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Austin Manchester is a writer and editor living in New York City. At Polygon, he covers gaming and entertainment news, reviews new video games, interviews behind-the-scenes talent, and more. He enjoys discovering hidden gems and sharing them with Polygon's audience. Previously, he was the gaming editor for AIPT Comics and has written for other outlets like XDA, How-To Geek, and The List.
He enjoys soulslikes, character-driven RPGs, and third-person shooters plucked straight out of the Xbox 360 era. He also likes to flex his non-video game nerdy knowledge sometimes, whether that's explaining who's who in the new Wolverine game or recommending a comic book series about a sentient sword.
TRL, but make it comedy
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Dropout announced a new series on Tuesday. Unlike most of the streamer's improv-heavy shows, the three-episode MP3 is a live-action scripted series.
Starring Saturday Night Live standout Jeremy Culhane, Skye Townsend, Aparna Nancherla, and Paul F. Tompkins, MP3 will spoof music video countdown shows, like MTV's Total Request Live. Each episode, Culhane, Townsend, and Nancherla's host characters will present music videos, interview guests, and argue with their producer, played by Tompkins.
Dropout favorites like Katie Marovitch, Lou Wilson, and Jacob Wysocki will appear as artists in the music videos. Jess McKenna and Zach Reino also play producers, and even appear in some of the music videos. They're also writers on the show and in charge of the music compositions. Very Important People fans will recognize Anna Garcia's Princess Emily making an appearance in the trailer, making us wonder if any other characters from across the Dropout network will cameo.
MP3 premieres next month
MP3 will stream its first episode Wednesday, Nov. 4. Like most other Dropout series, it will debut new episodes every two weeks, so keep Nov. 18 and Dec. 2 clear on your calendar. As the focus of the show is on music, each song performed on MP3 will be released on music streaming services after new episodes air.
MP3 is the latest foray into new ground for Dropout. 2026 has been a year of experiments, including licensed content and a new scripted animated show. "As far as Dropout is concerned, I want Dropout to be really all over the place in terms of what it's trying," CEO Sam Reich told Polygon recently.