# Royalties (2020 TV series)
**Royalties** is an American musical comedy television series created by [Darren Criss](https://www.edgepedia.org/darren-criss) for the short-form streaming service Quibi, satirizing the songwriters behind the world's biggest hits. It stars Criss and [Kether Donohue](https://www.edgepedia.org/kether-donohue) as Pierce and Sara, a songwriting duo navigating the challenges of writing a great song week after week for demanding pop stars.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/42973/royalties) The series ran for one season of ten episodes, each about eight minutes long, from June 1 to June 29, 2020, and was canceled after one season.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/42973/royalties) • [2](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/show/royalties?context.unit=H)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Format | Musical comedy, 10 episodes of about 8 minutes each, rated TV-MA[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/42973/royalties) • [3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/royalties) |
| Created by | Darren Criss, who also wrote the series and its songs with Nick and Matt Lang of Team StarKid[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/42973/royalties) • [4](https://www.thewrap.com/darren-criss-to-executive-produce-musical-comedy-series-royalties-for-quibi/) |
| Director | Amy Heckerling, director of *Clueless* and *Fast Times at Ridgemont High*[5](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/199329/new-short-form-series-royalties-co-created-by-and-starring-darren-criss-heads-to-quibi/) |
| Original run | Premiered June 1, 2020 on Quibi; finale "Perfect Song" aired June 29, 2020[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/42973/royalties) • [6](https://epguides.com/Royalties/) |
| Lead cast | Darren Criss as Pierce, Kether Donohue as Sara, with Tony Revolori, Georgia King, Sabrina Carpenter, Jennifer Coolidge, John Stamos, and Mark Hamill in guest roles[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/42973/royalties) • [2](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/show/royalties?context.unit=H) |
| Music | Each episode features at least one original song written by Criss[7](https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/darren-criss-royalties-quibi) |
| Afterlife | Acquired with the Quibi library by Roku in January 2021 and relaunched as a Roku Original; last available on The Roku Channel until September 2023[8](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1428439/000142843922000010/roku-20211231.htm) • [3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/royalties) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and format
The series follows Sara (Kether Donohue) and Pierce (Darren Criss), aspiring songwriters who work catering jobs to support themselves while writing songs for fictitious pop stars.[9](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/royalties) Fortunately for the duo, their friend Theo ([Tony Revolori](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-revolori)) allows them free access to his recording studio, and upon landing their first major opportunity they draw the attention of the manager Kendra ([Georgia King](https://www.edgepedia.org/georgia-king)).[9](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/royalties)
Each self-contained episode follows a different musician who needs Sara and Pierce's services, building to a music video in the final moments.[10](https://www.filminquiry.com/royalties-season-one-review/) Every episode contains at least one original song written by Criss, such as the mattress-themed innuendo number "Break It In" and the country song "Mighty As Kong".[7](https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/darren-criss-royalties-quibi) • [6](https://epguides.com/Royalties/) The episode titles themselves are drawn from the songs featured in them.[6](https://epguides.com/Royalties/)
## Development and production
Quibi, a mobile-focused short-form streaming service founded by [Jeffrey Katzenberg](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeffrey-katzenberg) and [Meg Whitman](https://www.edgepedia.org/meg-whitman), announced the project in July 2019. Criss signed on to write, produce, and star, and the series was described as the first musical in development at the platform.[4](https://www.thewrap.com/darren-criss-to-executive-produce-musical-comedy-series-royalties-for-quibi/) He wrote it with Nick and Matt Lang, his co-founders of the musical theater company Team StarKid, whom he had worked with since college on productions such as *[A Very Potter Musical](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-very-potter-musical)*.[4](https://www.thewrap.com/darren-criss-to-executive-produce-musical-comedy-series-royalties-for-quibi/) • [7](https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/darren-criss-royalties-quibi)
The series came from SideCar, the content development unit Fox Entertainment launched in February 2019 under Gail Berman, and it was that unit's first sale since its formation.[4](https://www.thewrap.com/darren-criss-to-executive-produce-musical-comedy-series-royalties-for-quibi/) Executive producers included Criss, Gail Berman, Hend Baghdady, Joe Earley, Matt Lang, Nick Lang, and Ricky Rollins.[4](https://www.thewrap.com/darren-criss-to-executive-produce-musical-comedy-series-royalties-for-quibi/) Amy Heckerling directed all ten episodes.[11](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10619376/fullcredits/)
Criss described the show as a long-gestating passion project drawing on his own songwriting career, and said the tone shifted from an early drama concept toward a scrappy, campy comedy as a counterpoint to melodramatic music-industry shows like *[Empire](https://www.edgepedia.org/empire-2015-tv-series)*, *Smash*, and *Nashville*.[7](https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/darren-criss-royalties-quibi) He called it "a zany little love note to the plight of songwriters" when announcing the premiere.[5](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/199329/new-short-form-series-royalties-co-created-by-and-starring-darren-criss-heads-to-quibi/)
