Tidal, the streaming service that Jay Z will force all of us to like even if he has to personally go to everyone’s house and explain the benefits of HD audio and why it’s better to give money to rich guys like him instead of rich guys like record label executives, is expanding past the dull confines of music and getting into that hot original programming game that all of the other streaming services are into these days. That comes from Variety, which says Tidal has ordered two original shows, one scripted and one unscripted.
The scripted one will be a second season of hit YouTube drama Money & Violence, which focuses on a group of young men in Brooklyn’s Flatbush neighborhood who are forced to make ends meet as “thieves and drug dealers.” New episodes of Money & Violence will be available exclusively on Tidal for one week before “wider distribution,” which probably means YouTube. It will premiere on Tidal in January.
The unscripted show is No Small Talk, which will showcase “up-and-coming comedians” performing at New York’s Comedy Cellar. The show will be hosted by DJ Cipha Sounds and will air exclusively on Tidal. The first episode premieres tomorrow, November 3, so you better scrounge up some pennies and see if you can afford a Tidal subscription if you’re interested.