If you haven’t heard of Quibi, no problem. It’s not a household name yet. In fact, it hasn’t launched. I wrote about it earlier as I’m interested to see what it’s about, what kind of content it’ll air and what the fuss is all about. But now we’re seeing Quibi’s 50 show lineup set for it’s debut in April.
First, what is it? Quibi (pronounced kwih-bee) is a streaming video service that will cost $5 per month with ads or $8 per month without ads when it arrives on April 6th. The company has raised about $1.5 billion and seems to be ready for its close-up. Will it flop? Will it take off? This is what’s interesting about new companies as you never know what is going to happen.
Quibi promises a lot of content. The plan in year one is to release 175 original shows (spread across 8,500 individual videos), with three hours of programming coming out every day. Quibi has big names on board as well, including Steven Spielberg, Guillermo del Toro, Catherine Hardwick, Chrissy Tiegen, and Bill Murray. But we’ve now got a list of the first 50 shows in the lineup for launch.
Quibi’s 50 show lineup for launch
SCRIPTED (Quibi’s 50 show lineup)
Survive | Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) and Corey Hawkins (24: Legacy) play the only two survivors of a plane crash who must make their way out of a remote wilderness.
Most Dangerous Game | Liam Hemsworth plays a terminally ill man who, in order to provide for his pregnant wife (Sarah Gadon) after he dies, enters a deadly game where he is not the hunter, but the prey. Christoph Waltz also stars.
Flipped | Will Forte and Kaitlin Olson star as would-be TV house flippers who inadvertently come across a stash of drug cartel money. To pay it back, they have to renovate the cartel boss’ (Andy Garcia) mansion.
When the Streetlights Go On | The sister and friends of a teenage murder victim try to find a sense of normalcy while coming of age amid the homicide investigation.
UNSCRIPTED (Quibi’s 50 show lineup)
Thanks a Million | Celebrities surprise people who have influenced them by giving them $100,000 — which they must then pay forward. Jennifer Lopez executive produces and will be featured in an episode.
Chrissy’s Court | Chrissy Teigen presides over small-claims cases in this courtroom show, with her mother, Pepper Thai, as bailiff.
Punk’d | A new version of the MTV celebrity-prank show hosted by Chance the Rapper.
Murder House Flip | A home-renovation show with a twist: The feature houses were all the sites of mysterious murders. Mikel Welch and Joelle Uyzel host.
Skrrt With Offset | The rapper and auto enthusiast delves into all things cars with celebrity friends.
The Sauce | YouTubers Ayo & Teo explore dance cultures and set up head-to-head battles in cities across the U.S. Usher is an executive producer and judge.
Nikki Fre$h | Nicole Richie stars as her hip-hop alter ego and interacts with real-life wellness practitioners to learn ways to better serve our bodies and the planet — while taking those ideas to comedic extremes.
&Music | A docuseries that spotlights the vital behind-the-scenes collaborators who work with some of music’s biggest stars.
Elba vs. Block | Idris Elba and rally driver Ken Block challenge one another to a series of over-the-top driving stunts.
Gone Mental With Lior | Mentalist Lior Suchard runs celebrities including Kate Hudson, Ben Stiller and Zooey Deschanel through a series of mental stunts.
Singled Out | An updated, swipe right-era version of the 1990s MTV dating show, hosted by Keke Palmer and Joel Kim Booster.
Gayme Show! | A comedic competition show, hosted by comics Matt Rogers and Dave Mizzoni, that uplifts and celebrates the LGBTQ+ community and its allies.
Dishmantled | A cooking competition in which chefs have to reconstruct a dish — after said dish is cannon-blasted into their blindfolded faces. Tituss Burgess hosts.
You Ain’t Got These | A show about sneaker culture featuring Lena Waithe (who also exec produces), Billie Jean King, Questlove and Carmelo Anthony, among others.
Fierce Queens | Reese Witherspoon narrates a nature series about the fabulous females of the animal kingdom.
Prodigy | Soccer star Megan Rapinoe hosts a docuseries spotlighting eight remarkable young athletes.
Run This City | Mark Wahlberg is an exec producer of this doc about Jasiel Correia II, who is elected the youngest mayor of Fall River, Massachusetts, and is later arrested on fraud charges.
Shape of Pasta | Chef Evan Funke travels through Italy in search of the last remaining masters of the art of pasta-making.
NightGowns | RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Sasha Velour adapts her Brooklyn drag revue into a full-blown stage production.
DAILY ESSENTIALS (Quibi’s 50 show lineup)
Last Night’s Late Night | A daily recap of the highlights from the previous evening’s late-night shows. From Entertainment Weekly and hosted by Heather Gardner.
The Daily Chill | A show that aims to take viewers on a pathway to calmness, combining guided meditation and awe-inspiring visuals.
The Nod With Brittany & Eric | A daily version of the popular black culture podcast hosted by Brittany Luse and Eric Eddings.
The Rachel Hollis Show | Weekday motivation with the best-selling author of Girl, Stop Apologizing.
Sexology With Shan Boodram | Intimacy expert Boodram guides viewers through the world of sex, relationships and dating.
Fashion’s a Drag | Willam Belli (RuPaul’s Drag Race), model Denise Bidot and a rotating panel of drag queens break down the fashion news of the day.
60 in 6 | A shortened version of CBS News’ 60 Minutes, with dedicated correspondents tackling one story a week, ranging from politics to pop culture.
Around the World by BBC News | A daily look at the most important and illuminating international stories.
Morning Report, Evening Report, Saturday Report, Sunday Report by NBC News | Headlines, analysis and explainers from the NBC News team. The Sunday show will take an in-depth look at a single issue.
Pulso News by Telemundo | Daily newscast aimed at English-speaking Latinx viewers.
For the Cultura by Telemundo | Celebrating Latinx pop culture.
Weather Today by the Weather Channel
NewsDay and NewsNight by CTV News | Two daily newscasts curated for Canadians.
Untitled TSN sports show | A morning sports update, seven days a week, from Canada’s leading sports network.
The Replay by ESPN | News and analysis of the biggest stories in sports.
All the Feels by the Dodo | Feel-good animal stories delivered each day.
Close Up by E! News | Daily rundown of celebrity and pop culture news.
Fresh Daily by Rotten Tomatoes | Recommendations for the best in TV, movies and streaming.
No Filter by TMZ | Twice-daily content from inside the TMZ newsroom.
Speedrun by Polygon | A hyperfast injection of news for gaming and gaming-adjacent viewers, plus expert analysis and recommendations.
Trailers by Fandango | Daily rundown of newly released trailers.
Pop5 | Everything worth talking about in popular music.
Hot Off the Mic | Comedians offer their takes on the news of the day, taped at comedy clubs across the country.
There you have it. Now we’ll just see if any of it is worth watching, or if it’s just another overpriced, overly-invested platform that fails to gain traction.
(H/T Hollywood Reporter for the breakdown)
