Disney TV to oversee Hulu scripted

The Walt Disney Company has brought the scripted originals content team at its recently acquired streaming service Hulu under the remit of its television unit.

Craig Erwich

The Mouse House, which took full operational control of Hulu in May, said the move would see the streamer’s scripted drama and comedy programming development team benefit from Walt Disney Television’s expansive resources.

Craig Erwich, senior VP of scripted originals at Hulu, will continue to lead the team and will now report to Dana Walden, chairman of Disney Television Studios and ABC Entertainment.

Erwich will continue to oversee the planning, development and commissioning of Hulu’s original scripted comedies and dramas, and his team will remain housed within the streamer’s Santa Monica headquarters.

Hulu’s unscripted original programming, original film development and licensed live and on-demand content acquisition teams will remain in their current structure, reporting to Hulu CEO Randy Freer.

In addition, the streamer’s overall content strategy, capital allocation and investment decisions, and originals content marketing will continue to be led by Hulu’s business and marketing teams.

Following the Disney takeover, Freer retains oversight of the overall Hulu business and operations, including original movie and unscripted series development and commissioning and content licensing.

He reports to Kevin Mayer, chairman of Walt Disney’s direct-to-consumer and international arm. Dana Walden reports to Peter Rice, chairman of Walt Disney Television.

“As Hulu drives toward its ambitious subscriber and engagement goals, it is important that we take full advantage of the creative resources and production capabilities of Disney Television Studios, which are among the best in the world,” said Freer.

“Craig and his scripted originals team have created a broad, award-winning slate of programming for Hulu that drives culture and inspires conversation, and we’re looking forward to growing that calibre of scripted dramas and comedies on Hulu with the additional power of Walt Disney Television behind it.”

Under Erwich’s leadership, Hulu has aired originals including Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning drama The Handmaid’s Tale, making it the first-ever streaming series to take home both awards in the drama series category.

It has also been behind shows such as The Act, Catch-22, Castle Rock, The Looming Tower, Pen15, Marvel’s Runaways, Ramy and Shrill.

Forthcoming Hulu originals include Four Weddings & a Funeral from Mindy Kaling, which launches today; Wu-Tang: An American Saga from Brian Grazer and The RZA; and Little Fires Everywhere from Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington.