A pilot concerning the struggles of Youtube content creators to make money, Tubelords starts out with the most wonderfully hilarious cold open of all time. YouTubers Tim Hallucks (Justin Norman), Laura (Monica de Melo Dreasher), and Otis (Eli Gross) are intent that Ronnie (Sam Hirchak) should dress in a gorilla suit and bungee jump whilst holding a 4 million subs placard as their channel, Tubelords, just hit that milestone. Of course, the scene goes beautifully awry when the suit catches fire.
“…should dress in a gorilla suit and bungee jump whilst holding a 4 million subs placard…”
Apart from that glorious 3 minutes of hilarious physical comedy, Tubelords finds itself beset with the same challenge all sitcoms have: to create a solid foundation from which to unleash random acts of funny. I found this half-hour promising in its potential for creator rivalry. Tim is an emotionally unstable man who feels a need to helm the creative team for his channel vying for views and subscriptions with a former member of his troupe, Jared (Phillip Harder). Jared, a vain potbellied blonde with a penchant for dressing his dog in non-traditional clothes, is a good foil for Tim. Certainly, the 10-hour dubstep video where he contends “Hallucks is a bitch” gives proof to that.
Tubelords, being a pilot, hasn’t quite found its comedic footing. I did enjoy watching it, though. Thanks to its comedic timing and acting, this is a good start to a potential new series.
"…a good start to a potential new series."
