Hulu is adding to its growing slate of original programming, including a new animated series from Seth Meyers that will translate his experiences on "Saturday Night Live" to a gang of superheroes.
Meyers previewed the show, "The Awesomes," at Hulu's upfront Thursday. He and co-creator Michael Shoemaker, a producer of "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" and formerly of "SNL," said the series will be a behind-the-scenes look at an "Avengers"-like troupe of crime-fighters.
Meyers said "The Awesomes" was based on backstage life at "SNL," where he is a head writer and Weekend Update host.
The show is planned to debut next year on Hulu, which is co-owned by Disney, News Corp. and NBCUniversal.
Hulu is also producing a series about a group of friends who play pick-up basketball from "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle" director Danny Leiner, "Are We There Yet?" writer Kenya Barris and "The Game" writer Hale Rothstein. That show, "We Got Next," will premiere later this year.
Hulu is also planning a fantasy show called "Flow" built around the urban sport of parkour, which involves running, climbing, or leaping rapidly over obstacles, and a music talent discovery show called "Don't Quit Your Daydream" that's based on the 2010 documentary by Adrian Grenier and John Loar.
Those four series add to Hulu's original programming that includes Morgan Spurlock's "A Day in the Life" and the scripted series "Battleground." The event Thursday was the first of a series of planned "newfronts" in which digital outlets present their programming to advertisers, much like the traditional TV upfronts in May.
Hulu said that in February, U.S. users watched 2.5 billion videos on the site. Earlier this week, it announced that will charge advertisers only if viewers watch a commercial in full.
Associated Press