AwardsWatch - Hulu announces renewals of ‘Taste the Nation,’ ‘Love, Victor;’ new ‘Animaniacs,’ shows with Selena Gomez, Elle Fanning and more

Hulu Announces Season Two Renewals for Love, Victor and Breakout Series Taste The Nation with Padma Lakshmi

Company Greenlights Straight-to-Series Orders for The Girl From Plainville, Starring Elle Fanning, along with Docuseries The Next Thing You Eat from James Beard Award-Winning Chef David Chang and Academy Award-Winning Documentary Filmmaker Morgan Neville

Selena Gomez Joins As Star and Executive Producer of Upcoming Hulu Original Comedy Only Murders In The Building Alongside Steve Martin and Martin Short

Company Releases Fall Premiere Dates For Steven Spielberg Executive Produced Animaniacs, Upcoming Drama Series No Man’s Land, Groundbreaking Hulu Original Documentary I AM GRETA, Food Series Eater’s Guide To The World and Horror Anthology Series Monsterland

Today, during the Hulu Press Tour, Hulu presented the company’s lineup of upcoming original programming including semi-animated comedy series Woke starring Lamorne Morris; No Man’s Land, the dramatic tale of the Syrian civil war; and the second season of the Emmy-nominated Pen15, a middle school comedy set in the early 2000s starring Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine. The three Hulu Originals showcased today will join the company’s growing slate of premium Original content, following a successful year of back-to-back new hits such as Little Fires Everywhere, Palm Springs, Solar Opposites, The Great, Normal People and more.

The company also announces straight-to-series orders for two new Hulu Original series, The Girl From Plainville and The Next Thing You Eat. Starring Elle Fanning, The Girl From Plainville is a limited series inspired by the true story of the controversial case of Michelle Carter (Fanning), who was convicted in 2017 of involuntary manslaughter for encouraging the suicide of her then-boyfriend via texts and phone calls.

Joining Hulu’s Original food programming slate is The Next Thing You Eat from James Beard Award–winning chef David Chang and Academy Award–winning documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville. The six-part docuseries tells the story of the sea change taking place across every corner of the food world. From deeply personal accounts of the havoc wreaked on restaurants by COVID-19—including numerous in-depth interviews conducted in the midst of quarantine—to the ways in which robots and AI will forever change our relationship to food, The Next Thing You Eatis a look into our cultural and culinary future from the creators of the Emmy® nominated Ugly Delicious.

“From renewals of fan and critic favorites Love, Victor and Taste the Nation, to exploring the true story of The Girl From Plainville and learning about David Chang’s deeply personal view at what’s next for the restaurant industry in The Next Thing You Eat, Hulu’s slate of Original programming has never been stronger,” said Craig Erwich, SVP of Originals, Hulu. “Our content is driven by highly curated programming from best-in-class talent, and Hulu is dedicated to continuing to tell unique and inspired stories that our viewers crave.”

As part of The Walt Disney Company, Hulu has gained remarkable momentum over the past year, surpassing 35 million subscribers as of August 4, 2020. The streaming platform also saw a nearly 40% increase in engagement (total hours watched) with its original programming in 2020, as well as a 43% year-over-year lift in social media interest.

Additional details about today’s announcements include:

Hulu Adds Major Star Power With The Addition Of Selena Gomez As Star And Executive Producer of Upcoming Only Murders In The Building

Starring alongside comedic legends Steve Martin and Martin Short, global superstar Selena Gomez joins the cast of the upcoming Hulu Original comedy series Only Murders in the Building. The series follows three strangers (Martin, Short and Gomez) who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one. Only Murders in the Building hails from co-creators and writers, Steve Martin and John Hoffman (Grace & Frankie, Looking). Martin and Hoffman will executive produce along with Martin Short, Selena Gomez, This is Us creator Dan Fogelman and Jess Rosenthal.

Selena Gomez began making the transition from young actress to adulthood with such films as Harmony Korine’s SPRING BREAKERS. She appeared in the Academy Award®-nominated film THE BIG SHORT opposite Brad Pitt and Ryan Gosling as well as FUNDAMENTALS OF CARING alongside Paul Rudd. Most recently, she starred in Jim Jarmusch’s film THE DEAD DON’T DIE opposite Bill Murray and Adam Driver. Gomez has added executive producer to her list of credits serving as an executive producer of the hit Netflix original series 13 Reasons Why. In addition, she executive produced the critically-acclaimed Netflix docu-series Living Undocumented which created much buzz and discussion regarding the polarizing issue of undocumented people living in the United States. Gomez also executive produced the upcoming Sony feature film THE BROKEN HEART GALLERY. Earlier this year, Gomez released her critically-acclaimed album RAREwhich debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, her third consecutive studio album to debut atop the chart. The first single, “Lose You To Love Me,” gave Gomez her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. As a solo artist, Gomez has accumulated over 22 billion global streams.

