tompkins, MP3 will feature Culhane, Townsend, and Nancherla as hosts presenting music videos, interviewing guests, and engaging in on-set disputes with their producer, portrayed by Tompkins.
Several Dropout regulars are set to appear. Katie Marovitch, Lou Wilson, and Jacob Wysocki will be featured as artists within the music videos. Jess McKenna and Zach Reino are credited as writers for the series and are also responsible for the music composition. They will also make appearances in some of the music videos. The trailer also shows Anna Garcia's Princess Emily, a character from Very Important People, suggesting potential cameos from other established Dropout characters.
MP3 Premieres in November
The first episode of MP3 is scheduled to stream on Wednesday, November 4. New episodes will follow bi-weekly, with subsequent releases on November 18 and December 2. In line with the series' musical theme, each song performed in MP3 will be made available on music streaming services following the premiere of its corresponding episode.
MP3 represents another expansion into new formats for Dropout. This year has seen the platform experiment with licensed content and a new animated show, Toonout. "As far as Dropout is concerned, I want Dropout to be really all over the place in terms of what it's trying," Dropout CEO Sam Reich recently told Polygon.