Photo : CC Pixabay

Apple had its most important event of the year earlier this week, and judging by its lackluster presentation for Apple TV+ one could be forgiven for thinking that it isn’t putting too much importance in its fledgling streaming service. Meanwhile, the mysterious millennial-focused streaming startup Quibi has a forthcoming show that, at least on paper, puts Apple’s entire lineup to shame.


Quibi is an experiment aiming to target the social media-addled brains of a younger generation with “bite-size” video content that vary in length depending on the project. If not for its deep pockets and executive leadership from Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman, it’d be easy to dismiss as a dumb idea in an overcrowded market. But it’s signing up top-notch talent like Guillermo del Toro and testing ideas like running a Steven Speilberg show that you can only watch at night. That’s all fine and good, but Quibi recently announced a reality show that firmly falls within the mainstream in the best way possible.

As Curbed pointed out on Thursday, Quibi will soon release Murder House Flip, a reality TV show that marries the twin phenomenons of house flipping and true crime. While many of the participants on house flipping shows give a strong vibe that they’d be capable of murder, the show will focus on old crimes. Yes, it’s about renovating houses where murders took place. Deadline covered the initial deal between Quibi and the producers in August, and offered a brief description of the premise:

Murder House Flip is described as an unconventional home-renovation show that takes on the country’s most infamous homes — the ones known for the mysterious murders and incredible intrigue committed within their walls. Homeowners turn to the colorful cast of forensic specialists, spiritual healers and high-end renovation experts to uncover the true crimes, shocking secrets and scandalous history of their homes. Then, cleansing renovations remove the stains of the past and take these homes from morbid to marvelous.


Because publicists only send Gizmodo bullshit we don’t want, we did not receive the press release for the show and don’t have much more info, but Curbed reports that it’ll debut in April 2020. We’ve reached out to Quibi for confirmation of the premiere date and its website lists the same month for the full streaming service’s debut.

Personally, I’m only mildly into true crime and I’m not into home renovation shows at all. But millions of people are into both and this show sounds great to me. I’m genuinely in awe of how perfectly conceived the premise is and if it was formulated by an algorithm, Netflix should be worried about the devs working under the hood at Quibi.

As for what else Quibi has coming in the future, it has vaguely discussed a slate of programs with names like Sam Raimi and The Rock attached. It also announced today that it’s looking to keep its audience informed about the world through a partnership with the BBC. But don’t sweat that stuff, the news shows will only be 5 minutes long because we millennials can’t pay attention.

That may not sound like a lot to whet your appetite, but I’m having trouble getting excited about a single show that Apple has announced thus far. A nd comparatively, Quibi is doing great. It’s also expected to cost five bucks a month, the same price as Apple TV+.


Did I mention the show that’s about flipping murder houses? Yeah, sounds dope. More. Murder. In. Reality. TV. Please.