I spend an absurd amount of time on YouTube. When I’m done with my homework, the first thing I usually do is open up YouTube and browse around until I fall asleep. I know a lot of college students love finding YouTube channels and series to obsess over as much as me, so I decided to come up with a list of some of my favorite shows from this year!
- Under a Rock with Tig Notaro
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This is my favorite find this year! If you don’t already know her, Tig Notaro is an awesome comedian who has trouble recognizing celebrities and keeping up with pop culture. She started a YouTube series on Funny or Die where she interviews celebrities and tries to figure out who they are. I think it’s a genius idea and ridiculously funny. Everyone I show these episodes to can’t get enough. If you’re interested, definitely check out the episodes with Lena Headey from Game of Thrones and Julie Bowen from Modern Family.
- Genius’ Deconstructed
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This series is super cool. They have artists and producers of popular songs break down how they made them. They go through everything, from the inspiration of the song to the writing and production. I know absolutely nothing about music production, but I love these videos because they make me appreciate some of my favorite songs so much more. The episode about Kid Cudi’s Pursuit of Happiness is definitely a highlight.
- Harper’s Bazaar Derm Reacts
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This is a great series that has real dermatologists respond to the comments section of their other channel, Go To Bed With Me, which takes viewers through a dermatologists’ nighttime routine. Skincare routine videos have been super popular on YouTube within the last few years, which is why I think this channel is especially important. It’s very informative and helps me to better understand the reasoning behind the benefits of using certain products or techniques for different skin types.
- Stand-Up on “Lights Out with David Spade”
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This obviously isn’t primarily a YouTube series, as Lights Out with David Spade is a late night talk show on Comedy Central. While I do like this show and would recommend it, all I need you to do is watch the stand-up segment on their YouTube channel. They take random people or celebrities who have never done stand-up, hook them up with an earpiece, and have them perform a set at a comedy club while comedians David Spade and Jeff Ross feed them jokes. The episode where they use Spade’s driver still brings tears to my eyes from laughing.
- Billboard’s How It Went Down
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These videos are kind of like the Deconstructed series in that they show you how a song was made, but this one is more about the fun backstory that went into coming up with and making the song. Billboard interviews artists and have them retell the story of “how it went down.” The episode on Lizzo’s Truth Hurts is great.
- Pitchfork’s The Song I Wish I Wrote
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I’m sure you can tell exactly what the premise of this series is by the title, so I’ll just say this: it’s a great way to find new music and appreciate or learn about songs you already know! Also, for the record, Pitchfork’s entire YouTube channel is awesome.
Hopefully this list gave you some new options for going down the good old YouTube rabbit hole! Happy watching! :)
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