There was a time when I used to find Lilly Singh aka iiSuperwomanii funny. I would even go so far as to say I found her hilarious. Now though? I find it hard not to cringe at her content.

It seems I’m not alone in this thought. Her views have gone down from the tens of millions from the days of her peak a few years ago to about one or two million on the skits she’s done in recent times. Even her jokes in her new late night show are sub-par and gain only about a couple of thousand views. In general, the style of YouTube comedy that works best has shifted from elaborate skits to sit-down style commentaries. I’d say it’s about time because I don’t know anyone who’s still laughing at the many, many iterations of “If my period were a person” or “The five types of ___ people you meet at ___.”

The skits were getting old and the sketches, too sketchy. If we wanted these types of skits, we’d turn on a late night show, not YouTube. Because YouTube is about that sense of connection you feel with the creator and so by doing scripted skits, it was losing that charm. That’s why when people started doing commentary, it gained such a big audience. The creators got to showcase their personality and thoughts without seeming crafted and in the end, were able to develop a better connection with their audience. And within that style, a new kind of YouTube comedy emerged and took over.

At the forefront of these comedy commentary channels are Cody Ko, Noel Miller, Danny Gonzalez and Drew Gooden. Cody and Noel, who are good friends and make collaboration videos often, use a comedy style where they take digs at people, namely other YouTubers or people who have gained notoriety due to some outlandish thing they said or did, like the Paul brothers who fall in both categories. Their sarcastic approach and enthusiastic impressions of the things they poke fun at will easily have you falling out of your seats. They also make use of music to make parody songs within the commentary videos. Danny and Drew, who happen to be friends as well, (is the comedy duo a winning formula right now?) also make use of this tactic from time to time but their main thing is talking about weird trends or movies they’ve come across. They’re witty and have a more satirical aspect to their commentary. They also go in-depth and present more engaging thoughts all the while keeping it funny and light hearted.

All four of these YouTubers have even been on successful tours last year across the US and in the UK as well, that is true in the case of Cody and Noel. Their success at this niche style begs the question: could YouTube be a legitimate platform for a blossoming career in comedy? Well, we can only wait and watch.