Hulu has been delivering incredible original series, including The Handmaid’s Tale and Casual, that have received critical and award-show attention. Now the streaming network is ramping up its slate of original shows over the next two years.
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Netflix may have garnered more publicity about its upcoming movies and series, but if Hulu is as successful with these new shows as it has been so far, it might give Netflix a run for its money. We compiled a list of upcoming Hulu shows you shouldn’t sleep on.
Safe Harbour
Safe Harbour, a psychological drama, is being labeled a Hulu original series even though it originated in Australia. The compelling four-part drama follows five Australians on a yachting holiday who encounter asylum seekers on a fishing boat in distress. They tie the boats together for a rescue, but someone cuts the rope in the night and the fishing boat is gone in the morning.
What happens next is a five-year-long mystery of who cut the rope, the consequences of that action and how justice and revenge are sometimes intertwined. This timely series drops on Hulu on Aug. 24.
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The First
This space-program drama, coming Sept. 14, has an all-star cast including Sean Penn, Natascha McElhone, Melissa George, LisaGay Hamilton and Keiko Agena. A crew of astronauts is working on becoming the first humans to visit Mars. Their mission is more difficult than it appears because it involves incredible personal sacrifice, in addition to the dangers on the job. The First will have eight episodes in its first season.
In the Dark
This horror anthology series has a fascinating concept: Hulu will be releasing one episode a month to coincide with a holiday celebrated in the month it is released. The series is created by the horror geniuses at Blumhouse Productions, who have given us thrillers like Get Out and the upcoming reboot of Halloween.
The first episode is based on Halloween and stars Tom Bateman, Rebecca Rittenhouse and Aurora Perrineau. The second episode airs in November and focuses on Thanksgiving. Dermont Mulroney, Dana Silver and Tembi Locke star in the November show.
Season 1 debuts on Oct. 5 and will have 12 episodes in total. However, it will take a year to watch the full first season, which will wrap in October 2019.
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The First and In the Dark are Hulu’s big entries for the fall, but the network has a huge slate of shows currently in development. We’re keeping our eyes on a few that we think will have tons of buzz once they’re in production.
The House of the Spirits
The House of the Spirits project was announced in May. Hulu is hoping to take the 1982 best-selling novel by Isabel Allende and turn it into a successful series.
The story follows three generations of the Trueba family through all of their joys and tragedies. It’s already had a 1993 film adaptation starring Jeremy Irons, Meryl Streep, Winona Ryder, Glenn Close and Antonio Banderas, so this project really excites us.
Invisible Man
This 1952 Ralph Ellison novel is a highly regarded classic in American literature. Hulu is planning on developing this into a series; if done well, it could have a cultural and political impact.
The story follows a black man who feels like he is invisible to society because of the color of his skin. His journey starts in the South and eventually takes him to New York City. Hulu has had tremendous success with adapting The Handmaid’s Tale from a novel to a series, so Invisible Man could be a major winner for the network if the show comes to fruition.
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Four Weddings and a Funeral, based on the 1994 British film, is getting the anthology series treatment from Hulu. While the cast has yet to be announced, the show is produced by Mindy Kaling and is officially heading into production once the actors are in place.
The series will follow the same storyline as the film: A group of friends share mundane moments together while attending monumental life events. A premiere date has not been set.
Hulu is definitely delivering a strong slate of shows to compete with Netflix, YouTube and Amazon Prime. Which shows are you most looking forward to watching?
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