Disney-owned streaming service Hulu announced several series premiere dates and series pick-ups on Friday ahead of its virtual Television Critics Association press tour panels.

Dopesick, starring and executive produced by Michael Keaton, will premiere Wednesday, Oct. 13 on the service, while Emmy-nominated comedy The Great, starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult, returns for season two on Nov. 19. Hulu also picked up to series This Fool from writer-creator Chris Estrada.

Dopesick, based on Beth Macy’s New York Times-bestselling book, examines how one company triggered the worst drug epidemic in American history and how that epidemic particularly affected small, rural, blue-collar towns.

The series is written and executive produced by Danny Strong. It’s also executive produced by Keaton, John Goldwyn, Warren Littlefield, Macy, Karen Rosenfelt and Barry Levinsonm who also directs. Besides Keaton, the series stars Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg, Will Poulter, John Hoggenakker, Kaitlyn Dever and Rosario Dawson. Phillipa Soo and Jake McDorman guest star.

‘Dopesick’

Season two of Emmy-nominated The Great sees a pregnant Catherine (Fanning) finally seated on the Russian throne but she’s still having to battle her husband, Peter (Hoult), her mother (guest star Gillian Anderson) and even the people of Russia to bring enlightenment to them.

Besides Fanning and Hoult, the series also stars Phoebe Fox, Adam Godley, Gwilym Lee, Charity Wakefield, Douglas Hodge, Sacha Dhawan, Bayo Gbadamosi and Belinda Bromilow.

The Great is created, written and executive produced by Tony McNamara and executive produced by Marian Macgowan, Mark Winemaker, Fanning, Hoult, Echo Lake’s Brittany Kahan Ward, Doug Mankoff and Andrew Spaulding, Thruline’s Josh Kesselman and Ron West, and Matt Shakman. The project is produced by Civic Center Media in association with MRC Television.

‘The Great,’ Season 2

Hulu also announced Friday that it is giving a series pick-up to Chris Estrada’s This Fool, about self-described “punk-ass bitch” Julio Lopez. The series is inspired by Estrada’s own life with his family in South Central Los Angeles.

This Fool is written and executive produced by Estrada, Pat Bishop, Jake Weisman and Matt Ingebretson. Jonathan Groff and Fred Armisen also serve as executive producers on the series, which is produced by ABC Signature.

Other high-profile series preparing to premiere on the service include Nine Perfect Strangers, from David E. Kelley and Nicole Kidman, on August 18, and Only Murders in the Building, starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez, on August 31.

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The service is expanding its true-crime collection, adding documentary film Dead Asleep—about Randy Herman Jr. who allegedly committed a brutal murder in his sleep—and limited documentary series Captive Audience, about missing seven-year-old Steven Stayner and his return to his family a decade later.

It’s also adding to its food-focused programming with six-part docuseries, The Next Thing You Eat, from David Chang and Morgan Neville, on Thursday, Oct. 21; competition series Baker’s Dozen, hosted by Tamera Mowry-Housley and Bill Yosses, on Thursday, Oct. 7, and a holiday-themed edition of Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, premiering Nov. 4.

Breaking Bread

Hulu did not panel The Handmaid’s Tale, which was nominated for 21 Emmys in its fourth season, but the producers of the apocalyptic drama are in talks with the service about season five as well as when and how to end the series, according to Deadline.

Tags: dopesick hulu nine perfect strangers only murders in the building tca21 the great


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