Since the dawn of TikTok videos, Reels, and YouTube Shorts, content creators and media outlets have come up with various ways to share information and market their projects. We still watch long-form content on our timelines, such as vlogs, video essays, and podcast episodes. However, we’ve also witnessed these concise vertical videos rapidly take over social media.
As the internet caters to more bite-sized content for mobile viewing (and our short attention spans), producers, directors, actors, and creatives worldwide have seized on this shift in media consumption to launch a new trend: vertical micro-dramas (verticals, for short). They’re exactly what you think—the usual shows you stream online, except they’re filmed vertically, with episodes that are five to ten minutes long.
Photo: PureGold Price Club, Inc., ReelShort, Viva Artists Agency/TikTok
There are numerous factors behind the rise of vertical streaming and its emergence as a pop culture phenomenon. Multiple countries, including the Philippines, have recently partaken in the trend and produced their own verticals. Most of these shows are exclusive to specific streaming apps, while others are posted on widely used social media platforms.
This year, Filipinos have produced multiple vertical dramas that have piqued viewers’ interest—not just because of the artists in them, but also because of this innovative format for TV, film, and content creation.
Before we explore our library of local vertical micro-dramas, let’s take a look at the origins of vertical streaming and how it ushered in a new era of online entertainment.
The Global Rise of Vertical Streaming
@reelshortapp just trying to be a regular girl💅🎀✨ 📺 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐞 𝐇𝐞𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐯𝐬. 𝐅𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐐𝐮𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐁𝐞𝐞 —now streaming on reelshort! #drama#love#fyp #billionaire#shortdrama#tvseries
Have your usual scrolling sessions ever been interrupted by intense and cinematic confrontation scenes that resemble your favorite teleserye? If you’ve encountered these eye-catching videos before, there’s a good chance you came across a vertical micro-drama.
Vertical shows gained prominence in the U.S. and China in 2020, before spreading to the rest of the world. Viewers could access different titles on rapidly growing apps like ReelShort and CandyJar, while sneak peeks of upcoming episodes were promoted on TikTok.
Wendy Lee of The Los Angeles Times explained that the appeal of verticals lies in how people can finish streaming multiple titles and episodes as quickly as watching one full-length film. Moreover, these easily digestible shows have gone viral internationally thanks to their familiar plots, which lean into widely loved fictional tropes and romantic dynamics, as well as their ensembles of charismatic young actors.
@sesbombchris KAPLAN HEIRESS Episode 2
One major instance of global recognition in vertical streaming is True Heiress vs. Fake Queen Bee, an American micro-drama on ReelShort that made waves on social media last year. The series, commonly known as its unofficial title, The Kaplan Heiress, highlights the conflict, drama, and high tension between two women of contrasting backgrounds—a plot we’ve also seen in local shows like Mara Clara and Kadenang Ginto. Filipinos even recreated scenes from the vertical as if it were an original teleserye.
The Philippines’ First Vertical Micro-drama
@puregoldph Kaya bang ma-fall in 52 weeks? 🤭Catch this all new coming of age reel! The first #TikTokSeries in the 🇵🇭 starring @queeneemercado @jinmacapagal_ @derickallen88 @cruzherbie !Follow @puregoldph for updates! #fyp #52weeks
You might think that Filipinos have just started telling stories through vertical micro-dramas this year. But did you know that our local filmmakers and producers have been exploring the medium since 2022?
Christopher Cahilig and Lemuel Lorca’s 52 Weeks, dubbed as “the first Filipino TikTok series,” marked the nationwide debut of vertical streaming. 52 Weeks, a 36-episode rom-com, was released on the official TikTok account of PureGold and garnered over 34 million views. The series follows Mina (Queenay Mercado), a hopeless romantic who hopes to find true love in 52 weeks with the help of her best friends.
Following the success of 52 Weeks, PureGold released My Plantito (2023) and Got My Eyes On You (2025), two boys’ love (BL) vertical dramas that also had viewers swooning.
More Filipino Vertical Shows to Watch
@vivaartistsagency I’M IN LOVE WITH A JERK – EP. 1: The Model Student and the Mess 💖🚩 Starring Angela Muji and Kurt Delos Reyes. New episodes every Friday and Saturday at 4:00 PM! @angela_muji @kurtt_dy VAAShortsPresentsAngelaKurt VSP angelamuji KurtDelosReyes VAAShortsPresents ImInLoveWithAJerk
♬ original sound – Viva Artists Agency – Viva Artists Agency
It wasn’t long before major entertainment agencies and streaming services in the Philippines picked up on vertical dramas and their international reach.
Viva Artists Agency, home to Ang Mutya ng Section E and Bad Genius: The Series, released a 30-episode TikTok series this year called I’m In Love With a Jerk, starring Angela Muji and Kurt delos Reyes. The series ran from March 22 to July 19, 2025, with new episodes on Fridays and Saturdays.
Meanwhile, Cornerstone Entertainment launched two vertical micro-dramas on August 27, 2025: James Mayo’s 1, 2, 3, Boyfriend ni Marie, and Rod Marmol’s My Favorite Liar. Both shows featured the country’s emerging young actors and social media personalities, including Sofia Jahrling, Perlas, and Zoozoo, among others. The two verticals are available for streaming on Beetzee Play.
It’s still too early to tell if vertical micro-dramas are the future of media, pop culture, and entertainment. But as the modern storytelling medium continues to thrive and open doors for new names in creative fields, it’s safe to say that these short-form narratives are here to stay.
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Which vertical micro-dramas have you already watched? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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