As expected, Hulu has picked up Universal Television’s The Mindy Project for 26 original episodes, said Hulu on Friday.
“Mindy has been a beloved member of the Hulu family, so this deal is a natural extension of our relationship,” said Craig Erwich, Hulu senior VP and head of content in a statement. “With so many of her fans already catching up and tuning in to the series on Hulu, we know her millions of fans will be eager to find out what Mindy has in store for the next chapter.”
The Mindy Project — created, produced and starring Mindy Kaling — just completed its third season on Fox. The show’s previous episodes have been airing since 2012 on Hulu, where it’s been a top show, according to the streaming service. All past episodes of the show were acquired by Hulu last April. When the new episodes will premiere and whether Hulu will make them all available at once or one week at a time is yet to be announced.
The pick-up means that NBCUniversal may eventually be able to sell the show to a broadcast or cable buyer in syndication, because the 26 new episodes brings the total to 93. The Mindy Project is not likely to be a big-ticket item in syndication, but with so few new comedies coming down the pike, fresh product is needed.
The Mindy Project is produced by 3 Arts Entertainment in association with Universal Television and besides Kaling, stars Chris Messina, Ed Weeks, Ike Barinholtz, Beth Grant and Xosha Roquemore. The show is executive produced by Kaling, Howard Klein, Matt Warburton, Charlie Grandy and Michael Spiller.
The show joins Hulu’s growing slate of originals, which includes the upcoming event series 11/22/63 from Stephen King and J.J. Abrams' series starring James Franco; comedy series Difficult People produced by Amy Poehler with stars Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner; Casual, a comedy from director Jason Reitman; The Way, a drama series from Universal Television and Jason Katims’ True Jack Productions; and the first longform project from Freddie Wong and the RocketJump team.
