5 days ago
12
The Circle, a reality show that has had a seven-season run on Netflix, has been picked up by Hulu after nearly two years without a new episode.
On Wednesday, sources told Deadline that Hulu acquired the rights to the reality game show, which last aired new editions on Netflix in October 2024.
The program, produced by Studio Lambert, marked an early streaming success for Netflix, with adapted incarnations of the platform airing in Brazil and France.
The Circle was initially presented by Netflix as a reality show that integrated elements of popular shows such as Catfish and Black Mirror.
The premise of the show sees 'players start off isolated in an apartment, and with their online interactions as their only means of any communication' via a social media platform called The Circle.
Hulu's version of the program was described in a logline by the streamer as 'a game of popularity where identity is ever-changing and anyone can be anyone.'
The Circle, a reality show that has had a seven-season run on Netflix, has been picked up by Hulu after nearly two years without a new episode
Contestants on the show will be residing in the same building but separate apartments, and kept from being in person with one another, Hulu said.
They will be able to assume any identity they want when they do speak to one another via a designated app that uses photos and text, according to the streaming service.
The Disney-owned streamer is also planning on incorporating celebrity contestants into the mix, whereas the Netflix version was focused on reality TV hopefuls.
Viewers in the U.S. will have a chance to cast votes on aspects of the show, which sources told Deadline was being 'reimagined' in the vein of a 'fast-turnaround' experiment, featuring player ratings.
Michelle Buteau hosted the Netflix version that hit the air in 2020, with the most recent episode airing in October of 2024.
Hulu will name the host and cast members 'at a later date,' according to a report from The Wrap.
The platform of the series was first broadcast on the UK's Channel 4, spanning a three-season run from 2018-2021.
The addition of the show to Hulu's catalogue marks a strategic pivot for Disney, which has typically geared its reality roster to programs such as Dancing With the Stars and The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
The Circle was initially presented by Netflix as a reality show that integrated elements of popular shows such as Catfish and Black Mirror
Michelle Buteau has served as host for the reality show over its' seven season run
Walt Disney Television exec Rob Mills told The Wrap this past April that the company was beefing up its lineup of competitive shows, in reference to the program The Mob, amid the success of The Traitors on Peacock.
'I think Traitors has shown that … putting all-stars in a game like this is really just great TV, so we're really, really excited to get into that space,' said Mills, who is the company's EVP of unscripted and alternative entertainment.
Mills said of The Mob: 'It's something we've been trying to get into for a while, and this was the perfect format.
'And obviously it's a privilege to be able to work with Stephen Lambert, who was sort of the literal godfather of all of this stuff.'
English (US) ·