WWE Enters Microdrama Space With ‘Agent of Shadows,’ Drew McIntyre Takes Central Role

[u/EThorns]

https://variety.com/2026/tv/news/wwe-microdrama-agent-of-shadows-drew-mcintyre-1236907475/

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[u/ZFunktopus]

So it’s Quibi again?

[u/Foxcooler → u/ZFunktopus]

Quibi stumbled so all this vertical slop platforms could machine gun everything

[u/ZFunktopus → u/Foxcooler]

I look forward to seeing Touts promoting this new series

[u/KneeHighMischief → u/ZFunktopus]

They spent $1.4 billion & shuttered just six months after launch. Truly a colossal waste of money on a terrible idea.

[u/notathrowaway75 → u/KneeHighMischief]

It's actually just ahead of its time, distressingly enough.

[u/Airwreck11 → u/KneeHighMischief]

I feel like if it launched today it would do way better, people's attention spans are thoroughly cooked now, quick 10 min episodes sound doable

[u/Dannysaysnoo → u/KneeHighMischief]

They had a Jack Sparrow impersonator show that had to shut down due to multiple contestants having undisclosed criminal records

[u/El-Drunko → u/ZFunktopus]

Pretty much yeah, it' almost all AI bullshit on the website that this series is on.

[u/__Hello_my_name_is__ → u/ZFunktopus]

Kind of. People are actually watching this, though.

I have no idea which people. But some people do.

[u/Martel1234 → u/__Hello_my_name_is__]

If you go on TikTok they will force feed you ai animated shit that gets like 10 million views an episode. It’s the same 2 or 3 storylines too, just masqueraded with with different settings and characters.

[u/Professor_Buttskin]

I feel my age when I gotta ask "what the fuck is a microdrama and why do I already hate it?"

[u/QueezyF → u/Professor_Buttskin]

It’s exactly what I expected. I don’t think I’ve ever watched a show and thought “this would be so much better if I could watch it in portrait mode on my phone and for only 2 minutes an episode.” If that makes me an unc, so be it.

[u/aitherion → u/QueezyF]

These are enormous in China for some reason

[u/KaiserVen → u/aitherion]

China and hell Asia love self insert slop

[u/mojo72400 → u/Professor_Buttskin]

My mom & Yaya (Filipino for caretaker) are addicted to it that it makes me uncomfortable.

[u/phobean_313a → u/mojo72400]

I only listen to them in passing so I don't really know what it looks like. The only thing I find uncomfortable is their acting. Other than that I find the microdrama somewhat useless, because they have to go to the next video to continue. Kind of like watching an episode in old YT (when it was I think in 5 minutes).

[u/mojo72400 → u/phobean_313a]

The constant fighting & abuse is what makes me uncomfortable listening to.

[u/Kafkabest]

"“Agent of Shadows” features established microdrama stars like Chase Mattson, Marc Herrmann, and Katherine Gibson"

Yeah, sure. Real household names there.

[u/Sio_V_Reddit → u/Kafkabest]

They sound like the kind of names you hear in a 4kids localization

[u/VanWylder → u/Sio_V_Reddit]

They sound like the next three NXT debuts.

[u/georgiavirginia → u/Sio_V_Reddit]

Dan Green and Eric Stuart are probably more well known.

[u/twjackfoley → u/Kafkabest]

ALL THE STARS ARE HERE! 

[u/Grog-bog]

I must be out of touch because what the fuck is a microdrama?

[u/El-Drunko → u/Grog-bog]

Slop for people with zero attention span

[u/mojo72400 → u/El-Drunko]

That has too much uncomfortable fighting for people w/ a persecution & abuse fetish.

[u/Drama79 → u/Grog-bog]

Vertical video 2 minutes shorts. Lots of LA money in it right now.

[u/Storms_Eye314]

Man, they're really trying to make "Crossover star Drew McIntyre" happen, eh?

[u/ParticularLow1355]

Michael PS Hayes jumpscare in the trailer they showed during Mitb, he looks like he's playing an evil pimp or something lol

[u/DaddyQuaad → u/ParticularLow1355]

So he didn’t have any lines then that’s just Michael Hayes irl.

[u/Stupid-AF_50 → u/ParticularLow1355]

If all of Vince's boys are getting in on this "microdrama" business it's sure to be a success

[u/Victor_Zsasz]

Microdrama is a good way of denoting what it is so I don't accidentally watch it.

[u/fcukou]

Vertical micro-drama makes billions of dollars in South America and Asia. It has surpassed traditional film revenue in China and is quickly catching up to TV/long-form episoding media. It's huge in Latin America, and it's quickly growing in the US. If you scroll on YouTube Shorts or TikTok long enough, you will likely run into a 2-3 minute episode of a micro-drama. They cost a at max $100k to make and take up to 2 weeks to film.

[u/moist_crack → u/fcukou]

Depressing. People's brains are so beyond fried.

[u/ZFunktopus]

So it’s Quibi again?

[u/Revolutionary-Oil-74]

Is Drew McIntrye a good actor? I know he had a role in a movie with Dave Batista and he has a spot in the upcoming Highlander movie.

[u/Stupid-AF_50 → u/Revolutionary-Oil-74]

If he were a good actor he wouldn't be in a "microdrama"

[u/NestleDepresso]

Drew's getting a lot of roles lately. Makes me wonder if he's planning on retiring in the next few years

[u/Late_Ambassador7470]

They apways try to reinvent the wheel with some shit that makes me question why I still watch this

[u/Mr_Hellpop]

Seeing people talk about how great an actor Drew would be reminds me of the casting agent in Beyond the Mat saying New Jack could be the next Denzel Washington.

[u/TheWholeOfTheAss]

We need this ‘WWE Universe’ shit to die, for one because it sounds utterly stupid, and secondly because it has no actual solid meaning! The article makes it seem like WWE Universe refers to the whole WWE — TV, PPV, video games — but we know that shitty term is used for the audience. It’s gotta go.

Anyway… micro dramas. Okay. So… high-budget Tik Toks?

[u/Drama79]

It’s giving tout.

It’s also full of AI apparently.