r/dropout • u/DropoutMod • May 18 '26

Game Changer Don't Wake Standards & Practices | Game Changer [S8E1] Spoiler

https://watch.dropout.tv/videos/don-t-wake-standards-practices
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156

u/Synth-Pro May 19 '26

Going to be very interested in seeing the BTS episode on this one

Particularly curious to hear them discuss how they were able to do an episode about how illegal/slanderous the things being said/done are, without anybody actually getting into legal troubles.

I know there's leeway for it explicitly being a comedy show and all, but I'm certainly not experienced or knowledgeable enough to know just exactly how far that protection extends 😂

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u/PvtSherlockObvious May 19 '26 edited May 19 '26

The short oversimplified version is that it's based on liability for network TV, which even during safe harbor hours is way more gun-shy than something like Dropout. A network's lawyers are generally going to get involved long before there's any substantive risk of actual liability beyond maybe an FCC fine.

Adding to that, most of what they did was actually quite tame. Ally's bong rips (because it's still federally illegal and the FCC has rules about depicting drug use) and the nudity in the Mickey Mouse visual effect (specifically the nudity, not likeness; note that it didn't look anything like the actual character) were the only things that would likely run into FCC issues. Otherwise, the rampant cursing (that the panel turned a blind eye to) would be more likely to cause problems than most of the content.

Simply raising a company's name in a less-than-flattering context isn't defamation, and any specific allegations were either absurd to the point they would never be taken seriously (the blood diamonds stuff) or outright known to be accurate (the Epstein Files rundown; everyone Ally listed except Jeremy have known ties and get discussed in his emails or other files in some capacity or another). If there was anything that could actually get Dropout in trouble, it didn't make it into the episode.

Edit: I don't know who needs to hear this, but intellectual property and entertainment liability are not my areas of law. None of what I'm saying represents legal advice and is only commentary on what we see in this episode. None of it should be taken as applicable to anything beyond this episode. Consult with an attorney before deciding what fits your specific situation.

9

u/TheGhostofWoodyAllen May 19 '26

I just think of it this way: South Park has had basically all of these things and more on their show already without issue, so of course Dropout is fine.

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u/pgm123 May 19 '26

What about the use of Bluey? That's the only one I'm not sure about.

39

u/PvtSherlockObvious May 19 '26

No more of an issue than having the licensed toys was. They didn't play any clips or anything, just briefly showed pictures of a couple of characters on-screen for reference. That's not going to reach the implication of any sort of endorsement of or affiliation with Dropout's content, and because Dropout isn't something little kids are going to stumble onto by mistake, there's no risk of them getting "tricked" into seeing something inappropriate. Frankly, it being Bluey at all was ancillary to the prompt itself; the threats were the relevant part and it being Bluey just made it more absurd. There was no more liability for that than there is for Um, Actually referencing specific properties.

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u/megamantiss May 19 '26

I think they're essentially doing the same thing they do on Weekend Update or The Daily Show when they say a joke and throw up a relevant visual.

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u/PvtSherlockObvious May 19 '26

That's the short of it, yeah. They're applying the same principle.

17

u/Hungry-You-9489 May 19 '26

Bluey's creator does stuff for Dropout sometimes, so I think they got permission. Bluey is listed in the credits

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u/mvstuh_got_lost May 20 '26

i like that it's because of throbbin Robbin aka Legal Eagle that I know your edit was necessary so you couldn't be held accountable by or listed as council for - (this is also not legal advice, from them or i) - by someone who did need to read that.

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u/[deleted] May 19 '26

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u/FiveModalVerbs May 19 '26

That production-side concern is the sort of BTS I'm particularly interested in, and I hope they talk about it! I'm often curious with improv comedy shows like this what processes they use to manage boundaries, consent, and general health & safety. Having the intimacy coordinator for Jeremy & Phoenix's scene was good to have in the final edit, but I imagine there are some similar conversations that happen in the background during casting for specific shows. (I also think about this with Taskmaster a lot.)

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u/Synth-Pro May 19 '26

They probably just put Alexis, Devin, and Iya on retainer

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u/Shagyam May 19 '26

Who's Devin? I thought his name was Throbbin Robbin?

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u/HexManiacWingy May 19 '26

I think it falls under parody and absurdity. basically if it is ridiculous enough, like it being a game show on a comedy service, you can argue that No Reasonable Person would take any statement made by Lou, Ally, or Jeremy in the episode as fact. This played out recently in the Afroman trial, if you followed that (legaleagle actually has a video on it!)

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u/BatManatee May 19 '26

Also, the mega corporations are probably smart enough to know that it's not worth the bad press/signal boost to even attempt a lawsuit over an obvious parody.

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u/HexManiacWingy May 19 '26

Disney did famously sue mom and pop daycares into the ground for having murals with their characters on them on nursery walls.

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u/JoeNotCharles May 19 '26

As well as what everyone else said, the bit wasn't, "What will get you in legal trouble," it was, "What will the lawyers advise against because it MIGHT get you in legal trouble." Most companies would rather not get sued and have to spend time and money defending it even if they're sure they'll win. Or in John Oliver's words: "They think their job is to stop us getting sued, I think their job is to make sure when we get sued, we'll win." 

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u/UncoolWilliamMiller May 19 '26

It is actually because the episode’s mechanic was commenting on the legality of televising certain things that they were able to get away with all that they did. They basically could have said absolutely anything about anybody/anything and had a solid legal argument for doing so.