Best of Behind the Verticals (a Selection)

And what's happening in the vertical drama industry this week

On December 2, 2025, Behind the Verticals launched to the world and what a six months it’s been. Thanks to your support, we’ve steadily climbed Substack’s Film & TV trending and bestseller lists, hosted a community webinar, appeared in academic research and on industry panels and podcasts, featured interviews with writers, directors, producers, actors, managers, and more, and watched vertical drama go from niche to mainstream, with major studios, streamers, brands, and industry conferences all taking notice. Excited for what’s to come. We already have some exciting things for you in the editorial pipeline.

But first, this week’s global vertical drama news…

Credit: Behind the Verticals

👀 Spotted

• The All-American Rejects launch microdrama series ‘SuperFan’ on CandyJar.

• The future of cinema is on your phone.

• There is now an F1 vertical drama. Here is a behind the scenes look.

• When AI starts “acting”: can the surge of AI live-action short dramas cross cultures and trigger empathy?

• Anamana declares era of ‘Billion…