‘The Act’, ‘Shrill’, and ‘PEN15’ Prove That Hulu Originals Are Having a Moment

Given the vast amount of content coming out on a near daily basis, it’s hard to make an impact in the world of original programming; but this spring, Hulu has done just that. Thanks to the success of its middle school comedy PEN15, Aidy Bryant’s introspective Shrill, and Joey King and Patricia Arquette’s shocking drama The Act, Hulu’s original series no longer feel like an afterthought. They’ve become some of the buzziest new shows of the season, and they point to a shift that may push Hulu’s originals from critical darlings to mainstream hits.

There’s no question that The Handmaid’s Tale has been Hulu’s biggest success story up to this point. After all, the dystopian adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s classic novel was the first streaming series to win an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. The Handmaid’s Tale has become such an important part of pop culture, there was even a Saturday Night Live sketch about it. While the drama is unmistakably a critical hit based on its award wins and Rotten Tomatoes score (the series is currently at 91% and its two seasons have been reviewed over 200 times), it’s been difficult to gauge its impact outside of awards devotees.

When the series was renewed for a Season 3, it had reportedly doubled its audience from Season 1 to Season 2. Yet when you compare The Handmaid’s Tale‘s search traffic to some of the biggest dramas on television like Stranger Things, American Horror Story, The Walking Dead, or Game of Thrones, its numbers are noticeably lower. If we are to believe that Google Trends correspond to audience size (which is a faulty metric on its own, but it’s the only one we have access to), The Handmaid’s Tale is more like a Narcos or Ozark-sized hit:

Even then, The Handmaid’s Tale was Hulu’s biggest hit by a mile. Again using Google Trends, it’s clear that award-winning drama outpaced other Hulu originals such as The Path, Casual, Difficult People, and even Marvel’s Runaways. It’s not even a competition:

The Act is the only Hulu original that’s seen engagement similar to The Handmaid’s Tale. Based on shows that have only premiered in 2019, it has Google traffic similar to Netflix’s Sex Education, a show that Netflix once claimed was seen by almost 40 million viewers.

PEN15 and Shrill are likely not as popular as The Act if their Google Trend numbers are to be believed, but they’re also not being ignored. Their search traffic from January to March looks similar to the traffic for Netflix’s Russian Doll and Season 2 of The OA. Both of those series are considered to be cult hits for Netflix:

That’s a key point because for so long it’s seemed like Hulu’s originals have been ignored by viewers. From The Path to Future Man, Hulu has created some incredible originals over the years with top-notch talent. But time after time these excellent shows are often swept aside for Netflix’s newest addition. The fact that The Act, PEN15, and Shrill are getting both the critical and audience attention they deserve isn’t just a testament to how great all three of these shows are. The critics have already proven they’re great TV; all three shows have earned over 90% on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s showing that Hulu, and by extension Hulu originals, is becoming more accepted as a default brand.

And Hulu’s subscriber base has grown. In January of 2018 it was reported that the streaming service had 17 million subscribers, and in September of that year its live TV option hit the 1 million user mark. But for a long time it felt like Hulu was an optional streaming service: Netflix was a priority; Hulu was a luxury.

Over the past year, Hulu has done a lot to disrupt that mindset, both in terms of its library offerings and its price point. Hulu has always heavily advertised its network TV offerings, but starting in 2017 Hulu seemed to develop a new and very specific library strategy. The second a major show would leave Netflix, Hulu would quickly snatch it up. This happened to Futurama, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, How I Met Your Mother, 30 Rock, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and many, many others. Around the same time, Hulu was also adding some classic shows of its own. The Golden Girls, The Bob Newhart Show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Full House, Family Matters, and Home Improvement all found new streaming homes on Hulu.

Hulu was and continues to do this at a price that’s too good to turn down. In April of 2018, Hulu joined with Spotify to offer both services at $12.99 a month. Almost a year later, they sweetened the deal even more, lowering the bundle to $9.99 a month. Even more to the point, the same week Netflix increased its subscription fees, Hulu lowered theirs by two dollars. A streaming service that used to feel optional to some is now more affordable and has more of the TV people want to watch than their nearest competitor.

That more than any other reason is probably why your friends outside of television nerd circles are talking about The Act, Shrill, and PEN15. Hulu has always produced great original content, but by lowering the price point and boosting the legacy library, they’ve increased their subscriber base to a level where people are finally watching — and talking about — those original shows. It’s about time the rest of the world caught on to what we already knew.