People who have been late to the party on to the hit U.K. teen fantasy drama Misfits (like me) will not have an excuse to miss out anymore.
The Hollywood Reporter has announced that online streaming service Hulu has acquired the rights to stream Misfits, which means soon computer and tablet users will be able to stream the show at any time. Hulu is a service that can even be used effectively on 4G networks, which means that people with that new 7" Google tablet T-Mobile just released will be able to watch even without a WiFi connection. In addition to the drama Misfits, Hulu is preparing two other U.K. series never before seen on American television, on its website starting really soon. The company, which is owned by NBC Universal, will make a formal announcement later today on the acquisition of the three U.K. shows and what the "exclusive first-run" deal entails.
Misfits, as well as U.K. shows Whites and The Booth at the End, will be available to both premium subscribers to Hulu Plus and users of the free with ads service on the website. In short, everyone gets a chance to get a taste of what both shows have to offer.
A cult hit in the U.K. and here in America, Misfits tells the tale of five troubled early 20-somethings, who while doing community service are struck by lightning from an electrical storm and are each given superpowers as a result. Hulu will start streaming Misfits on June 20th.
The sitcom Whites features the exploits of a shiftless chef and his staff at a country house motel. Hulu claims the series, which is originally from BBC Two, should attract fans of The Office and Gordan Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. Whites will start to stream on July 20th.
Finally, the webseries The Booth at the End features Xander Berkeley (24, Nikita) as The Man, a figure who sits at the back of a diner and grants random strangers their greatest desires... for a price. The tasks The Man gives the strangers varies, but in the end, they get what they want. The show asks the question: "How far are would you go to get what you want?" This look into the darkness of humanity will begin streaming on July 11th.
The selection of Misfits to Hulu's roster tells us several things, number one being that the traffic in acquiring the show through illegal means might drop drastically now that the show is available to American audiences for free without the risk of being thrown behind bars for several years. Secondly, the Internet makes for a suitable (safe-proof) platform to 'air' the show given how watchdog groups like the Parents Television Council (PTC) would have a field day if Misfits (or any incarnation of the show) ever made its way to American television screens. MTV's Skins saw the wrath of the PTC despite airing past family primetime hours and being on a cable network.
While we will update you as this story develops, what are your thought on Misfits hitting Hulu?
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
So glad this series is available!