YouTube Premium (formerly YouTube Red) has been producing originals for three years now, since its debut in late 2015. A YouTube Premium subscription not only gives you access to a library of original TV and movies, but you also get an ad-free YouTube experience, the ability to download and play YouTube videos in the background while on other apps, and as access to their newly relaunched music service.
It seemed like the perfect idea at first, to have YouTube pay their stars to create original content. Logan Paul aside, there have been notable, positive contributions produced by the streaming giant, including This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous, a landmark documentary about a famous YouTuber who chronicled her gender affirmation on the site. A logical extension of YouTube vlogs, this documentary represents the best of YouTube, a site where AutoTune remixes of people were once considered the height of entertainment.
YouTube Premium has yet to have a major hit, and many people are still unaware of the service, but hopefully that will change soon, with YouTube teaming up with bigger creators like Jordan Peele. There are a number of great under the radar originals available on the platform. Here are the best YouTube Premium movies and television shows.
Bodied
Cobra Kai
Dance Camp
Ghostmates
Kedi
The Keys of Christmas
Lazer Team
The Thinning
This Is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous
VLOGUMENTARY
Year: 2016
Director: Matthew Testa
Stars: n/a
People make a lot of fun of YouTubers for not having a real job or exaggerating their experiences just for attention, but when a guy like PewDiePie is making upwards of seven million dollars a year, it’s time to start paying attention. Vlogumentary tells the real-life stories of some of the biggest vloggers on the platform, tracing their reasons for putting their lives on the Internet in the form of vlogs and exploring the consequences of becoming famous for doing so. From executive producer Morgan Spurlock (the guy from Supersize Me), and featuring famous YouTubers like Shay Carl, Swoozie, Grace Helbig, Charles Trippy, Gaby Dunn, Mikey Murphy, and more, this is a heartfelt and honest documentary about storytelling on the Internet, one of the ultimate 21st century developments. —Julia Pimentel