Anyone watching the new MGM+ series Words + Music will likely feel like they’ve stepped backward in time. The four-part program is reminiscent of VH1’s Storytellers or MTV’s Unplugged, in a very good way. In bringing the Audible podcast to the screen, MGM+ is reviving that connection between music and television that has floundered for a very long time.

It’s not for lack of trying; various channels over the years have done programs where hit artists share the stories behind their most popular songs. MTV has never officially cancelled Unplugged, though the last official episode was in 2022. More recently, NBC enlisted Kelly Clarkson for a four-part show called Songs & Stories with Kelly Clarkson. But Words + Music feels different, perhaps because it has the Audible podcast to start from. It effectively uses the visual component of TV to explain why this needed to be a TV show in the first place.

Per the network’s press release, Words + Music was shot on a soundstage with “a 79-inch by 80-inch LED volume” and “powered by 105 motion capture cameras.” This isn’t just throwing the artists on a stage and having them talk for a bit. The technology means that the show can illustrate the stories that the artists are telling, whether it’s old photos or making the performance itself feel more dynamic with the camera movement. That’s the visual enhancement that only television can offer, and smartly Words + Music leans into that whenever possible.

The premiere episode features John Legend, and it’s a clear winner because Audible has chosen artists who are good at relating stories to an audience. Many musicians can tell great stories through songs, but they don’t all have the same ease connecting as themselves. Thanks to his extensive media profile, audiences know how charismatic, funny and down to earth John Legend is. He doesn’t just relate the history behind his hits; he gives the anecdotes personality. That’s a line that runs throughout Words + Music; it’s particularly fun when viewers get to the Alanis Morrissette episode, because she’s as sharp as she is in her songs.

There’s one caveat here: because the show is based on the podcast, it is by nature a little repetitive. All four of the featured artists—Legend, Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow and Morrissette—previously participated in the Words + Music podcast, and their episodes are still available through Audible. But even if fans have heard those episodes, the fact that the TV component adds to the performance makes the show worth watching. It makes the series feel like a mini-concert, similar to how great episodes of Storytellers were back in the day.

That’s the crux of this partnership between Audible and Amazon MGM, which kicked off with the TV version of The Wonderland Murders. There has to be a reason for bringing the story from audio to visual. Especially as music and TV have become far less intertwined over the years—MTV and VH1 are pretty much reality TV channels now—it’s interesting to see something that effectively reunites the two. And with concert tickets becoming even more expensive lately, this show is also an appealing alternative; it’s not going to take the place of seeing any of these artists live, but it comes as close as any filmed project would.

It would be even better if the season was longer than four episodes, or if there was at least one episode that was wholly original to the TV show. But Words + Music has a strong beginning, and if it takes off, music fans could once again have another program to tune into for a season or two a year.

Words + Music airs Sundays at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT on MGM+. Photo Credit: Courtesy of MGM+.

Article content is (c)2020-2025 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.