Chris Estrada, Rosario Dawson and Selena Gomez will appear in starring roles in Hulu’s new shows, as announced by the streamer during the Television Critics Association’s Summer Press Tour.
Estrada will lead his comedy special This Fool, whose greenlighting was announced at the media tour. Dawson will co-star in the opioid drama series Dopesick along with Michael Keaton (Birdman), Peter Sarsgaard (Shattered Glass) and Michael Stuhlbarg (A Serious Man). And Gomez will be featured in in the crime/comedy limited series Only Murders in the Building along with two comedy legends, Oscar winner Steve Martin (Father of the Bride) and Martin Short (Three Amigos).
The shows are part of the company’s lineup of upcoming original programming that also includes shows like Nine Perfect Strangers with a large stellar cast including Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy and Bobby Cannavale; two Hulu Originals true-crime projects, the doc Dead Asleep and the docu-series Captive Audience; and the cooking shows The Next Thing You Eat and Baker’s Dozen.
FUNNY STORIES FROM THE BARRIO
“Breaking out new and distinct voices continues to be a hallmark of Hulu Original programming, and we are incredibly excited to add Chris Estrada to our roster of multi-hyphenate creators and to bring This Fool to our viewers,” said Craig Erwich, president of Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment.
Inspired by the life and stand-up comedy of star and co-creator Estrada, This Fool centers on Julio Lopez, a self-described “punk-ass bitch” who still lives at home and goes out of his way to help everyone but himself. In fact, the character’s self-description was the title of show’s pilot that was ordered by the streamer back in early 2021–still listed on the trade website IMDb. That website also lists Michelle Ortiz and Frankie Quinones as part of the cast.
The half-hour This Fool explores Julio’s work at a gang-rehabilitation non-profit and his quest to overcome his codependency issues with his family as he navigates working-class life in South Central Los Angeles.
This Fool is written and executive produced by Estrada, Pat Bishop (Corporate), Jake Weisman (Battle of the Sexes) and Matt Ingebretson (What a Nice Party). Fred Armisen (Portlandia) and Jonathan Groff also serve as executive producers. The series is produced by ABC Signature.
Estrada was seen recently in a half-hour comedy special Entre Nos on HBO Latino.
AMERICA’S MASSIVE OPIOID CRISIS
The drug addiction drama Dopesick examines how one company triggered what’s been reported as the worst drug epidemic in American history. In addition to Dawson, Sarsgaard, Stuhlbarg and Keaton, who also executive produces, the show also features Will Poulter (The Maze Runner), John Hoogenakker (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan) and Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart). Guest starring also will be Phillipa Soo (Hamilton) and Jake McDorman (The Right Stuff).
The eight-episode Dopesick takes viewers to the epicenter of America’s struggle with opioid addiction, from the boardrooms of Big Pharma to a distressed Virginia mining community to the hallways of the DEA. Defying all the odds, heroes will emerge in an intense and thrilling ride to take down the craven corporate forces behind this national crisis and their allies. The limited series is inspired by the New York Times bestselling book by Beth Macy.
Dopesick is written by Emmy-winner Danny Strong (Empire) and directed by Oscar-winner Barry Levinson (Paterno, Rain Man). Executive producing along with Keaton are Strong, John Goldwyn (Dexter), Warren Littlefield (Fargo), Karen Rosenfelt (Twilight) and Beth Macy.
The series will premiere Oct. 13.
GOMEZ’S COMEDY
With Only Murders in the Building, Selena Gomez is adding another comedy credit to her career. The limited series follows three strangers who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one. Gomez joins two comedy legends, Oscar winner Martin and Short, who also created the story and co-wrote the script along with John Hoffman (Grace and Frankie).
When a grisly death occurs inside their exclusive Upper West Side apartment building, Mabel (Gomez), Charles (Martin) and (Oliver) suspects murder and employs their precise knowledge of true crime to investigate the truth. They document their case in a podcast and unravel their building’s years-long complex secrets–all the while lying to each other. They soon find themselves facing the possibility a killer is living among their neighbors and race to solve the crime’s puzzle before it’s too late.
In addition to voicing the character Mavi in Hotel Transylvania, Gomez has starred in various other comedies like Spring Breakers, Another Cinderella Story and Ramona and Beezus.
Only Murders in the Building also features three other Latino actors, Aaron Dominguez (Shaft), Esteban Benito (The Binge) and Vanessa Aspillaga (Hustlers).
The 10-episode long series premieres Aug. 31.
HULU’S ‘EXPANDING SLATE’
“Looking ahead, we could not be more proud of the lineup of event series coming to Hulu through the end of the year and beyond,” said Erwich, the Hulu Originals president. “Led by the debut of ‘Nine Perfect Strangers’ from the brilliant David E. Kelly and a truly all-star cast, and ‘Only Murders in the Building,’ which marks a return to television for Selena Gomez and two comedic giants—Steve Martin and Martin Short—as well as the incredibly timely ‘Dopesick,’ the return of acclaimed comedy series ‘The Great,’ and a rapidly expanding slate of conversation-worthy unscripted series and documentaries, Hulu viewers will have access to many of the best shows coming to television this fall.”
The TCA Summer Press Tour allows television and streaming companies to present their programming lineup for the rest of the year and beyond to the news media.