The most in-demand show on Hulu in July was the ever popular Saturday Night Live. Despite not being scheduled to resume until the fall, a deep back catalog of nearly 50 seasons of content makes this an evergreen favorite for audiences even in its off season. Part of SNL’s secret to staying at the top of viewers’ minds is not only having relevant topical sketches but also an in demand cast of talent. The next season may be a challenge for the show as it works on rebuilding its cast following the departures of several of its most in-demand talent at the end of last season including Kate McKinnon, Pete Davidson, and Aidy Bryant.
Looking across the ten most in-demand shows available on Hulu in the last month, two clear strengths stand out in this platform’s offering - animation and comedy. Six of the top ten series are comedies and five of the top ten are animated, with some overlap between the two. The Simpsons was the second most in-demand show for the month, with 37.23 times the average series demand and spans both the comedy and animation categories. Another animated comedy, Rick and Morty, also made the top ten. With its sixth season set to premiere on September 4th, this show is set to surge even higher in the coming months. Hulu has also capitalized on the growing demand for anime content in the US by having two of the most in-demand anime series - Attack on Titan and My Hero Academia.
The only Hulu originals that made it into the top ten were both comedies - Only Murders in the Building and The Orville. Both shows released episodes weekly throughout July. Only Murders in the Building set a high bar for its second season after its first season was one of the most in-demand premieres in the US last year. The third season of The Orville was its first as a Hulu original, after its first two seasons aired on Fox. The demand for its third season was significantly higher than either of the two previous seasons, showing the importance of finding the right home for content. The Orville seems to have finally taken off as a Hulu original, which bodes well for future seasons of the show.
