Hulu has announced several new series and premiere dates, as well as the renewal of The Handmaid’s Tale during today’s Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour.
What’s happening:
- Today, during the Television Critics Association’s Summer Press Tour, Hulu’s Senior Vice President of Originals, Craig Erwich, presented the company’s lineup of upcoming original programming.
- The summer presentation included more information about upcoming new shows:
- Wu-Tang: An American Saga
- Dollface
- Looking for Alaska
- Reprisal
- Four Weddings and a Funeral
- In addition, Erwich announced:
- New comedy series Love, Beth
- Expansion of the company’s foray into original food programming with an untitled new series starring Padma Lakshmi.
- The Handmaid’s Tale has been renewed for a fourth season
- Mahershala Ali joins season two of Ramy
- And more
What they’re saying:
- Craig Erwich, Hulu’s Senior Vice President of Originals: “Hulu is taking big swings on bold and brand-defining stories that reflect the culture and inspire conversation. The series we’re presenting today come from many of the biggest storytellers and fresh new voices in entertainment, and reflect why Hulu is a home for creators to do their very best work.”
The Handmaid’s Tale
- Hulu’s Emmy-winning drama series The Handmaid’s Tale has been picked up for a fourth season.
- New episodes of the current third season stream weekly on Wednesdays.
- The series is produced by MGM Television
Love, Beth
Amy Schumer | Via TVLine
- Hulu has joined forces with comedian Amy Schumer for a first-look deal that will kick off with her new comedy series, Love, Beth.
- The 10-episode, half-hour comedy series from Endeavor Content stars Schumer as Beth.
- Love, Beth is created, directed, written, executive produced by and starring Amy Schumer.
- Further details about the series will be announced at a later date. Love, Beth is expected to launch late 2020.
New Series from Padma Lakshmi
Padma Lakshmi | Via The Hollywood Reporter
- The Untitled Padma Lakshmi Series is a living cookbook made up more from people and culture than recipes.
- Curated by host and author Padma Lakshmi (Top Chef), the series embraces culinary traditions from the first Americans to the latest arrivals alongside Padma’s perspectives and personal connection to each story.
- Filmed around the country, each episode starts with a single dish that represents and connects to a community’s history and traditions, and explores the evolution of that immigrant community through that cuisine.
- Each 30-minute episode follows Padma as she learns, immerses and celebrates communities from around the world that have taken root in America, changed it and been changed by it.
- The 10-episode series is produced by Part2 Pictures.
Ramy
- Mahershala Ali has been cast as a special guest star in the Hulu Original comedy series Ramy.
- Ali was recently nominated for an Emmy for his critically-acclaimed performance in HBO’s True Detective.
- Marvel announced last week at San Diego Comic-Con that Ali has signed on to play Blade in an upcoming feature for them.
- Ramy follows first-generation, Egyptian-American Ramy Hassan (Ramy Youssef) who is on a spiritual journey in his politically-divided New Jersey neighborhood.
- Ramy brings a new perspective to the screen as it explores the challenges of what it’s like to be caught between a religious community who believes life is a moral test, and a millennial generation that might not believe in an afterlife. In the second season, Ramy will delve further into his spiritual journey, finding a new Muslim community and embracing a deeper commitment to Islam.
- Ramy is written, executive produced, created by and starring Ramy Youssef.
Dollface
Kat Dennings | Via Variety
- New Original comedy series Dollface follows Jules (Kat Dennings), a young woman who – after being dumped by her longtime boyfriend – must deal with her own imagination in order to literally and metaphorically re-enter the world of women, and rekindle the female friendships she left behind.
- The 10-episode series will debut all episodes on Friday, November 15.
- Dollface stars:
- Kat Dennings
- Brenda Song
- Shay Mitchell
- Esther Povitsky
Reprisal
Abigail Spencer | Via Variety
- On December 6, Hulu will launch all 10 episodes of new Original drama series Reprisal.
- The series is a hyper-noir revenge tale following a relentless femme fatale who, after being left for dead, leads a vengeful campaign against a bombastic gang of gear heads.
- Reprisal stars:
- Abigail Spencer
- Rodrigo Santoro
- Mena Massoud
- Madison Davenport
- Rhys Wakefield
- David Dastmalchian
- W. Earl Brown
- Gilbert Owuor
Marvel’s Runaways
- Marvel’s Runaways will return for season three on December 13 with all 10 episodes.
- In an action-packed Season 3, the Runaways frantically search for their captured friends Chase, Gert and Karolina.
- The kids go head to head with an unstoppable enemy who has targeted Leslie — or more accurately, the child she’s carrying. Nico draws them all into a dark realm where its ruler Morgan le Fay, played by Elizabeth Hurley, is much more nefarious than anyone the kids have yet to face.
Wu-Tang: An American Saga
- Previously announced, Wu-Tang: An American Saga will debut on Wednesday, September 4 with three episodes, followed by a new episode every Wu-Wednesday.
- Based on one of the most influential and important groups in hip-hop history, the 10-episode Wu-Tang: An American Saga is inspired by “The Wu-Tang Manual” and “Tao of Wu” and based on the true story of the Wu-Tang Clan.
- Set in the early '90s New York at the height of the crack cocaine epidemic, the show tracks the Clan's formation, a vision of Bobby Diggs aka The RZA, who strives to unite a dozen young, black men that are torn between music and crime but eventually rise to become the unlikeliest of American success stories.
https://youtu.be/w37TQZwnjXY
- Wu-Tang: An American Saga stars:
- Ashton Sanders
- Shameik Moore
- Dave East
- Siddiq Saunderson
- Marcus Callender
- Julian Elijah Martinez
- Zolee Griggs
- Erika Alexander
- TJ Atoms
- Johnell Young
Looking for Alaska
- Also previously announced, Looking for Alaska, the limited series based on the best-selling John Green novel of the same name, will debut all eight episodes on Friday, October 18.
- The series centers around teenager Miles “Pudge” Halter (Charlie Plummer), as he enrolls in boarding school to try to gain a deeper perspective on life. He falls in love with Alaska Young (Kristine Froseth), and finds a group of loyal friends. But after an unexpected tragedy, Miles and his close friends attempt to make sense of what they’ve been through.
- The series stars:
- Charlie Plummer
- Kristine Froseth
- Denny Love
- Jay Lee
- Landry Bender
- Sofia Vassilieva
- Uriah Shelton
- Jordan Connor
- Also starring are:
- Ron Cephas Jones(This Is Us)
- Timothy Simons (Veep)
Designing Women
- Finally, it was also revealed today that Hulu has made a deal with Sony Pictures Television (STP) and has acquired the streaming rights to Designing Women.
- Superfans can catch the entire series of Designing Women (that’s 163 episodes across 7 Seasons) on Hulu starting on August 26, which also happens to be Women's Equality Day!
About Designing Women:
- The series follows outspoken owner Julia Sugarbaker (Dixie Carter), as she runs a design firm out of her Atlanta home along with her self-absorbed, ex-beauty queen sister, Suzanne (Delta Burke), divorced sassy mother Mary Jo (Annie Potts), and naive country girl Charlene (Jean Smart).
- The feminist, feisty, females discuss everything going on in their lives, from sex and love to politics and religion, all in the confines of their Victorian Georgian office.
- Ex-con handyman and token male of the series, Anthony Bouvier (Meshach Taylor), offers his help not only at the firm, but also offers his opinions on all of the ladies personal matters.