{"id":13213,"date":"2026-08-24T14:43:17","date_gmt":"2026-08-24T18:43:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/?p=13213"},"modified":"2026-08-24T14:43:17","modified_gmt":"2026-08-24T18:43:17","slug":"jarogo-id-rather-be-single-lashonda-devaughn-13213-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/jarogo-id-rather-be-single-lashonda-devaughn-13213-2\/","title":{"rendered":"JaroGO Goes Vertical With &#8216;I\u2019d Rather Be Single&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Everyone asks why you\u2019re single. No one asks if you\u2019re happy.<\/h2>\n<p>That question sits at the center of <em>I\u2019d Rather Be Single<\/em>, the new JaroGO original vertical micro-drama series created by and starring author and storyteller <a title=\"LaShonda DeVaughn on goodreads\" href=\"https:\/\/www.goodreads.com\/author\/list\/1170779.Lashonda_Devaughn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LaShonda DeVaughn<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Now streaming on <a href=\"https:\/\/jarogomedia.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">JaroGO<\/a>, the 45-episode series takes a familiar relationship conversation and delivers it in a decidedly modern way. Episodes run roughly two to two-and-a-half minutes each, creating a fast-moving serialized drama designed for mobile viewing without treating its subject matter like disposable content.<\/p>\n<p>The premise is direct: Sometimes the strongest love story begins with choosing yourself.<\/p>\n<p>But if the campaign surrounding the series is any indication, getting to that realization may be anything but simple.<\/p>\n<h3>From the Page to the Vertical Screen<\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_13217\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-13217\" style=\"width: 800px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-13217\" src=\"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-13-at-13.11.58-1024x574.jpeg\" alt=\"Promotional artwork for JaroGO original vertical micro-drama I\u2019d Rather Be Single, created by and starring LaShonda DeVaughn.\" width=\"800\" height=\"448\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-13-at-13.11.58-1024x574.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-13-at-13.11.58-300x168.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-13-at-13.11.58-768x431.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-13-at-13.11.58.jpeg 1059w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-13217\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">I\u2019d Rather Be Single, created by and starring LaShonda DeVaughn, is a 45-episode JaroGO original vertical micro-drama. Courtesy of JaroGO Media.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em>I\u2019d Rather Be Single<\/em> adapts the relationship-centered world DeVaughn developed through her book of the same name for a new generation of viewers and a dramatically different screen.<\/p>\n<p>DeVaughn serves as the series creator and lead, moving a property rooted in publishing into the increasingly important world of vertical scripted entertainment. The transition makes particular sense for material built around relationships, choices, warning signs, and the kind of personal revelations that can turn a two-minute episode into a much longer conversation.<\/p>\n<p>The welcome campaign has been deliberately built around those conversations.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u201c<strong><em>I\u2019d rather stay single than settle<\/em><\/strong>.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201c<em><strong>Marriage isn\u2019t the goal<\/strong><\/em>.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>\u201c<em><strong>Being alone isn\u2019t lonely<\/strong><\/em>.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Those statements function as more than social media hooks. They frame the larger argument behind the series: Being single does not automatically mean someone is waiting for life to begin.<\/p>\n<p>One of the campaign\u2019s sharpest lines may also be its simplest:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cMaybe she\u2019s just happy.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>That distinction gives <em>I\u2019d Rather Be Single<\/em> room to move beyond the expected relationship drama. The series is positioned to examine what happens when attraction, expectations, red flags, healing and self-worth collide, while asking viewers to consider how often romantic relationships are treated as an accomplishment in themselves.<\/p>\n<h3>JaroGO Expands Its Original Content Playbook<\/h3>\n<p>The arrival of <em>I\u2019d Rather Be Single<\/em> also marks another step in JaroGO Media\u2019s developing original-production strategy.<\/p>\n<p>The vertical series follows the production and release of JaroGO\u2019s original <a href=\"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/category\/film-tv\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">feature film<\/a> <em>2 Preachers On A Mission<\/em>, which moved through red-carpet premieres in Atlanta and Jacksonville before its exclusive streaming release on the platform. The Atlanta premiere drew a standing-room-only audience, giving JaroGO an early showcase for its creator-first approach to original film production and distribution.<\/p>\n<p>With <em>I\u2019d Rather Be Single<\/em>, the company is moving from the traditional feature-film frame into something considerably more native to the phone.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-13225 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-13-at-13.12.01-1-e1787596383980-917x1024.