## Cast
Criss and Kether Donohue lead the series as the songwriting duo Pierce and Sara.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/42973/royalties) Tony Revolori plays Theo and Georgia King plays Kendra.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/42973/royalties) Guest stars play fictitious music stars, with each episode featuring celebrity guests; the cast includes [Sabrina Carpenter](https://www.edgepedia.org/sabrina-carpenter) as Bailey Rouge, Jennifer Coolidge as Miriam Hale, John Stamos as Elia Peck, Jackie Tohn as McKenzie, and [Mark Hamill](https://www.edgepedia.org/mark-hamill) as Philip Combs.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/42973/royalties) • [2](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/show/royalties?context.unit=H) [Ed Asner](https://www.edgepedia.org/ed-asner) also appears.[9](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/royalties) Several of Criss's *Glee* colleagues appear among the guests.[12](https://www.tvline.com/interviews/royalties-darren-criss-interview-quibi-season-2-2898402/)
## Release and cancellation
Royalties premiered on June 1, 2020, on Quibi, which charged $4.99 per month with ads or $7.99 without ads.[4](https://www.thewrap.com/darren-criss-to-executive-produce-musical-comedy-series-royalties-for-quibi/) Episodes were released in batches through June 2020, with the first three on June 1 and the final two, "I Hate That I Need You" and "Perfect Song", on June 29.[6](https://epguides.com/Royalties/) The series was canceled after one season.[2](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/show/royalties?context.unit=H)
Quibi shut down after roughly six months of operation, having raised $1.75 billion from investors including Disney, NBCUniversal, and Viacom.[13](https://www.axios.com/2021/01/08/roku-acquires-quibi) • [14](https://time.com/5922040/streaming-wars-2020/) In January 2021, Roku acquired the rights to Quibi's library of 75 original shows, and in May 2021 it relaunched the content as Roku Originals, free and ad-supported on [The Roku Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-roku-channel), with Royalties among the 30 titles available at launch.[8](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1428439/000142843922000010/roku-20211231.htm) • [15](https://www.roku.com/whats-on/the-roku-channel/roku-originals) The series remained on The Roku Channel until September 2023; as of 2024 it was unavailable to stream in the United States.[3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/royalties)
## Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the season holds an 83% Tomatometer score based on three critic reviews.[16](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/royalties/s01) Critics described it as a funny, affectionate parody of the music industry; Amanda Mazzillo of Film Inquiry wrote that it "affectionately brings forward the lives and difficulties of songwriters with stellar performances", and Kiko Vega of Espinof gave it 4 out of 5, calling it a series that "doesn't pretend to be anything more than a good time".[16](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/royalties/s01) Common Sense Media rated it 4 out of 5, noting heavy cursing and strong sexual innuendo consistent with its TV-MA rating.[9](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/royalties) • [3](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/royalties)
On IMDb the series holds a weighted rating of 6.5 out of 10 from about 385 user ratings, with individual episode ratings rising from 7.0 for the premiere to 9.2 for the finale.[17](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10619376/ratings/) Reviewers noted that the short runtime suited the material: Film Inquiry found that the eight-minute episodes kept jokes from overstaying their welcome and let each story revolve around a single song and musician.[10](https://www.filminquiry.com/royalties-season-one-review/)
## References
1. [Royalties, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/shows/42973/royalties)
2. [Royalties, Plex](https://watch.plex.tv/en-GB/show/royalties?context.unit=H)
3. [Royalties (2020) streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/royalties)
4. [Darren Criss to Executive Produce Musical Comedy Series 'Royalties' for Quibi, TheWrap (July 10, 2019)](https://www.thewrap.com/darren-criss-to-executive-produce-musical-comedy-series-royalties-for-quibi/)
5. [New Short-Form Series Royalties, Co-Created by and Starring Darren Criss, Heads to Quibi, Broadway.com (May 20, 2020)](https://www.broadway.com/buzz/199329/new-short-form-series-royalties-co-created-by-and-starring-darren-criss-heads-to-quibi/)
6. [Royalties, a Titles & Air Dates Guide, epguides](https://epguides.com/Royalties/)
7. [Darren Criss Talks Quibi Series 'Royalties', NYLON (June 26, 2020)](https://www.nylon.com/entertainment/darren-criss-royalties-quibi)
8. [Roku 2021 Annual Report (Form 10-K), SEC](https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1428439/000142843922000010/roku-20211231.htm)
9. [Royalties Parents' Guide, Common Sense Media](https://www.commonsensemedia.org/tv-reviews/royalties)
10. [ROYALTIES Season One: Fun, Quirky, and Perfect for Quibi, Film Inquiry](https://www.filminquiry.com/royalties-season-one-review/)
11. [Royalties (2020) Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10619376/fullcredits/)
12. [Darren Criss Interview on Royalties, TVLine (July 5, 2020)](https://www.tvline.com/interviews/royalties-darren-criss-interview-quibi-season-2-2898402/)
13. [Roku acquires Quibi's library of content, Axios (January 8, 2021)](https://www.axios.com/2021/01/08/roku-acquires-quibi)
14. [8 Takeaways From the Streaming Wars' Biggest, Weirdest Year Yet, TIME](https://time.com/5922040/streaming-wars-2020/)
15. [Roku Originals, Roku](https://www.roku.com/whats-on/the-roku-channel/roku-originals)
16. [Royalties: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/royalties/s01)
17. [Royalties (TV Series 2020) Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10619376/ratings/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Unscripted, reality, and web-native series › Web-native and streaming-original series › Comedy, drama, and general-genre web series*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license