ROYALTIES Season One: Fun, Quirky, and Perfect for Quibi

Royalties is a musical comedy series on Quibi following the lives and careers of songwriters Pierce (Darren Criss) and Sara (Kether Donohue). The series, including the music, is written by Darren Criss, Matt Lang, and Nick Lane and directed by Amy Heckerling.

Structure Fits Its Service

In a structure similar to another Quibi show, Nikki Fre$h, Royalties explores different musicians needing Pierce and Sara’s services in each episode, leading up to a music video in the final moments.

This structure works well for the short runtime of each episode without making the series feel like a film chopped up into tiny pieces. Each episode has a specific goal that allows unique moments of comedy, while also developing the relationships between characters.

In other shows on the service, most often dramatic ones, the structure works against the content, creating multiple episodes where not much happens. By centering each episode around a client and a song, Royalties always has something to say and we’re never waiting around until the third episode to feel like the story has been established. Royalties feels developed with Quibi in mind instead of something adjusted for the service after the fact.

Variety of Music and Guests

The structure of Royalties also allows for a great amount of variety in a short runtime. Over the course of the season, different genres of music are explored and parodied. If one song doesn’t land with you, there’s always another only a few minutes away.

The variety of musical styles allows the show to explore the comedic potentials in so many different areas and realistically represents the life of a songwriter. Some episodes deal with songs Sara and Pierce write and try to find the right person for the music, while others deal with building a song for a specific performer, and the difficulties that can happen when writing for a more established performer.

Royalties lives up to the musical parody found within Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story and Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping, which both explore a plethora of genres through their parody of musical genres and artists.

The series includes musical performances from Sabrina Carpenter, Jordan Fisher, Lil Rel Howery, and many more. Every song plays with a different aspect of the music industry in funny and unique ways, while also providing opportunities for talented guest stars to show their comedic strength. The series also sports memorable supporting performances from Georgia King and John Stamos.

Absurdity Comes from Reality

Royalties is funniest when the moments on screen mirror our reality, but with just enough absurdity. In the pilot episode, Sara and Pierce come up with the idea for a hit song while eating a hot dog. This song sets the stage for the rest of the series with the dissonance from its smooth sound to its message of killing a man for a hot dog.

This pilot paints a clear picture of what to expect from the rest of this quirky and memorable comedy. By the time you get to episode four, where guest star Mark Hamill sings about King Kong’s dong, you have been captured by the absurdity and heart of Royalties.

Every song perfectly fits the genre of which they are parodying, and the humor of the lyrics feels so close to reality, yet far enough away that we can laugh and enjoy break up songs themed around Rocky and love songs with as much innuendo as “Let’s Duet” from Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.

Relationships and Character Development

Royalties, even with its short runtime and general focus around a single song, manages to establish and build relationships. Pierce and Sara’s partnership evolves throughout the series, and never feels forced. Darren Criss, Kether Donohue, and Tony Revolori work perfectly together as the main songwriting and producing team. Their dynamic helps the show stay fresh and funny during the build-up to the songs that are at the heart of each episode.

Kether Donohue stands out in every episode. Her performance brings out the comedy and relatability in each moment from sleeping so you can recover a dream song to discovering your musical inspiration isn’t as good as you remember. She plays with a sincerity to her character and a goal to establish personality. Throughout every episode, we learn more about her character through her reactions and inflections.

While watching Royalties, there was never a moment where I wanted to get back to a different aspect of the show. Both the storylines surrounding the creation of the songs as well as the moments dedicated to the guest musicians were filled with comedy and heart. With the length of the show, nothing went on for too long. No jokes overstayed their welcome, allowing the series to move quickly and keep you invested in both Sara and Pierce’s careers and personal lives.

Conclusion

Royalties is a funny parody of the music industry that affectionately brings forward the lives and difficulties of songwriters with stellar performances from Darren Criss, Kether Donohue, Tony Revolori, and a huge team of talented guest stars. Royalties fits perfectly on Quibi and utilizes the shortened runtime to tell concise stories revolving around a single song and musician in each episode.

If you watched Royalties, what did you think? Did it bring back memories of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story or Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping? Share your thoughts in the comments. 

Season one of Royalties is streaming on Quibi.

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