Hollywood is taking a closer look at a form of entertainment that can fit into the time it takes to scroll through a few social media posts.

The latest push comes from aTwist, a new U.S. microseries platform founded by veteran television executives Jana Winograde, Susan Rovner and Lloyd Braun. The service launched with 10 original titles and is betting that Americans will make room for scripted shows built specifically for vertical phone screens.

The concept is simple: instead of sitting down for a 30-minute sitcom or an hour-long drama, viewers can watch a story unfold through a series of extremely short episodes.

But aTwist is not treating the format as a novelty. Its founders are attempting to bring decades of traditional TV programming experience into a rapidly growing short-form entertainment market.

What Are Microseries?

Microseries are scripted shows broken into very short episodes designed primarily for mobile viewing.

The format is closely connected to the rise of vertical video, the same phone-friendly presentation that made TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts so popular.

Instead of watching a conventional widescreen television program, viewers typically hold their phones upright and follow a story through quick installments.

The format has already developed a major following, particularly among viewers who enjoy romance, drama and cliffhanger-heavy storytelling.

Hollywood is now trying to figure out whether that audience can be expanded beyond the genre’s traditional formula.

Hollywood Veterans Are Betting on the Format

aTwist is notable because its leadership comes directly from the traditional television business.

Winograde, Rovner and Braun have held senior positions at major entertainment companies, giving the startup connections across Hollywood.

Rather than simply producing a large collection of short videos, the executives want a programming strategy that resembles a traditional television network.

That means regularly releasing new shows and moving between genres instead of relying almost entirely on romance.

The platform’s initial lineup is expected to cover comedy, drama, horror, romance, unscripted programming and animation.

Kevin Hart Is Already Part of the Push

One of the biggest names attached to the new platform is Kevin Hart.

Hartbeat, Hart’s entertainment company, has agreed to an exclusive slate of more than 20 original microseries for aTwist. The partnership includes comedy programming connected to the LOL brand as well as adaptations of books by author Blake Karrington.

The deal gives the emerging format something it has often lacked in the United States: recognizable mainstream entertainment names with established audiences.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Justin Mikita are also producing a musical microseries for the platform, while Mario Lopez is involved in a family-oriented Halloween project called “Honey, I Think the House Is Haunted.”

Why Hollywood Likes One-Minute Episodes

The biggest advantage may be convenience.

A traditional television episode requires viewers to commit a significant amount of time. Microseries remove much of that commitment.

A viewer can watch an episode while waiting for coffee, riding in an Uber, taking a break at work or simply scrolling through a phone before bed.

That creates a different relationship between viewers and television.

aTwist’s executives also see similarities between microseries and classic television. Short episodes still need a strong opening, rising tension and a reason for viewers to continue watching.

In other words, the cliffhanger has survived. It has simply become much smaller.

The Smartphone Is Becoming the TV Screen

The rise of microseries reflects a larger change in how Americans consume entertainment.

For years, Hollywood designed television around living rooms, cable packages and streaming services built around conventional screens.

Now the phone is increasingly becoming a primary entertainment device.

Short-form video has trained audiences to expect something interesting almost immediately. Microseries take that expectation and apply it to scripted storytelling.

That could eventually influence how writers structure scenes, how actors perform and how producers decide where to spend production money.

BET Is Also Experimenting With the Format

aTwist has another major entertainment partnership with BET.

The companies are developing programming that can exist in both traditional and vertical formats. Under the arrangement, BET can receive a limited first-run window for longer versions before the material is adapted into mobile-focused microseries for aTwist.

That approach could be important because it treats vertical programming as more than a social media side project.

Instead, the same underlying story can potentially be packaged for different audiences and platforms.

Microseries Could Give Hollywood a New Production Model

Another attraction is cost.

Traditional television can require enormous production budgets, particularly when shows involve large casts, elaborate locations and expensive visual effects.

Microseries are designed to operate on much smaller budgets.

aTwist’s executives have argued that lower production costs do not necessarily mean lower-quality storytelling. The company says it wants to concentrate spending on strong scripts, performers and directors while avoiding unnecessary production expenses.

That could create opportunities for writers and actors who might struggle to find work in an increasingly expensive traditional television market.

The Bigger Question Is Whether Americans Will Keep Watching

The real test for Hollywood will not be whether people try microseries.

Millions of people are already watching short-form video.

The bigger question is whether viewers will become invested enough in fictional characters to return repeatedly for dozens of tiny episodes.

aTwist believes the answer can be yes.

Its strategy is to release programming consistently, build fan communities around individual shows and use recognizable entertainment brands to attract viewers.

The company plans to release new shows on a regular schedule rather than flooding its service with hundreds of episodes at once.

Hollywood’s Shortest Shows Could Become a Big Business

The rise of microseries represents an unusual convergence of Hollywood and social media culture.

The storytelling techniques come from television. The viewing habits come from smartphones. The distribution model comes from the short-form video era.

And now established entertainment companies are beginning to take the combination seriously.

For viewers, the change could be as simple as opening a phone and watching a one-minute episode.

For Hollywood, however, it represents a much bigger experiment: whether television can be rebuilt around the way people already use their phones.

If aTwist and other emerging platforms succeed, the next hit TV show may not require an hour of your evening.

It might only require your next minute.