Mindy Kaling is going digital: Hulu has ordered a fourth season of “The Mindy Project” — 26 new episodes in all — of the comedy series Fox recently cancelled.
The newest installment of the series, starring Kaling as obstetrician/gynecologist Mindy Lahiri, will premiere later this year exclusively on Hulu’s subscription service under an agreement with NBCUniversal‘s Universal Television.
Variety previously reported that Universal Television was in talks with Hulu about bringing the show back for additional seasons. Hulu’s subscription service is priced at $7.99 per month.
Hulu subscribers will be able to stream past and future episodes of “The Mindy Project” exclusively on Hulu under the multiyear pact. Since its network premiere in 2012, “Mindy Project” has been one of the most-viewed shows on Hulu. Currently, Hulu is the exclusive streaming home to all past episodes of the series, which it acquired via a library deal with NBCU announced in April 2014.
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“Mindy has been a beloved member of the Hulu family, so this deal is a natural extension of our relationship,” said Craig Erwich, Hulu’s SVP and head of content. “With so many of her fans already catching up and tuning in to the series on Hulu, we know her millions of fans will be eager to find out what Mindy has in store for the next chapter.”
The premiere date for season four of “The Mindy Project” has yet to be announced. After the premiere, Hulu will have the option to order subsequent seasons.
“I am thrilled ‘The Mindy Project’ has found a new home on Hulu, where so many of our fans are already watching the show. It’s such an exciting place to be,” Kaling said in a statement.
Privately held Hulu is owned by 21st Century Fox, Disney and NBUniversal.
Hulu has about 9 million subscribers for its subscription-VOD service — far behind Netflix’s more than 62 million streaming customers worldwide.. Hulu has been aggressively acquiring exclusive content including all nine seasons of “Seinfeld,” developing a high-profile slate of originals, including Stephen King’s “11/22/63″ Kennedy-assassination thriller from J.J. Abrams, to attract more subs.
Other recent Hulu programming pickups include exclusive deals for Fox’s “Empire,” Viacom’s “South Park” and CBS’s “CSI.” In addition, Hulu last month cut a deal with AMC Networks under which it obtained exclusive rights to “The Walking Dead” spinoff “Fear the Walking Dead.” Hulu offers current-season programming from five of the six top broadcast networks (excluding CBS).