Company Orders Two New Straight-To-Series Hulu Originals Including The Girl From Plainville Starring Elle Fanning, and Docuseries The Next Thing You Eat from James Beard Award-Winning Chef David Chang and Academy Award-Winning Documentary Filmmaker Morgan Neville

Written by Liz Hannah (THE POST; The Dropout) and Patrick Macmanus (Dr. Death), The Girl From Plainville stars Elle Fanning (The Great) as Michelle Carter and is inspired by the true story of her controversial “texting-suicide” case. Based off of the Esquire article of the same name by Jesse Barron, the limited series will explore Carter’s relationship with Conrad Roy III and the events that led to his death and, later, her controversial conviction of involuntary manslaughter.

Executive producers for the series include co-showrunners Hannah and Macmanus, Fanning and Echo Lake’s Brittany Kahan Ward. Consulting producers include Barron and Erin Lee Carr (I Love You, Now Die). The Girl From Plainville is a production of UCP, a division of Universal Studio Group. Kelly Funke will oversee for Macmanus’ Littleton Road Productions.

From the Emmy® nominated creators of Ugly Delicious—James Beard Award–winning chef David Chang and Academy Award–winning documentary filmmaker Morgan Neville—The Next Thing You Eat is a six-episode docuseries that explores the seismic changes happening all around us and how they affect not only the restaurant world but people’s fundamental relationship to food. Chang and a diverse cast of correspondents will take an unflinching look at the challenges and opportunities ahead, including how our food is grown, who cooks it, how we pay for it, and whether or not deliciousness will fall by the wayside. What kind of food world awaits us in the coming years? The Next Thing You Eat aims to find out.

Executive producers include David Chang, Christopher Chen, Dave O’Connor and Chris Ying on behalf of Majordomo Media; Morgan Neville and Caitrin Rogers on behalf of Tremolo Productions; and Chad Mumm on behalf of Vox Media Studios. The Next Thing You Eat is produced by Tremolo Productions and Majordomo Media for Vox Media Studios.

Hulu Announces Season Two Series Renewals for Fan Favorite Love, Victor and Padma Lakshmi Food Exploration Series Taste The Nation

Following a successful first season, Love, Victor returns to Hulu for a 10-episode second season. Ranking as the #1 most-watched Drama on Hulu during its premiere week this past June,Love, Victor is set in the world of the groundbreaking 2018 film LOVE, SIMON which was inspired by Becky Albertalli’s acclaimed novel, “Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda.” The first season followed Victor, a new student at Creekwood High School, on his own journey of self-discovery, facing challenges at home, adjusting to a new city and exploring his sexual orientation. As Victor and his friends mature, so will season two, promising to build on these themes of sexual identity, acceptance and navigating the odyssey we all know as high school.

The series stars Michael Cimino, Ana Ortiz, James Martinez, Isabella Ferreira, Mateo Fernandez, Rachel Naomi Hilson, Bebe Wood, George Sear, Anthony Turpel and Mason Gooding. The film’s original writers Isaac Aptaker (This Is Us) and Elizabeth Berger (This Is Us) serve as executive producers alongside Brian Tanen, Jason Ensler, Isaac Klausner, Marty Bowen, Adam Fishbach, Wyck Godfrey, Pouya Shahbazian and Adam Londy. 20th Century Fox Television serves as the studio.

Padma Lakshmi’s insightful series Taste the Nation will also return for a 10-episode second season as the freshman series launched in June to critical acclaim, receiving a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. Starring and executive produced by Padma Lakshmi, along with Part2 Pictures’ David Shadrack Smith, Taste the Nation takes audiences on a journey across America exploring the rich and diverse food culture of various immigrant groups, seeking out the people who have so heavily shaped what American food is today. From indigenous communities to recent immigrant arrivals, Padma breaks bread with Americans across the nation to uncover the roots and relationship between our food, our humanity and our history – ultimately revealing stories that challenge notions of identity, belonging, and what it means to be American.

Emmy® Nominated Actress Maya Rudolph To Narrate Upcoming Hulu Original Eater’s Guide To The World

Emmy® nominated actress Maya Rudolph joins as the narrator for the upcoming Hulu Original Eater’s Guide To The World, slated to debut with seven episodes on Wednesday, November 11. The series was developed by Vox Media Studios and Eater – the most trusted voice in food, dining, and travel – and explores some of the most satisfying culinary destinations around the world including the Pacific Northwest, Casablanca, Tijuana and Costa Rica. Throughout the series, Rudolph will narrate the quest to find the most unexpected places to score an epic meal, while drinking and dining with the locals along the way. Lauren Cynamon, Chad Mumm, Mark W. Olsen and Amanda Kludt serve as executive producers and the series is produced by Eater and Vox Media Studios.

