It’s official: two streaming behemoths are splitting up the rights to an Emmy-nominated sitcom. Hulu and HBO Max have agreed to split the streaming rights to Abbott Elementary’s entire first season, allowing both platforms to offer the comedy in practically real-time.
After the initial broadcast, Hulu, which already enjoys preferential streaming rights over ABC programmes, will continue to distribute episodes the next day on Hulu. A season’s finale will be published to HBO Max, which will then put the past seasons on its service ahead of new ones.
The first season of Abbott Elementary will be available to HBO Max members on August 20. Fans who haven’t yet signed up for Hulu will be able to catch up on the programme with this shift, but they will have to wait until the beginning of the second season before they can see any new episodes. Hulu and HBO Max’s decision to share joint streaming custody of the smash comedy hit will help it reach a wider audience and get even more critical acclaim. Hulu has a streaming partnership with more than only ABC’s Abbott Elementary.
Hulu and NBC’s Peacock service both provide streaming options for Modern Family, which ended its run on ABC’s Wednesday comedy block after 10 seasons. Teachers at a Philadelphia elementary school are depicted in the series, which chronicles their efforts to give their kids a meaningful educational experience, despite the institution’s deteriorating state. Series producer Quinta Brunson and actor Quinta Brunson told Entertainment Tonight that the second season would focus more on teachers’ personal lives after school.
There will be more outings outside of school, Brunson added. On September 21, ABC will bring back Abbott Elementary for its second season, replacing the relaunched The Wonder Years on its Wednesday comedy block in a more lucrative primetime time slot, the latter of which is being delayed back until midseason.