• TV
  • Movies
  • More TV. On more devices.
Search
RSS

Letting Go Lessons from “The Middle”

October 31st, 2011 by Hulu Blog

From the first time you drop off your kid at daycare to that day he finally moves out of the house for college, letting go of the notion that your “baby” is no longer a baby anymore is pretty difficult. Feeding them pureed peas feels just like yesterday and now you’re helping them buy kitchen utensils for their new apartment? It’s a lot to take in.

In this week’s episode of “The Middle,” parents Mike and Frankie (mostly Mike) have trouble accepting that their teenage daughter Sue is finally growing up.

When Sue, who’s endearingly dorky and known for “dressing like a third grader,” excitedly comes home wearing a new blouse, Mike is less than enthused about her choice of clothing. He’s also not too happy about the high school party she’s attending that night because he knows that boys will be there.

While the top itself isn’t revealing, it’s tighter, shows off her shoulders and is definitely more “mature” than the usual cat-printed sweaters she sports. But Frankie, the voice of reason, thinks Sue’s new look is trendy and age-appropriate. Reading Mike’s mind, Frankie knows what the real problem is here:

“You don’t have a problem with the shirt. You have a problem with what’s inside the shirt,” she says.

Mike reluctantly drives her to the party. But as she walks to the house, she quickly runs back to the car and puts on a dorky pumpkin-printed hooded sweatshirt. It’s this moment that Mike realizes that Sue isn’t a little girl anymore –
but she’ll always be his baby.

Watching your kids grow up is scary as hell, but you’ll eventually have to let them go, whether it’s to their first day of school or first high school party. Do you remember a moment when you were hit with the realization that your kid was “growing up?” What was it like?

Happy Huluween!

October 31st, 2011 by Ben Collins Assistant Editor

There was a point on Friday—and it was probably around the third time Evil Knievel or a man in a giant chicken costume walked by his or her desk to hand off paperwork—where everyone at Hulu came to this same conclusion: We have outdone ourselves.

And the best trick-or-treating middle schoolers ain’t got nothin’ on Huluween.

Yep, it was our annual Huluween party at Hulu offices all across the world, from Beijing to New York to Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. It brought Project Runway-level design prowess to dressing up like the cast of Reno 911.

It was, of course, replete with a smoke machine, a cauldron of punch and a five-foot-tall spider that we were positive moved on its own volition. The rest can best be measured in stats.

- 7 Adult Dalmations; One Infant Dalmation; One Non-Dalmation Dalmation – Because 101 seemed excessive.

- 15+ Hogwarts-emblazoned Sweartervests - Yes, the entire ad operations team came together to Potterize their entire crew.

- Too many Waldos to count. Since it was the entire finance team, they probably know the exact number. And they can probably make a mean pie chart out of it.

- Four Misfits and a Vampire Prosecutor - We watch a little bit too much Hulu. We admit it.

- One award-winning ET – We have no idea how much time Jim Galley spent on this costume, but we know the true answer: Too much time. That’s why we gave him best individual costume of the year.

(Special thanks to Dana Rygwelski for the pictures.)

Last comment: Jan 25th 2012 1 Comment

Your Favorites, Now in Version 2.0

October 29th, 2011 by Hulu Blog

Well, Super Grover is back to help solve all of Sesame Street’s biggest problems in one fell swoop. He’s mistakenly delivered bears to a zoo, saved a sinking ship, and rescued Sesame Street from a hot fudge flood.

Now, he’s taking on magnets as Super Grover 2.0.

Wait, Super Grover 2.0? Sure, Grover’s had a Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon and he’s had both a roller coaster and a deli sandwich named after him, but that’s because he’s Super Grover, right?

Maybe. But Super Grover is old enough to vote. According to the Muppet Wikipedia (yep, there is such a thing) Super Grover is 19 and ready to bust into a ballot box.

Now that we’ve got you thinking, is there any character from 20 years ago that you’d love to see rebooted for your kids to experience? Maybe it’s something from your childhood. Maybe it’s something from your teens or 20s that you wish was part of your childhood.

And maybe it’s just the Muppets. Not to freak you out, but do you know when the last Muppet movie hit theaters? Twelve years ago. Thankfully, we’re getting a new one next month.

But is there an even better character you can’t wait for your kids to see, but in a new outfit or in HD? Let us know in the comments!

How and By Whom We’d Want To Be Murdered If We Were Murdered on TV

October 28th, 2011 by Hulu Blog

By Alf in a Skiing Accident Outside of a Holiday Inn Express

So Alf and I are outside of this Holiday Inn Express on this little mound we’ve created for skiing. We’ve had a long weekend and don’t much feel like skiing right now, but this is a snow-covered mound and we saw it from our hotel room. We must. We have the skis.

Anyway, I underestimate the jump. I always do this and usually land a little awkwardly. That’s why Alf’s there, so he can save me, all comically, and I can pat his head and hear his joke from the 1960s about marriage. It usually works out. That’s why I have Alf there to ski with, to take on trips to Holiday Inn Express, to go on long weekends in the stranger parts of South Dakota in the winter, so Alf and I can build our memories together, forever.

