Trying to find the best Quibi shows? The short-form, mobile-only video streaming app debuted to some head-scratching. (Does the world really need this right now?) But our Quibi review left us feeling impressed with the app’s design and the service’s unique Turnstyle viewing mode that lets you move seamlessly between portrait and landscape viewing.
Still, the make-or-break feature for a streaming service with original programming is the kinds of shows that it offers. Quibi launched with 24 scripted and unscripted series made by and starring many A-list celebrities, from Liam Hemsworth to Game of Thrones alum Sophie Turner to Twitter queen Chrissy Teigen. There are also reboots of the classic prank show Punk’d and the old MTV dating show Singled Out.
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All of these series are made up of episodes that run for less than 10 minutes each. So which are worth even that small chunk of your time? We've got a guide to the best Quibi shows to stream.
If you are interested in watching these shows, Quibi is offering a free 90-day trial to anyone who signs up in April. After the free trial, it costs $4.99 a month for the ad-supported version or $7.99 to go ad-free. Download the Quibi app on iOS or Android.
The best Quibi shows to watch now
Chrissy's Court
Chrissy Teigen, the supermodel turned Twitter-lebrity, presides over a small claims court, a la Judge Judy, dispensing judgments on matters trivial and petty.
The episodes, which run less than seven minutes, highlight Teigen’s effortless charm and down-to-earth smarts. Plus, the necklaces! She sports some insane statement pieces over simple black robes.
Of course, there are celeb cameos, including one from her husband, John Legend. But the best part of the series has to be Teigen’s mom, Pepper Thai, whom Teigen is constantly (and lovingly) roasting. — Kelly Woo
Shape of Pasta
At the center of my TV and YouTube habits lie food television, and Shape of Pasta fits right in.
The series stars Evan Funke, an LA chef who's headed off to Italy to learn more about the carbohydrate he loves so much. The vertical Turnstyle shots allow for some amazing closeups of plates and the pasta-making process, as Funke seeks to further edify himself about pasta. Specifically, he's looking to learn about specific (and rare) shapes of pasta (hence the show's title) that need to be kept alive.
Shape of Pasta will take you inside the homes and kitchens of chefs making pastas we've never seen before — all while making you wonder about what you're cooking tonight. — Henry T. Casey
Nikki Fre$h
You’re probably not aware that Nicole Richie has major comedic chops, since so few of you watched NBC’s short-lived Great News. She puts those chops to seriously funny use in this semi-scripted comedy that is one of the best shows on Quibi.
Richie stars as a fictionalized version of herself, a half-baked wellness guru and wannabe trap-music star making an album “mostly for moms and gays.” Each episode ends with a surprisingly catchy song about (actually) meaningful topics like ugly vegetables and saving bees. — Kelly Woo
I Promise
This uplifting and inspiring docu-series takes a look inside the school for at-risk kids that basketball superstar Lebron James opened in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.
But don’t expect a puff piece fawning over James; the show is a sometimes heartbreaking examination of the public-school system that acknowledges how hard it is to effect real change. Do expect several of the kids featured in I Promise to take hold of your heart. — Kelly Woo
Most Dangerous Game
To quote a friend of mine, "This is super campy but I’m intrigued."
Liam Hemsworth (Hunger Games) stars as the cornily-named Dodge Tynes, a man about to be hunted. The big surprise about Most Dangerous Game is that — despite its short format — it refuses to give you the action you expect up front.
Halfway through the "season" (four episodes), the hunt has yet to begin. Yet, somehow, Most Dangerous Game keeps you watching, thanks to Christoph Waltz' gleeful performance and Hemsworth's brooding work as a man with a disease. — Henry T. Casey
Run This City
If you liked the rollercoaster ride that was Netflix’s Tiger King, check out this riveting docu-series about Jasiel Correia. At 23, Correia became the youngest mayor ever of Fall River, Massachusetts. His term in office brought scandal to the sleepy small New England town — sex, drugs, criminal enterprise, you name it.
Although Run This City is one of the best shows on Quibi, the short length of the episodes actually makes it a bit frustrating to watch, since you end up wanting to see and hear more from the many interesting characters. — Kelly Woo
Gayme Show
Now this is the content we need in these troubled times. Gayme Show will make you smile at its utter silliness. Hosts Matt Rogers and Dave Rizzoni hold a competition between two straight men vying for the title of “Queen of the Straights.”
Each episode pairs the straight guys with celebrity life partners — like Ilana Glazer, Rachel Bloom or D’Arcy Carden — who help them through challenges that determine which of them is honorarily “Gay as F—-.” It’s delightful, ridiculous and completely bingeable. — Kelly Woo
Sexology with Shan Boodram
One of the shows that makes Quibi feel fresher than your average Hulu or Netflix show, Sexology's first episode finds its charismatic host (and resident sexpert) Shan Boodram taking a trans woman to a sex shop to help her pick out the right toy for her, and it all feels smart and clever.
Episode 3 dives into an incredibly important topic: building the perfect dating profile. In that round of Sexology, Shan talks with a panel of guests about how hard it is to make a good profile, and how they keep attracting the wrong people. -- Henry T. Casey
Murder House Flip
We’re all familiar with the concept of flipping homes. We’re all familiar with the true-crime documentary genre. Mash them up and you’ve got Murder House Flip.
Mikel Welch and Joelle Uzyel take on the difficult task of renovating the country’s most infamous homes, all sites of grisly killings, and making them sellable. It’s such an interesting take on both genres that we wish this was a full-length show that aired on HGTV and/or Investigation Discovery. — Kelly Woo
Flipped
This is almost the scripted-comedy counterpart to Murder House Flip.
Will Forte and Kaitlin Olsen play a witless couple who want to become home-renovation superstars, a la Chip and Joanna Gaines. They stumble into a relationship with a drug cartel after finding lots of cash in a home they’re redoing. When a cartel boss sees what a great job they’ve done with the stash house, he hires/coerces them to work on his mansion.
Flipped feels like a really great Saturday Night Live skit, but Forte and Olsen’s characters grate after a while, so this may not be the most bingeable of shows. — Kelly Woo
You Ain't Got These
This engrossing exploration of sneaker culture comes from executive producer and host Lena Waithe. The Emmy winner is a sneakerhead herself, so she’s the perfect guide to the history and impact of sneakers in American culture.
Through interviews with athletes, musicians, historians and other experts, the docu-series explores what makes certain brands like Air Jordans so popular and coveted. Whether you’re into sneakers or not, you’ll be fascinated. Just do it. — Kelly Woo
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