October 24, 2017 (2017-10-24) – March 27, 2019 (2019-03-27)
Drop the Mic is an American musicalreality competition television series that premiered on October 24, 2017, airing on TBS for its first two seasons before moving to TNT for its third season on January 23, 2019. The show is based on a recurring segment on The Late Late Show with James Corden.
Overview
The show is a spin-off of a segment that was first introduced on The Late Late Show with James Corden. The series was announced on August 11, 2016, with a 2017 premiere. It was also confirmed that Corden would not be involved in an on-camera capacity, and a host would be announced at a later date. Corden serves as executive producer with his CBS late-night partner, Ben Winston and Jensen Karp.[1]
Drop the Mic debuted on American cable network TBS on October 24, 2017. It is hosted by rapper and actor Method Man and model and television personality Hailey Bieber, with Joshua Silverstein providing original beats for each rap battle, while writers from The Late Late Show provide the lyrics.
On January 11, 2018, the show was renewed for a second season, which premiered on April 15.[2]
On December 20, 2018, it was announced on its Twitter account that the series would be moving to TBS' sister network TNT on January 23, 2019.[3] TBS would continue to air the series in reruns the following night.[4]
On February 21, 2019, TNT announced that an upcoming episode featuring Empire star Jussie Smollett would be pulled from the current season and put on hold following Smollett's arrest. The episode also featured Danielle Brooks, Clay Aiken and Ian Ziering.[5] However, the rap battle between Aiken and Ziering was released on social media.[6]
Dawson's Creek heartthrob James Van Der Beek throws shade at Fresh Off the Boat's Randall Park; NFL tight end and Super Bowl champion Rob Gronkowski finds out actor Gina Rodriguez might just be a problem he can't tackle.
Veep co-stars Tony Hale and Timothy Simons face off in a very personal verbal competition; Boyz II Men clashes with Rascal Flatts in a rap battle never before possible.
TV host and Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger spits hot fire against Get Out funnyman Lil Rel Howery; an unprecedented 5-on-1 takes place when singer Charlie Puth takes on every single member of the Backstreet Boys.
NFL superstar Michael Bennett meets his microphone match with Vanessa Hudgens, while talk show host James Corden faces off against fashionista Nicole Richie in a night of unforgettable rap battles.
A Big Bang Theory rap battle has co-stars Mayim Bialik and Kunal Nayyar go rhyme for rhyme; High School Musical princess Ashley Tisdale challenges singer Nick Lachey.
David Arquette puts his rap skills to the test against Brian Tyree Henry (Atlanta); Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family) raps for the first time in a battle against Chrissy Metz (This Is Us).
Grammy winners Pentatonix lyrically battle '90s pioneers Bell Biv Devoe; Top Chef’s Padma Lakshmi and American Idol’s Randy Jackson see which host has the hottest bars.
Finding the true '90s American Sweetheart when Boy Meets World girl-next-door Danielle Fishel faces Jonathan Lipnicki of Jerry Maguire; legend Shania Twain and emerging pop star Meghan Trainor engage in a battle of the divas.
A David and Goliath match as Shaquille O' Neal trades barbs with comic Ken Jeong; seeing which talk-show host can really work the mic when Ricki Lake goes head-to-head with Jerry Springer.
Pop sensation Shawn Mendes tries to stop the forward progress of football star Odell Beckham Jr. when it comes to lyrical warfare; Pretty in Pink co-stars Molly Ringwald and Jon Cryer spit Brat Pack bars to see who will reign supreme.
Two pals put their friendship on the line when Seth Rogen and Joseph Gordon-Levitt take it too far in a rap battle; funnyman Terry Crews squares up against the internet's most watched musician, Despacito singer Luis Fonsi.
Marlon Wayans battles Jay Pharoah in a war that cannot be erased; an All-American showdown between Lindsey Vonn and Gus Kenworthy will leave only one rapper on the slopes.
The cuteness is undeniable when American Crime Story star Darren Criss faces Stranger Things star Gaten Matarazzo; two former The Walking Dead stars, Chandler Riggs and Chad Coleman, rise from the ashes to spar.
Taye Diggs and Karrueche Tran spill all the tea when they go head-to-head; singer Mark McGrath tries to catch Jodie Sweetin slipping, but may just be shocked at the talent she's been hiding.
The lovable brothers of Hanson enter the savage battlegrounds to face Veep's hilarious Sam Richardson; Scooby-Doo alum and current voice of Shaggy Rogers, Matthew Lillard, is the underdog when paired against musician Shaggy.
Michael K. Williams battles Trevor Jackson; James Corden puts his losing streak on the line against a man whose name is synonymous with rap battles: Dr. Phil.
Actor Luis Guzmán competes against funnyman Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias; Singer-songwriters Charli XCX and Tove Lo jeopardize their friendship by facing each other.
SNL alums Taran Killam and Rob Riggle face off in an epic battle; LGBTQ icons past and present collide as Culture club’s Boy George faces off with Orange is the new Black star Laverne Cox.
Kermit and Pepe go up against Miss Piggy and Beaker in the greatest (and only) Muppet rap battle of all time; Three castaways from Lost, Daniel Dae Kim, Josh Holloway and Harold Perrineau, have a not-so-friendly mainland reunion.
Basketball star Lonzo ball tries to dunk on the king of auto-tune,T-pain; friends becomes foes as a slimmed-down Kevin Smith goes head to head with Jason Mewes; Jay and Silent Bob will never be the same.
R&B singer Ne-Yo battles Mike Colter to see if he's as tough as Luke Cage; It's a pop star party when Christina Milian and Ashlee Simpson see which voice can deal more pain.
Leaving Universal Orlando resort with a bang, Jack and Kelly Osbourne take sibling rivalry to the next level in a family feud rap battle; Spice girl Mel B spars with La La Anthony when there's only room for one diva on stage.
Funnyman Ron Funches spits hot fire against Raven-Symoné, who may look harmless, but is a beast with the microphone. Then it's a battle of boy band legends with N*Sync's Joey Fatone and NKOTB's Joey McIntyre pushing their friendship aside to go one-on-one in our ring of rhymes.
Wrestling superstars Rusev and Lana hunt shark Mark Cuban to see who's the baddest beast. Then, tag team champs The New Day jump in the ring with iconic soul singers SWV in a no-holds-barred grudge match.
Glee stars Amber Riley, Harry Shum Jr., and Becca Tobin battle former castmates Kevin McHale, Jenna Ushkowitz, and Heather Morris; American Pie stars Jason Biggs and Eddie Kaye Thomas battle on the mic and serve up slices of lyrical hurt.
Reception
Ratings
Season 1 (2017–18)
Viewership and ratings per episode of Drop the Mic