With Shows Like Shrill, Hulu Is Proving It’s More Than Just Handmaid’s Tale

Two years ago this month, The Handmaid’s Tale debuted—and changed everything for Hulu. The commercial and critical reaction to Handmaid’s, which became the first show from a streaming service ever to win the Emmy for outstanding drama series, “opened up a completely new door for Hulu as it relates to talent and material,” says CEO Randy Freer. The streaming service’s 2019 slate is a result of that post-Handmaid’s influx of talent: in addition to Shrill, Hulu has also premiered several other critically acclaimed shows: coming-of-age comedy Pen15, Fyre Festival documentary Fyre Fraud and anthology series The Act. Next month, it will air a limited series based on Catch-22, executive produced by and starring George Clooney in his first major TV project since ER. “We’re really trying to pick shows that will have cultural relevance,” says Peter Naylor, svp and head of advertising sales.