But I did not know Alf was a traitor.—Ben Collins


By Ron Swanson with a Spatula in One of the Lesser Frequented Islands of Hawaii

Ron Swanson and I are stranded for weeks on a desert island. We’ve exhausted our food supply. After merely surviving on coconuts and without any “real” meat for weeks (bacon, moose and everything in between), Swanson descends into madness and decides to ravage my flesh and grill me alive. —Sheila Dichoso

By Someone Playing Mitt Romney on SNL with a Luger in 30 Rockefeller Center

INT: STUDIO 8H, DRESSED TO LOOK LIKE THE REPUBLICAN DEBATE

Mitt Romney (Jason Sudeikis), Michele Bachmann (Kristen Wiig), and Rick Perry (Me) stand behind their respective podiums. A Moderator (Taran Killam) is seated in front of the candidates.

MODERATOR

We’ve now reached the talent portion of the debates, and Governor Romney, as your talent you’ve chosen to juggle knives…

PERRY

More like, juggle lies!

Romney ignores Perry. Sabre Dance begins to play as he pulls out a set of knives and starts juggling amazingly well. After a moment, Governor Perry pulls out an oboe and walks in front of his dais.

PERRY

I believe the governor’s time is over and it’s time for my rebuttal.

Perry starts playing his oboe as he approaches Romney.

ROMNEY

You’re too close. Hold on a second, Rick!

One of Romney’s knives goes rogue and ends up stabbing Perry through the neck. Perry falls to the ground.

ROMNEY

Great! Are you happy now, Rick? You have the floor.

BEAT. Sudeikis breaks character, rushes to my side and feels my pulse.

SUDEIKIS

Lorne!

Lorne Michaels rushes out on stage to examine the scene.

WIIG

Lorne, I came up with a new catch phrase!

LORNE

These aren’t the stage knives at all. You…killed him.

Lorne looks out at the studio audience.

LORNE

Dead from New York! It’s Saturday Night!

And SCENE! (Of course, it wouldn’t be the first time someone’s died on SNL.)

—Martin Moakler

Wait, No One Has Said Dexter Yet? Seriously?

Well, if not him, Walter White from Breaking Bad. He’d probably outsmart me somehow while we were talking over an MGD in a basement.—Gabe Pasillas

By No One, Because Empowerment.

While the rest of my colleagues are being impaled, suffocated, and defenestrated, I’ve reserved the right to be the Final Girl  (Hey, there’s always one.)  Unlike my fellow Hulugans, I didn’t split up and amble down a dark hallway alone; I didn’t run upstairs when I heard a noise; and I certainly didn’t say, “I’ll be right back.”  Instead, I picked up my cell phone, got in my car, and drove straight to the police station while chatting with the 911 operator.  And if all else failed, I’d dispatch my tormentor as quickly as I would a zombie in Left 4 Dead.  Sorry guys, but no one makes a victim out of this girl. – Andrea Marker

OMFG. Current Season Shows From The CW Are Coming to Hulu and Hulu Plus.

October 28th, 2011 by Andy Forssell SVP of Content

At Hulu, my team and I spend a lot of time watching TV shows and debating what makes a show great. Attracting 15 million viewers certainly makes a show a candidate for being great, but it’s not sufficient, nor frankly even necessary. A far more important indicator of greatness is that the show has a certain something that makes viewers care, and care deeply . . . for the plot, for the characters, for the chance to urge their friends to watch the show and the chance to talk about it together afterward.   Great TV is TV that is discussed as “insightful” or “touching” or “funny” or “shocking,” to be admired by critics, celebrated by pop culture writers, and to be watched over and over again by passionate fans.

Even though I’m admittedly not the target demographic for The CW — a network that targets young women ages 18-34 — that doesn’t mean I can’t recognize and appreciate great content when I see it. And The CW is home to some of the most engaging and clever shows on TV today. The CW’s serialized dramas and reality series are precisely the kind of shows we aggressively pursue for our service – the kind of shows that attract a young, engaged, and savvy fan base . . . and that make that fan base care deeply.

This is why the Hulu team is so excited about our new five-year licensing agreement with The CW to bring current season programming to the Hulu Plus subscription service and the free, ad-supported Hulu service.

When shows from The CW arrive on our service later this year, Hulu Plus will be the only online subscription service to offer next-day access to the most recent five current primetime episodes, in HD, on internet connected mobile phones, tablets, gaming consoles, blu-ray players and set-top boxes, while users of the free Hulu service will be able to watch five episodes of current season programming eight days after airing.

Programming on Hulu and Hulu Plus will begin with the nine series on The CW’s Fall 2011 schedule, including new series “Ringer,” “Hart of Dixie” and “The Secret Circle,” as well as returning hits “The Vampire Diaries,” “Gossip Girl,” “Supernatural,” “Nikita,” “90210” and “America’s Next Top Model.”

This agreement is a new high-water mark for online video streaming services. With this deal, Hulu will offer users of both Hulu and the Hulu Plus subscription service current season episodes from 5 of the 6 broadcast networks (ABC, The CW, FOX, NBC, and Univision) before the end of the year.  This is in addition to the more than 45 other content partners from whom we offer current season TV programming, including A&E, Bravo, Comedy Central, E! Entertainment, FX, History, MTV, Spike and USA Network to name just a few.

In total across the Hulu and Hulu Plus subscription service, we offer users more than 42,000 full TV episodes from current seasons, prior seasons of current TV shows, and old favorites that are no longer on the air.

For the past 4 years, we have been hard at work building a differentiated and high-value service for our three customers (users, content owners and advertisers).  We are proud that Hulu is the only online video service to offer such a unique and compelling line-up of content.

Last comment: Jan 25th 2012 13 Comments