Once seen as the second-run service that specialized in reruns of network TV while Netflix was cranking out original content, Hulu has changed its tactics. Original Hulu series like The Handmaid’s Tale, Runaways, and Letterkenny have earned the service some acclaim, and Disney’s majority-share acquisition means Hulu is planning on investing even more heavily in its own content. The Verge’s coverage of the growing streaming wars will track new content on Hulu, and consider how its investment and release strategy differs from other companies. Stay with us to see what’s new on Hulu, what that means for Disney+, and how competing services measure up.
Thanks to Hulu’s Futurama renewal last year, we’ll be seeing more of Fry, Leela, and Bender until at least 2026. And for the show’s upcoming 12th season (due out July 29th), we’ll apparently see the Planet Express crew meet “A.I. friends (and enemies” as well as learn the “true 5 million-year-old story behind the consciousness-altering substance known as coffee.”
The third season of The Bear will be released three hours earlier than planned, Deadline reports. You’ll now be able to watch the 10-episode season starting Wednesday at 9PM ET on Hulu.
It’s a little less than a month before season three of The Bear is released in one big chunk of episodes as large as the Michelin Man who doles out those coveted stars. This latest season features the revamped restaurant opening to the public for the first time which means we can probably expect even more anxiety-inducing episodes like “Review” or “Fishes.”
The Disney Plus-Hulu merger is way more than a streaming bundle
Hulu is now a tile in Disney Plus — and the tech that powers Disney Plus is changing the way Disney does everything.
The new Hulu exclusive series features Moss as super spy Imogen Salter. According to FX’s show description, it explores “the surprising and fraught relationship between two women who play a deadly game of truth and lies on the road from Istanbul to Paris and London.” The show is written and executive produced by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders).
The six-episode season is expected to debut on Hulu on April 30th.
The 2024 Vergecast streaming draft
What are the good streaming services? Why does Alex Cranz think Netflix is going to go away? What is Mubi, anyway? All the big questions on this episode of The Vergecast.
If you’re trying to catch up on the Best Picture nominees ahead of the Academy Awards on March 10th, things just got a little easier as Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things will stream on Hulu starting March 7th.
That’s according to data analytics firm Antenna, which reported that streaming subs grew year-over-year in 2023 — albeit more slowly than previous years — but cancellations were up by 36.2 million versus 2022, and weren’t far behind the number of new subscribers.
That much churn isn’t surprising, given all the rate hikes and crackdowns on password sharing.
Echo brings the best of Netflix’s Marvel era energy to Disney Plus
Disney Plus’ Echo limited miniseries feels like the studio’s first successful attempt at matching the energy that made Netflix’s Marvel shows great.
Starting from January 24th, customers paying at least $100 per month for T-Mobile’s yearly phone upgrade plan can enjoy Hulu (with ads) at no additional cost, alongside Apple TV Plus, Netflix Basic, as well as MLB.TV. That works out to around $7.99 per month of extra streaming freebies.
[T-Mobile Newsroom]
Last year, Bandai Namco announced it would turn a short story by Toriyama into an entire Sand Land franchise. The Sand Land movie has already been released in Japan, we saw a trailer for the game during Summer Game Fest, and next spring Sand Land: The Series will “build upon the movie’s original universe” with a new anime on Hulu.
Hulu’s Animayhem booth will highlight this show along with Undead Unluck, Tokyo Revengers, and Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War at the Anime NYC convention this weekend.
That’s one pricey subscription
Netflix is at an all-time high. Disney is cracking down on password sharing. And Apple TV Plus has doubled its prices. Will the streaming squeeze ever end?
The film, Australia, is a big melodramatic epic starring Nicole Kidman as an English aristocrat running a cattle station and Hugh Jackman as the dreamy drover who helps her. The new miniseries, Faraway Downs, will add over an hour of new footage and a whole new ending when it premieres on Hulu as a six-part mini-series on November 26.
“I got the idea and started to relook at the footage and realized I’ve shot enough to do it as episodic storytelling through a revisiting of the piece, not necessarily as a better film than Australia, but a different variation on the themes,” Luhrmann told The Wrap.
It’s time to rethink our relationships with streaming services
With streaming services across the board raising their prices, you owe it to yourself to have a good deep think about what you want out of all these subscriptions and what you’re actually getting for your money.
Ten years after its most recent cancellation, Futurama is coming back on Hulu on July 24th. While we originally heard the order was for twenty episodes, this season has only scheduled ten, so we’ll see what happens with the rest of those.
We’d seen a teaser trailer previously, but now you can enjoy nearly two minutes of Futurama season 11.
After facing backlash, Disney is no longer removing Howard — a documentary about Howard Ashman, a legendary songwriter and gay man who helped write the songs for The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast.
There’s a chance that Disney may spare some other shows and movies as well, as a Disney spokesperson tells Deadline that the slate of content getting removed from Hulu and Disney Plus “is still being finalized.”