Month: December 2017

In 2017— the year that Reason.tv passed the 100-million mark at YouTube—we cranked out hundreds of new documentaries, parody vids, interviews, debates, live-event vids, and more (it’s all archived here).

We also debuted Stossel on Reason, featuring the eponymous libertarian news legend, and Mostly Weekly, an info-rich, funny, libertarian answer to This Week with John Oliver and The Daily Show.

Here are our 10 most-watched videos at YouTube that we released in 2017. They cover the waterfront, from the “fake news” phenomenon to the future of legal marijuana to a doctor who refuses to stop prescribing opioids to pain patients to an epic parody of Game of Thrones. Enjoy. And thanks for watching.

10. Remy: Fake News.

Remy stops by CNN to deal with “Fake News.”

Written and Performed by Remy. Produced by Austin Bragg.

9. Ken Burns and Lynn Novick: The Vietnam War Is the Key to Understanding America.

Nick Gillespie interviews Ken Burns and Lynn Novick about their new documentary series, The Vietnam War.

Produced by Todd Krainin. Cameras by Meredith Bragg, Austin Bragg, Mark McDaniel, and Krainin.

8. Meet the Doctor Who Refuses to Stop Prescribing Opioids to Pain Patients.

“I take the Hippocratic oath seriously that my job is to relieve pain and suffering,” says Dr. Forest Tennant, a California pain specialist who patients from across the nation are flocking to see.

Produced by Zach Weissmueller.

7. We Read Hillary’s Book So You Don’t Have To.

Hillary Clinton’s new book What Happened attempts to explain Trump’s upset victory in 2016 through a series of reasons which are not Hillary Clinton.

Mostly Weekly is hosted by Andrew Heaton with headwriter Sarah Rose Siskind. Script by Siskind with writing assistance from Heaton and Brian Sack. Edited by Austin Bragg and Siskind. Produced by Meredith Bragg and Austin Bragg.

6. The Future of Legal Pot Under Trump: Marijuana Entrepreneurs Speak Out.

We asked entrepreneurs in the marijuana industry to react to conflicting statements coming from President Trump, Jeff Sessions, and Sean Spicer.

Produced by Zach Weissmueller. Camera by Alex Manning and Weissmueller. Additional graphics by Josh Swain.

5. 5 Cities That Got F*cked by Hosting the Olympics.

Every four years with the Olympics, municipalities compete to host the winter and summer games and virtually always plunge their cities and sometimes even their home countries into massive debt and insolvency.

Produced by Todd Krainin. Written and narrated by Nick Gillespie, and based on an article by Ed Krayewski. Camera by Jim Epstein.

4. Super Hacker George Hotz: I Can Make Your Car Drive Itself for Under $1,000.

Famous for being the first hacker to jailbreak the iPhone at 17, George Hotz is taking on Waymo, Tesla, and Uber in the race to build the first fully operational self-driving car.

Produced by Justin Monticello. Cameras by Alexis Garcia and Monticello.

3. Remy: People Will Die!

Remy channels his inner Elizabeth Warren to vilify the other side.

Written and performed by Remy. Music mastered by Ben Karlstrom. Produced by Austin Bragg and Meredith Bragg.

2. Elon Musk Can’t Sell His Teslas in Texas.

In six states, it’s illegal to walk into a company-owned store and buy a car.

Produced by Alexis Garcia. Camera by Garcia, Mark McDaniel, and Meredith Bragg.

1. Game of Thrones: Libertarian Edition.

As HBO’s blockbuster series Game of Thrones returns for its seventh season, Reason offers its own freedom-filled parody. A libertarian paradise north of the wall? What’s happened to Westeros’ social security trust fund? Should it take low-income Dothraki four years to get a hair-braiding license? Watch!

Parody written and produced by Austin Bragg, Meredith Bragg, and Andrew Heaton. Shot and edited by Bragg and Bragg. Starring Andrew Heaton, Austin Bragg, and Remy.

Related: “Reason’s ‘Most Engaging’ Stories of 2017: No. 1 Will Blow Your Mind.“

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