
Disney Announces New Stand-Up Comedy Brand ‘Hulu’s Laughing Now’
With Netflix having some huge success with stand-up comedy, Disney is also looking to get into the laughter game with the announcement of a brand new stand-up comedy brand called “Hulu’s Laughing Now.” This brand will officially launch on Hulu and Hulu On Disney+ this coming November, and it will also be released on Disney+ internationally.
The first special is going to feature comedian Jim Gaffigan, who was at Disney’s Upfront event in New York to announce the details. The first special is going to be called ” The Skinny”, and it was taped earlier this year in Boston at the Wilbur Theater.
“The Skinny” will officially launch on Hulu and Hulu On Disney+ on November 22nd 2024 and there will be twelve comedy specials each year, with new comic per month. Additional comics will be announced at a future date, along with launch dates for those specials and other information to follow.
Craig Erwich, president, of Disney Television Group said in a statement regarding the new comedy brand:
“With the launch of Hulu’s Laughing Now, we are excited to round out Hulu’s world-class comedy offering with a lineup of some of the funniest voices in stand-up comedy today. Our slate is a true celebration of the art of stand-up, and we plan to make this a best-in-class destination for comedic talent through partnerships with other areas of The Walt Disney Company, bringing these comedians into our family in a meaningful way.”
Headed into the launch of Gaffigan’s special in November, Hulu will additionally launch a curated collection of licensed stand-up specials ranging from iconic comedy specials to recent releases from 800 Pound Gorilla and Comedy Dynamics, among others.
Roger’s POV: Stand-Up comedy is a staple of entertainment across most traditional networks in the UK, so adding this type of content into Disney’s streaming lineup makes so much sense, and it’s why Netflix has been having so much success with them. They are much cheaper to produce than animation or live-action scripted content, plus most comics will be looking for opportunities to showcase their talents. Not every comic is going to appeal to everyone, but with a different comic being featured each month, this is a really good step, in my opinion.
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