One Year of Episodic Medium

How a personal experiment became a community of writers and readers of TV criticism

Last February, I discussed the idea of launching a Substack to continue writing television criticism with a few close friends. I knew that I wanted to keep writing after the death of The A.V. Club as we knew it, and I knew the outlets that would give me the freedom to write the way I wanted didn’t exist, but I was hung up on the idea that anyone would (or even should?) pay money for something they’ve historically gotten for free.

The people I spoke to were unanimous that this was a dumb hangup, I should absolutely do it, and they would be among the first to support it (they were). However, as it launched, one of them said that her dream wasn’t just that I would develop a humble audience who believed in my work and wanted to support it. Instead, she hoped that Episodic Medium would blow up into something far beyond how I’d imagined it, and I would accidentally find myself editing a full-scale publication.

And…well, about that.

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When I first introduced this Substack a year ago tomorrow, I proposed that a $50 annual fee would give paid subscribers access to roughly 50 reviews, written exclusively by me. But when fellow ex-A.V. Clubber Donna Bowman came on board to review the final season of Better Call Saul in April, an influx of readers nostalgic for an era of critical connection created a foundation for further expansion. By the six-month mark, the early yearly subscribers had already received 100 reviews—by the one-year mark, they’ve received nearly 250, five times what I had promised when I set out on this journey. In the span of twelve months, I went from a hobbyist critic wanting to create a sustainable platform for his own writing to an editor of an ongoing, sustainable publication with 7+ ongoing contributors that’s covered every episode of 24 different shows, in addition to occasional drop-ins and my (mostly) weekly newsletter.

Guess which show’s premiere and finale are signified by the biggest spikes in our daily stats?

I’m eternally grateful to those contributors—Donna, Zack, Noel, Josh, LaToya, Ben, and Lisa—for becoming part of the team, but as a reader-supported publication this only happened because of you, the subscribers. In the end, as of today, 1268 people have paid to access content here at Episodic Medium—and although some people only subscribed for one month while others invested in an entire year, all of you made it possible for me to not only bring in additional contributors but also pay them above the rate I was earning at the end of my time with The A.V. Club.

Since August, the number of active paid subscribers has stayed steady around 950, with nearly 400 paid subscribers leaving 5000+ comments over the course of the year. Whether in small but dynamic dialogues about shows like Mythic Quest or The Good Fight, or in lengthy debates and discussions of shows like House of the Dragon or The White Lotus, Episodic Medium truly has created a sense of community, which we’ve more recently extended to the Substack app’s Chat function where paid subscribers can start threads about what they’re watching.

And whether you paid for a month or a year, and even if you never paid at all, you’ve been a part of that community. As I’ve said multiple times, I’m never upset when someone chooses to end their paid subscription—everyone’s financial situation is different, and there’s no guarantee that what we’re covering will align with what you’re watching, or that our approach to criticism will be a productive part of your viewing experience. It’s especially likely that people who paid for a year upfront eventually found they didn’t have the time to watch TV let alone read about it, a common ailment in our era of Peak TV (and if you’re reading this post, I do believe yearly subscriptions auto-renew tomorrow, just FYI). It’s why I completely understand the 4000+ people who took the time to input their email address but ultimately haven’t made the leap to paying to access our reviews, and simply appreciate that you’d let us occasionally sit in your inbox for the moment there’s a show that you really want to dig into.

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As we enter Episodic Medium’s second year, that show might well be on the horizon. In the weeks ahead, we’ll start coverage of Starz’s Party Down revival, the third season of The Mandalorian, the 44th season of Survivor, the third (and potentially final) season of Ted Lasso, the second season of Yellowjackets, and the fourth season of Succession. This is in addition to concluding coverage of the first seasons of The Last of Us, Poker Face, Shrinking, and Yellowjackets, and ongoing coverage of the second season of Abbott Elementary. All told, subscribers will receive at least 32 reviews in March, which is certainly a better value for $5 than what I imagined us offering when I started this experiment a year ago.

The March schedule for Episodic Medium

I certainly hope that the early adopters of that experiment have felt they got their money’s worth when they invested a year ago. I started Episodic Medium questioning whether people should be expected to pay for criticism they’ve historically read for free, but my perspective on this has changed as I’ve brought in outside contributors. As the digital media ecosystem continues to reveal itself as a game of balance sheets and acquisitions, the spaces where writers are able to write in uncompromising ways—or at all—are increasingly going to be in reader-supported forms like this one. And now that I find myself in a position where I can help support smart, engaged writers, I no longer hesitate to say that I believe the reviews and discussions we’re offering to paid subscribers are an absolute steal at $5 a month, or less if you invest in an annual subscription.

I don’t know exactly what the future holds for Episodic Medium. The steady flow of new subscribers replacing old ones tells me that there are more people out there who are nostalgic for an experience that defined our connection to TV a decade ago, but I also know that there’s a natural ebb and flow with what’s on TV and what else is going on in subscribers’ lives. I want to continue growing, and would love to use this growth to bring in more contributors and continue expanding the rates I can offer them, but I am also wary of expanding beyond the site’s means (and have no desire to increase the cost of a monthly subscription, which I do feel is a sweet spot in terms of accessibility). I feel enormously fortunate that I’ve been able to grow the site so quickly, but the same issues of churn that impact streaming services apply here, and I don’t want to create a scenario where I need to abandon planned coverage or reduce the rates I’m able to offer freelancers.

And so the second year of Episodic Medium is about continuing what we’ve been doing for the last six months: working as a team of contributors to cover the shows people are talking about (or the ones they should be). Those of you who’ve joined us on this journey to this point have seen this future develop in real time, and I hope you’ll help spread the word to others of what the year ahead will bring them. While there might be a time where we grow to the point I can justify an advertising budget, the truth is that word of mouth is the number one way this community has come together, and how it will continue to grow.

When I introduced Episodic Medium a year ago, I wrote the following:

“This type of criticism might be going out of style…but it has defined my relationship with so many of my favorite shows, and being able to share that is an immense privilege.”

Now, with over 1200 people investing in this project, I feel more confident than ever that there is both an audience for this type of criticism and that the community it creates is worth investing in. I remain more privileged than ever to be able to do this work, and now to share the work of others, and I’m excited to have you along for the ride in whatever capacity is within your means in the year(s) ahead.