TikTok is launching a new subscription-only comedy show called Finding Jericho — the show will premiere on June 2 at 9 pm PT and will run for eight 30-minute episodes. New episodes will arrive every Tuesday and Thursday at the same time until it’s finished.
The show will cost $4.99 for the entire season, although the first two episodes will be free to everyone with access to TikTok as some sort of trial. Anyone who wants to watch the other six episodes will need to pay up, of course.
THR was the first to report the news and has more details on who will be involved.
In the series, Finding Jericho, [Jericho] Mencke will host comedic interviews with a range of characters — including a clown from Craigslist — as he explores broad themes like laughter, hobbies and confidence. The show is produced by Pearpop, the creator content and collaboration platform co-founded by Cole Mason, Spencer Markel and Guy Oseary. Pearpop executives Zack Bernstein and Austin Sokol, as well as Mencke, serve as executive producers.
While TikTok is normally full of random people trying to be funnier than the last video you were subjected to, this new approach is an interesting one for a couple of reasons. First, it turns TikTok into a legitimate streaming video platform similar to Netflix and others. Second, it could get TikTok fans used to the idea of paying for premium content. TikTok has already begun to make moves in that direction with its new monthly subscription offering that will give larger creators a way to share exclusive content with fans.
Will TikTok one day be the best iPhone app for people wanting to pay for new streaming content? It seems unlikely considering the competition. But that clearly isn’t stopping it from trying. From a creator’s perspective, it all makes tons of sense. Creators who wouldn’t get a show on Netflix now have one on TikTok. Albeit on a platform normally reserved for cat memes.