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"800\" height=\"893\" title=\"\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-13-at-13.12.01-1-e1787596383980-917x1024.jpeg 917w, https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-13-at-13.12.01-1-e1787596383980-269x300.jpeg 269w, https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-13-at-13.12.01-1-e1787596383980-768x858.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-08-13-at-13.12.01-1-e1787596383980.jpeg 1080w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 800px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 800\/893;\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>That matters.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Vertical entertainment is not simply conventional television turned sideways. At its best, the format requires stories to establish tension quickly, make characters legible almost immediately, and give viewers a reason to keep watching within minutes rather than in half-hour or hour-long installments.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Forty-five short episodes<\/strong> give JaroGO and DeVaughn room to test that rhythm over an extended narrative while still packaging the experience around the behavior of viewers accustomed to consuming entertainment in short bursts.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Or, as the campaign puts it more bluntly: 45 episodes. Two-minute episodes. Perfect for binge-watching.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h3>The Conversation Is Part of the Story<\/h3>\n<p>JaroGO is also treating audience participation as part of the rollout rather than something that happens after the credits.<\/p>\n<p>The campaign surrounding <em>I\u2019d Rather Be Single<\/em> introduces its characters through green flags, red flags, toxic traits, fears, and relationship status while inviting viewers to weigh in on questions such as whether being single is underrated, whether healthy love should feel like butterflies, and what relationship advice people are tired of hearing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>There is even a viewer taxonomy:<\/strong> Independent. Healing. Hopeless Romantic. Career First. Recently Heartbroken.<\/p>\n<p>The point is not simply to tell audiences what the show is about. It is to give them somewhere to locate themselves inside the conversation.<\/p>\n<p>That strategy will extend to <strong>Hype with LaShonda<\/strong>, an in-app and Instagram co-stream watch-along designed to bring DeVaughn into direct conversation with viewers as the series unfolds.<\/p>\n<p>Her own promotional invitation keeps the concept uncomplicated: Watch the series, then come back and talk about it.<\/p>\n<p>For a drama built around decisions people frequently debate with friends long after a relationship has ended, that may be exactly the right call.<\/p>\n<h3>Maybe Being Single Isn\u2019t the Problem<\/h3>\n<p><iframe title=\"I&amp;apos;d Rather Be Single premieres soon on JaroGO. \ud83c\udfac\" width=\"563\" height=\"1000\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/LzhJbFF26YY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen src=\"about:blank\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The cleverest element of <em>I\u2019d Rather Be Single<\/em> may ultimately be that its title sounds like a conclusion when the series itself is built around questions.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Are your standards too high?<\/li>\n<li>Are butterflies always a green flag?<\/li>\n<li>Is being alone the same as being lonely?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>How much of what people call love is actually habit, expectation, or fear?<\/p>\n<p>And at what point does choosing yourself stop being viewed as the consolation prize?<\/p>\n<p>JaroGO\u2019s latest original is entering those conversations in a format made for the same devices where many of them already happen.<\/p>\n<p>Following <em>2 Preachers On A Mission<\/em>, the move also shows a platform continuing to experiment with what an original can look like rather than confining its programming strategy to a single format.<\/p>\n<p>This time, the screen is smaller.<\/p>\n<p>The conversation may be considerably bigger.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Watch <em>I\u2019d Rather Be Single<\/em> now on <a href=\"https:\/\/jarogomedia.com\/explore-jarogo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">JaroGO<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Go watch. Then come talk about it.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LaShonda DeVaughn brings her relationship-driven storytelling to a 45-episode original micro-drama, I&#8217;d Rather Be Single,&#8221; built for the way audiences watch now.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":13217,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[173],"tags":[1735,1598,1737,137,1736],"class_list":["post-13213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film-tv","tag-id-rather-be-single","tag-jarogo","tag-jarogo-originals","tag-lashonda-devaughn","tag-vertical-micro-drama"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13213"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13229,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13213\/revisions\/13229"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13217"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/magazine.watchjaro.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}