I used to be a major TV watcher, but lately, I find that I’m watching less traditional TV and way more YouTube. Maybe it’s because YouTube has everything. It’s a never-ending source of entertainment, but also a source of information. Through YouTube, I’ve learned everything from how to sand and refinish furniture to how to vectorize hand lettering. Of course, I’ve also watched countless hours of fascinating or hilarious content, too. Since I’m trying to update this blog more frequently (instead of every five years!) I thought I’d share some of my favorite YouTube channels. These are in no particular order, just a few that I always watch.
The Film Theorists
I’m basically obsessed with this channel. The film geek in me loves the in-depth analysis, and I think MatPat is probably the best out there for explaining complex theories and material in an entertaining way. He and the gang are so good that they even got me interested in gaming through their other channel, The Game Theorists, and their super funny live streams on GTLive. It’s hard to pick a favorite Film Theory video, but the one about R+L=J was one of the first theories I saw, and I could not hit that subscribe button fast enough.
UNHhhh
Some people love the NFL, some people love the Olympics, my sport of choice is RuPaul’s Drag Race. When I saw the WOW Presents channel, I hit that subscribe button harder than a Laganja Estranga death drop, okurrrr! WOWPresents has some of the best content on YouTube with shows like Alyssa’s Secret, starring the incomparable Alyssa Edwards, and RuPaul’s Drag Race Fashion Photo RuView, featuring RPDR alums Raja and Raven, but if I had to pick just one favorite show, it’s UNHhhh, starring Trixie Mattel and Katya. This show is so endlessly entertaining and hilarious that I’ve watched all the episodes several times and I’m constantly quoting them to people who have no clue what the hell I’m talking about.
Emergency Awesome
People are usually surprised to learn that I actually haven’t read all the Game of Thrones books, but I can talk about them like I’m well-versed because of this channel. Charlie knows literally everything about the books and the show, and if you’re a fan, there’s really no better channel to subscribe to. From his WTF moments to his analysis of trailers to his comparisons of books to screen, he’s the go-to guy for GoT. Of course, he also covers tons of other awesome stuff, so if you love comics or Star Wars, his channel is the place to go for theories and analysis.
Facts.
If you’ve been on the internet for over 10 seconds, chances are you’ve seen a BuzzFeed video of people trying food, clothes, or something else. The problem is that BuzzFeed videos can get really boring and start to feel like a very obvious attempt to generate as much content as possible, regardless of quality. That’s why I prefer Facts. This Irish channel has a hilarious cast of commentators who try everything from Thanksgiving food to cosplay. The key here is personality, and these people have loads of it, which makes the videos feel fun and fresh. The taste tests are probably the most famous, and always draw some pretty hilarious reactions.
SciShow Space
I’m into science shows, particularly if they’re about space. Keep your Kardashians and give me Cosmos! This channel features short, informative videos about some of the most interesting objects and phenomena in the universe. A lot of people think of YouTube as place for the kind of stuff you see on Tosh.0, but SciShow Space is one of those great channels where you’ll actually learn something.
Cinema Sins
Film is a recurring theme on this list, mostly because I’m also a film critic, and few channels on YouTube are as excellent as Cinema Sins. Their “Everything Wrong With ___” videos are so on-point it’s scary…and super funny. I can’t tell you how many hours I’ve spent watching this channel and ScreenJunkies.
MKBHD
This channel is already pretty huge, particularly with the tech crowd, so you’ve likely already heard of Marques and his great reviews. Whenever I’m looking for a straightforward review of a new tech product, I know exactly where to go. He covers PCs and Macs, iOS and Android, and even some of the latest luxury cars without going off on rants or being totally biased toward certain brands. Informative, helpful, and to-the-point, his reviews can be awesome when you’re trying to decide which expensive tech product to spend your life savings on. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that I also think he’s super cute.
Chris Stuckmann
Another movie favorite of mine is Chris Stuckmann. I love his reviews of current films and I find that I agree with him most of the time—save for his affinity for M. Night Shyamalan—but where he really shines is in his Hilariocity reviews. These are movies that are so bad they’re great, hilarious atrocities. The first one I ever saw was his review of my favorite bad movie ever, The Room, and I loved everything he had to say about it.
Every Tuesday
When I started lettering, I didn’t know a damn thing about Illustrator, vectors, or how to make Procreate brushes, but then I found Teela’s channel. This woman can teach anyone anything! Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop can be super intimidating, especially for new users, and she knows how to explain each step in a digestible way that makes learning fast and easy. If you’re new to lettering, her channel will teach you everything you need to get started, and if you’re using an iPad Pro, she’ll teach you how to incorporate textures and vectors into your work.
Wisecrack
Wisecrack has several great shows including Thug Notes, which analyzes literary works in a much more contemporary way, but I think my favorite is Earthling Cinema. Here, alien host Garyx Wormuloid analyzes famous movies in a way that only someone who hasn’t been privy to the pop culture of Earth could do. It’s totally hilarious and you should definitely check it out if you haven’t seen it already.
Honorable mentions to How it Should Have Ended, Rad & Happy, Kevin Smith’s Fatman on Batman series, Looper, Kurzgesagt, and Russell Brand’s Trews series for also being awesome and addictive.
So there you have it, a few of my favorite YouTube channels and why I love them so much. Check them out or let me know your faves.