The Story

TikTok’s turning into an ultimate TV guide.

What’s showing? 

A lot, apparently. Last week, Paramount Pictures celebrated “Mean Girls Day” (aka, Oct 3) by uploading the entire film to TikTok, in 23 parts. So fetch, right? It comes as people’s FYPs are already inundated with movies and TV shows that they can watch in sequential clips. That includes recent hits (see: “The White Lotus,” “Barbie”) and older classics (see: “Ugly Betty,” “Freaky Friday”). While streaming services like Peacock and Netflix have gotten in on the action, most of the content comes from seemingly random accounts — leading to hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of views. Not to mention, hours-long binges.

But, why?

Honestly, it’s anyone’s guess. A few fan theories: TikTok’s algorithm is, no surprise, scary accurate, so it’s easier to find something you’ll actually like. Or, something you might not have discovered otherwise — making it appealing to studios and streamers. Plus, some say the comments are equally entertaining. But not everyone’s giving it two thumbs up: Some lawyers and law professors are putting the spotlight on potential copyright violations, which is something TikTok says it prohibits. At the same time, writers and actors are yelling ‘cut’ and raising questions about whether they’d earn residuals for work that’s on FYPs. But for now, the show goes on...and on.