The Rise of the Social Sitcom

If you’ve been scrolling your TikTok FYP lately, you may have noticed TV-style productions from brands steadily gaining traction on the platform. We’ve been hooked on watching series in 73 parts, with episodes chopped into digestible clips. That shift raises a bigger question, why are brands of all sizes moving away from traditional social advertising towards serialised, TV style content on video first platforms?

The Rebirth of TV Series on TikTok

Classic TV shows that formed the basis of our entertainment during the early 2000s have experienced a surge in popularity among Gen Z, thanks to clips being resized to 9:16 to appeal to a new audience. The algorithm serves users with bite-sized segments of various TV shows and movies. Full series can be found on hundreds of accounts across the platform.

While this way of consuming content may seem bizarre to older generations, it has proven incredibly effective, with clips regularly generating tens of millions of views. Countless users are now watching entire series such as Ugly Betty and Grey’s Anatomy, and films like The Help and Legally Blonde, in 3-minute segments directly on TikTok. The simple reformatting of existing and nostalgic TV shows has been a revelation for how people are consuming content, and marketeers have been taking notice.

The Audience of Ad-Averse Scrollers

As a result, many brands have jumped on the bandwagon as part of their marketing strategy, creating their own TV show-style productions designed to build brand affinity.

We live in a social landscape where ads are obvious and frequently ignored, particularly by the digitally native Gen Z. In response, brands are creating largely unbranded, or lightly branded at most, content designed for the audience’s entertainment, not as product pushes. Shows like Roomies, a sitcom centred on a girl who moves into her first-ever New York sublet and produced by commerce network Bilt, are a key example of this.

With an account boasting over 115,000 followers and millions of combined views, Roomies has been a hit with TikTok users, and season two is set to drop soon. With no direct mention of the brand itself, Roomies is a clear example of the success of this approach when advertising to Gen Z.

Social-First Storytelling

The key to the success of these campaigns is that they are built for social, not simply edited onto it. Brands and companies are applying TV logic to sitcom-style content (Roomies), reality competition formats (Restaurant Survivor), mockumentary storytelling (3FE), and even multi-season soap opera arcs (Alexis Bittar). 

Some use actors to create their own on-screen worlds (Brooklyn Coffee Shop), while others, like 3FE, put their own staff front and centre, which adds an extra layer of authenticity and gives the brand a human face that builds familiarity. The flexibility of this format makes the trend powerful; the TV structure can be adopted by any brand to achieve higher and consistent engagement while reaching their quota for social content.

The Broader Shift 

This isn’t just a couple of brands following a trend; it’s a movement making a global mark. Brands recognise that Gen Z, who are spending 45% of their daily viewing time on video-sharing platforms (Ofcom), don’t respond to traditional advertising in the same way as generations before them.  

Brands like Bratz, Pepsi, and InStyle, to name a few, have adopted this approach and are reaping the rewards, reaching millions of views with actively engaged audiences taking over the comments section. These interactions fuel the algorithm and drive wider distribution, as platforms continue to reward participation over interruption.

Our Take

This recent surge in social media series presents many lessons and opportunities for marketeers worldwide. The key takeaway we can see is that there is a clear desire from users to return social media to its basics: creating content that is light, comedic, and unafraid to steer clear of overt sales pitches. 

This trend is directly connected to wider Gen Z behaviours: a clear craving for connection, reflected in comment sections where hundreds of users share discussions, reactions, and theories with one another. It also speaks to Gen Z’s love of lore and the appeal of being in on the inside joke. It attests to the recent decline of social media users posting on apps, and instead spending time seeking entertainment through their social accounts (Kantar). 

With more brands launching new series regularly, this takeover is still accelerating, and there’s no sign of it slowing down anytime soon. To learn more about how your brand can get involved and stay ahead of social trends and culture, contact us at team@hellojailbird.com.