While autumn has not yet technically arrived, the television industry is already rolling out its seasonal debuts. Fox issued its first opener in the form of a two-hour Prison Break special on Labor Day in the US. And it’ll be in the latter half of October by the time most new series show up once more (or for the first time).
In order to put some more color into its slightly tired archive, Hulu is promising to feature a number of titles returning and newly-emerging for its viewers. The lineup is being touted as Hulu’s “Fall Premiere Lineup.”
Taken week to week, the number of shows slated for streaming to Hulu viewers is more impressive than what has come about in earlier months. Names like “Bones,” “Heroes,” “House,” “The Office,” “Family Guy,” “The Simpsons,” “My Own Worst Enemy,” “Crusoe,” and “30 Rock” are all included in the schedule. The full review is much larger still. And shows such as "Knight Rider," "Chuck," "Life," and Lipstick Jungle" will debut on Hulu the week before they're broadcast on TV. Which is commendable, particularly if shows will be presented in a format greater than standard-definition. (An option for 480p video has been given to an extensive array of programs in recent weeks. A look at the first episode of “Prison Break” Season 4 shows that the trend endures).
Is the schedule complete enough and diverse enough to draw a noticeably larger number of viewers for Hulu, though? More likely than not, I think. If the site’s managers can maintain deals with studio partners to broadcast shows with consistency and add a lasting amount of material to the site’s archive (rather than have shows which “expire,” as is known to happen), the value of the service to advertisers will naturally increase. And so the move toward greater legitimacy will press on.
