Hulu Snatches Up 'Schitt's Creek' Exclusive U.S. Streaming Rights From Netflix
Hulu will start streaming the Canadian Emmy winning sitcom starting in October, despite creator-star Dan Levy's recent signing of an overall deal with Netflix
Dan Levy may have taken his talents to Netflix, but the show that sparked a bidding war for the Canadian TV creative, Up Schitt's Creek, is headed to Hulu.
The Disney-controlled JV on Thursday announced that all six seasons of the Emmy-winning sitcom will stream exclusively on the subscription service starting Oct. 3.
And it will no longer stream on Netflix, which had been the exclusive U.S. streaming home for Schitt's Creek since 2017.
“Based on the number of Schitt’s Creek GIFs we Slack every day, it’s no surprise that we are absolutely thrilled to welcome Johnny, Moira, Alexis, ‘Daviiid’ and the wonderfully unique residents of Schitt’s Creek to Hulu,” said Hulu President Joe Earley.
Schitt's Creek is a situation comedy about a suddenly broke video-store baron (Eugene Levy), his former soap star wife (Eugene Levy's former SCTV castmate, Catherine O'Hara) and their pampered adult children (Dan Levy and Annie Murphy), all suddenly stuck in an eponymously named small town and dealing with the realities of an un-monied lifestyle.
The show was co-created by Dan Levy and his comedy-legend father, Eugene. Schitt's Creek debuted in the U.S. on Viacom CBS cable network Pop TV, which then licensed U.S. streaming rights to Netflix. From there, it took off. Schitt's Creek sparked bidding-war level demand among U.S. distributors in 2019, with Dan Levy ultimately signing a three-year pact with Disney's ABC Signature.
Demand for the young producer and his show further escalated after Schitt's Creek swept the comedy categories at the 2020 Emmys, setting an Emmy record for most wins by a show in a season.
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Levy ended up signing a new overall deal with Netflix, which will begin in August, upon the expiration of his ABC Signature agreement. However, it was Hulu that will end up with his biggest creation to date.
Hulu's rights will be exclusive to just U.S. streaming. The show has been syndicated on broadcast stations in the U.S. since 2020 by Lionsgate's Debmar Mercury unit.
Meanwhile, on cable, Viacom CBS' Comedy Central began airing the show in 2020.
Daniel Frankel is the managing editor of Next TV, an internet publishing vertical focused on the business of video streaming. A Los Angeles-based writer and editor who has covered the media and technology industries for more than two decades, Daniel has worked on staff for publications including E! Online, Electronic Media, Mediaweek, Variety, paidContent and GigaOm. You can start living a healthier life with greater wealth and prosperity by following Daniel on Twitter today!