Hulu plots Endgame

US online video service Hulu has picked up local rights to Canadian crime drama Endgame in a deal with Lionsgate Entertainment.

Endgame, which is produced by Thunderbird Films in association with Front Street Pictures, first aired on Canada’s Showcase in March last year.

And yesterday, the show made its US debut on the streaming service.

Endgame is about a chess master who, traumatised by the murder of his fiancée, becomes a prisoner in a luxury Vancouver hotel. To pay his bills, he works as a detective, solving mysteries aided by the help of a band of hotel employees.

It was created by Avrum Jacobsen. It is sold internationally by Endemol Worldwide Distribution.

“Hulu is the perfect home for this groundbreaking series, and we believe that our partners at Thunderbird Films have produced an evergreen drama that will resonate with audiences for years to come,” said Jim Packer, Lionsgate president of worldwide television and digital distribution.

“The emergence of new digital partners like Hulu has dramatically extended the longevity and significantly increased the syndication opportunities for premium content like Endgame. Lionsgate is committed to remaining an innovator in creating and distributing content that will be successful on digital and traditional platforms alike.”

The deal follows Hulu’s pick-up of reality cookery series Hell’s Kitchen, also from Lionsgate.

Last year Hulu signed a deal with The CW that sees the online platform air the network’s primetime shows streamed online within days of the original broadcast.