Hulu will broadcast its first original scripted series next month, a political comedy that will debut during the real-life Republican presidential primary.
The online video service is ramping up its rivalry with Netflix Inc.
Aimed squarely at an audience loyal to cutting edge comedy such as “The Office” and “The Colbert Report,” Hulu’s new show “Battleground” is a look at the inner workings of a Democratic primary campaign for a U.S. Senate seat in Wisconsin. It was created by J.D. Walsh, an actor who worked for John Kerry during a political campaign.
“We see what J.D. sees in it and we know the audience is there,” said Hulu’s senior vice president of content, Andy Forsell.
Hulu’s foray into original scripted programming follows an investment in the Morgan Spurlock documentary series, “A Day in the Life,” which debuted in August and will soon launch into a second season.
Hulu made the announcement Sunday at the Television Critics’ Association’s winter press tour, a two-week-long series of presentations for TV journalists usually reserved for traditional TV networks.
Hulu also announced it would make “Up to Speed,” a non-scripted series that looks at historic nooks and crannies of notable destinations around America.
The shows will be available on both the free and paid versions of Hulu.
The programming announcement follows a blog post by Hulu CEO Jason Kilar that said Hulu now has 1.5 million paying subscribers and took in revenue of $420 million last year.
Kamala Harris Receives Chairman’s Prize At NAACP Image Awards
Former Vice President Kamala Harris stepped on the NAACP Image Awards stage Saturday night with a sobering message, calling the civil rights organization a pillar of the Black community and urging people to stay resilient and hold onto their faith during the tenure of President Donald Trump.
"While we have no illusions about what we are up against in this chapter in our American story, this chapter will be written not simply by whoever occupies the oval office nor by the wealthiest among us," Harris said after receiving the NAACP's Chairman's Award. "The American story will be written by you. Written by us. By we the people."
The 56th annual Image Awards was held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in the Los Angeles area.
Harris, defeated by Trump in last year's presidential election, was the first woman and the first person of color to serve as vice president. She had previously been a U.S. senator from California and the state's attorney general.
In her first major public appearance since leaving office, Harris did not reference her election loss or Trump's actions since entering the Oval Office, although Trump mocked her earlier in the day at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
Harris spoke about eternal vigilance, the price of liberty, staying alert, seeking the truth and America's future.
"Some see the flames on our horizons, the rising waters in our cities, the shadows gathering over our democracy and ask 'What do we do now?'" Harris said. "But we know exactly what to do, because we have done it before. And we will do it again. We use our power. We organize, mobilize. We educate. We advocate. Our power has never come from having an easy path."
Other winners of the Chairman's prize have included former... Read More