Hulu Reveals Premiere Dates for Upcoming 2020 Hulu Originals Monsterland, I AM GRETA, Animaniacs and No Man’s Land

Streaming on Friday, October 2, Hulu Original Monsterland is a 8-episode anthology series based on the collection of stories from Nathan Ballingrud’s “North American Lake Monsters.” Encounters with mermaids, fallen angels and other strange beasts drive broken people to desperate acts in Monsterland. The series stars Kaitlyn Dever, Jonathan Tucker, Charlie Tahan, Nicole Beharie, Hamish Linklater, Marquis Rodriguez, Bill Camp, Michael Hsu Rosen, Taylor Schilling, Roberta Colindrez, Adria Arjona, Trieu Tran, Kelly Marie Tran, Mike Colter and Adepero Oduye. Monsterland is created, written, and executive produced by Mary Laws and executive produced by Babak Anvari, Lucan Toh, Megan Ellison and Sue Naegle. Ali Krug will serve as co-executive producer and the series is produced by Annapurna Television.

Highly anticipated Hulu Original Documentary I AM GRETA, which follows young activist Greta Thunberg, will stream on Hulu on Friday, November 13. In August 2018, Thunberg, a 15-year-old student in Sweden, started a school strike for the climate as her question for adults was, if you don’t care about my future on earth, why should I care about my future in school? Within months, her strike evolved into a global movement as the quiet teenage girl on the autism spectrum becomes a world-famous activist. The documentary follows Greta’s heroism and passion in fighting for climate change.

Twenty-two years after its final episode, the long-awaited return of Animaniacs comes to Hulu Friday, November 20. Hulu, Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation are proud to unveil a brand-new version of the iconic family friendly cartoon series for the whole family, as the Warner siblings, Yakko and Wakko, and the Warner sister Dot, have a great time wreaking havoc and mayhem in the lives of everyone they meet. After returning to their beloved home, the Warner Bros. Water Tower, the Animaniacs waste no time in causing chaos and comic confusion as they run loose through the studio and beyond, turning the world into their personal playground. Joining Yakko, Wakko and Dot, fan-favorite characters Pinky and the Brain will also return to continue their quest for world domination in each of the 13 episodes.

Steven Spielberg returns as executive producer of the series, with Sam Register, President, Warner Bros. Animation and Blue Ribbon Content, Amblin Television Co-Presidents Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey, and Wellesley Wild also serving as executive producers. Gabe Swarr serves as co-executive producer. Animaniacs is produced by Amblin Television in association with Warner Bros. Animation. The show will return to Hulu for a second 13-episode season in 2021.

Upcoming eight-episode Hulu Original drama series No Man’s Land streams Wednesday, November 18, diving into the depths of the Syrian civil war through the eyes of Antoine, a young French man in search of his estranged, presumed-to-be-dead sister. While unraveling the mystery, Antoine ends up joining forces with a unit of Kurdish female fighters, and ISIS’ biggest nightmare, as he travels with them in ISIS occupied territory. Antoine’s journey crosses paths with adventurers and anarchists, spies and innocent victims, and provides a unique look on the tragic events in Syria, and the way they affect the entire world.

No Man’s Land stars Félix Moati, Mélanie Thierry and James Purefoy alongside Souheila Yacoub, Joe Ben Ayed, James Floyd, Dean Ridge, Julia Faure, François Caron and Céline Samie. The series is co-created by Ron Leshem, Maria Feldman, Eitan Mansuri, and Amit Cohen and written by Amit Cohen and Ron Leshem in collaboration with Xabi Molia. Oded Ruskin will serve as the director and the series is produced by Maria Feldman for Masha Productions, Eitan Mansuri and Jonathan Doweck for Spiro Films, Caroline Benjo, Simon Arnal and Carole Scotta for Haut et Court TV, Christian Vesper for Fremantle and co-produced by ARTE France and Versus Production. Fremantle will distribute the series internationally.

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Erik Anderson

Erik Anderson is the founder/owner and Editor-in-Chief of AwardsWatch and has always loved all things Oscar, having watched the Academy Awards since he was in single digits; making lists, rankings and predictions throughout the show. This led him down the path to obsessing about awards. Much later, he found himself in film school and the film forums of GoldDerby, and then migrated over to the former Oscarwatch (now AwardsDaily), before breaking off to create AwardsWatch in 2013.

He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.