The Top Show on Hulu has been renewed for a third season, and it's a pretty big milestone for the streaming company.
Only Murders in the Building, a Hulu crime comedy series starring Selena Gomez, Martin Short and Steve Martin, is returning for a third installment. The announcement was made in a joint press release from Hulu and Disney Plus; the latter streaming platform is Only Murders in the Building's home in parts of the world where Hulu is not available.
It should come as no surprise to learn that Only Murders in the Building season 3 has been given the green light from Hulu's management team. The show's first season (opens in a new tab) and second season (opens in a new tab) currently have a 100% "Certified Fresh" review rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes. It resonates with audiences and critics alike, with season 1 having a 93% rating and season 2 having a 90% rating among viewers.
What is surprising, however, is that Only Murders in the Building has been renewed for a third installment. As? Because Hulu rarely renews its original TV offerings for more than two seasons.
Since Hulu began developing its own originals in January 2011, pop culture web series The Morning After was its first foray into original programming, only 10 of its original TV series have been renewed for three seasons or more. This ignores the announcement that Hulu was also reviving the beloved animated sitcom Futurama, as well as miniseries like Pistol and Pam & Tommy.
A total of 56 Hulu Original shows have been canceled since the streamer began creating its own content. To put that in context, Hulu has only renewed one original series (for three or more seasons) each year since 2011, while abruptly ending five original shows every 12 months over the same 10-year period.
We say goodbye to series like Y: The Last Man (cancelled after one season), PEN15 (two seasons), High Fidelity (one season), MODOK (one season) and Veronica Mars (relaunched by Hulu but canceled after one season) during this period. These cancellations were probably due to different reasons: some will not have resonated with the public, while others will have been shelved for reasons of production costs. Still, Hulu has a penchant for ending shows long before their time, making Only Murders in the Building's longevity a rare but significant affair.
Of course, Hulu has green shows for more than three seasons when they are a) very successful and fun to watch, or b) because there really is an intriguing story or compelling character arcs to wrap up.
The Handmaid's Tale (five seasons), Wu-Tang: An American Saga (three seasons), Reservation Dogs (three seasons), Solar Opposites (three seasons), and Trolls: Troll Topia (six seasons) remain strong in the Service. broadcast owned by Disney. Meanwhile, the renewal status of Hulu's new offerings, including The Bear and Nine Perfect Strangers, is currently pending. However, given their popularity, we hope that Hulu will greenlight a second season for these shows. So, as long as audience demand is there and/or a show tells a good story, Hulu is likely to order more seasons for that production.
My Neighbors have a special message for all of you: #OnlyMurdersInTheBuilding will be back for Season 3! Now I just have to worry about who's next... I hope it's not me! pic.twitter.com/J8AeH6CpNOJuly 11, 2022
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Still, Only Murders in the Building's third-season renewal is a rare example of Hulu execs ordering another episode on, well, one of the streamer's TV offerings. There has to come a time when Hulu's heads of original programming start greenlighting new entries in many of its TV series, especially shows that recently launched on the streamer.
From a monetary standpoint, you can see why Hulu wouldn't pump more money into a show if it's deemed unsuccessful. Sometimes, however, one season is not enough to determine if a show will attract viewers. In those cases, it's worth betting on greenlighting a second season to see if a series gains ground among Hulu's subscriber base. You should let some shows breathe and develop the story they want to tell, or the character development they want to pursue, instead of canceling them as soon as the number of viewers starts to dwindle. Here's hoping the Only Murders in the Building revamp starts to become the norm, not the exception, on Hulu.
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