Issa Rae's Microdrama 'Screen Time' Hits 75M Views in First Week, Redefining Short-Form Horror

Hoorae Media’s debut microdrama Screen Time has broken records on TikTok and PineDrama, achieving nearly 75 million views in its first week since launch, TheWrap has exclusively learned.

The Issa Rae-produced series marks the beginning of a new content partnership between her production company and the social media platforms. Rae announced the collaboration at TheWrap’s Creators x Hollywood Summit last month.

Screen Time became the top-performing series on both TikTok and PineDrama, ByteDance’s microdrama hub. The horror series also achieved the highest seven-day watch time of any series on the platforms.

Watch the first episode below:

@hooraemedia Screen Time ♬ original sound – HOORAE Media

Only the first 27 episodes—each running about one minute—are currently available. The second act of Screen Time will debut on the platforms on May 22, following the premiere of Act 1 on April 29.

The series begins with a double-date movie night that spirals out of control when a mysterious figure hijacks the TV, forcing the couples to reveal their secrets or face exposure. This escalation threatens to unravel their relationships and lives, according to the official logline.

As of publication, the first episode has garnered over 22 million views and 700,000 likes on TikTok. The series maintained strong audience retention through its 27th episode—the final installment of Act 1—which has received 2.4 million views and over 90,000 likes.

The cast includes:

• Brittney Jefferson (Rap Sh!t)
• Eric C. Lynch (Queen Sugar)
• Jasmine Luv (Tell It Like a Woman)
• Xavier Avila (Shrinking)
• Jenna Nolen (À La Carte)

Fans have praised the microdrama for its elevated acting standards and for avoiding reliance on AI, a trend some other platforms have adopted.

“I’m surprised this acting is better than the others.” — User comment (15,000 likes)

“No ads, short, suspenseful, not AI … I am hooked.” — User comment (50,000+ likes)

Rae’s content partnership with TikTok will see Hoorae co-develop a slate of additional micro-series, which will air exclusively on the platform and its companion app, PineDrama.