New ABC Comedy Series ‘Maggie’ Moving To Hulu

Nellie Andreeva
·3 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Single-camera comedy series Maggie, originally picked up by ABC for the 2021-22 season, now will stream exclusively on sibling Hulu in the U.S. as a Hulu Original. The decision, underscoring the blurring of the lines between linear and streaming at the major media companies, was made in order to get Maggie in front of audiences instead of keeping it on the bench because of a lack of available slots on the network.

A premiere date will be announced later.

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Maggie, starring Rebecca Rittenhouse as a young woman trying to cope with life while coming to terms with her abilities as a psychic, was one of four ABC pilots ordered to series last May along with comedies The Wonder Years and Abbott Elementary and drama Queens.

. - Credit: Hulu
. - Credit: Hulu

Hulu

On the comedy side, The Wonder Years got off to a strong start in the fall and, along with sophomore Home Economics, received full-season pickups in October. Midseason entry Abbott Elementary has been a big breakout, emerging as the network’s highest-rated comedy while logging a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. It serves as the tentpole of ABC’s new Tuesday 8-10 PM comedy block, flanked by fellow strong newcomer Judge Steve Harvey and the final season of Black-ish.

With veteran The Goldbergs recently getting an additional four-episode order, ABC’s 8-10 PM Wednesday comedy block also is locked in for the rest of the season with no openings. That left Maggie on the shelf with no release options anytime soon.

Meanwhile, Hulu has developed a tradition in female-driven comedies with such shows as Pen15, Shrill, Dollface, How I Met Your Father and Amy Schumer’s upcoming Life & Beth, making it a suitable home for Maggie.

This marks the latest linear TV series to migrate to a sibling streamer, joining Evil and SEAL Team (CBS to Paramount+) and Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol and A.P. Bio (NBC to Peacock).

Signaling a symbiotic programming relationship between ABC and Hulu, Craig Erwich more than a year ago was named President of Hulu Originals & ABC Entertainment.

“ABC and Hulu are complementary to each other,” he said during TCA this month, speaking of the company’s audience-first approach. “Each platform has a different opportunity for the artists to tell their stories, and we make the decision based on what we think is best for each show.”

Internationally, Maggie will be released on Star+ in Latin America and on Disney+ in all other markets.

. - Credit: photo: ABC/Richard Cartwright
. - Credit: photo: ABC/Richard Cartwright

photo: ABC/Richard Cartwright

Maggie landed a series order in May after a dark horse run. It stayed largely under the radar during pilot season until a very strong showing during testing and screenings.

In the show based on the short film by Tim Curcio, Maggie (Rittenhouse) regularly sees the fate of her friends, parents, clients and random strangers on the street, but when she suddenly sees a glimpse of her own future, she is forced to start living in her own present.

The series also stars David Del Rio as Ben, Nichole Sakura as Louise, Angelique Cabral as Amy, Leonardo Nam as Dave, Ray Ford as Angel, Chloe Bridges as Jessie, Kerri Kenney as Maria, and Chris Elliott as Jack.

Maggie is written and executive produced by Justin Adler and Maggie Mull. Evan Hayes and Jeff Morton also serve as executive producers. The series is produced by 20th Television, a part of Disney Television Studios. The pilot episode was written by Mull and Adler, and directed by Natalia Anderson.

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