--- description: Hulu announced Friday that it's secured the rights to season 4 of The Mindy Project, the recently-cancelled sitcom helmed by Mindy Kaling. title: Hulu Is Suddenly Assembling a Pretty Killer Lineup image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt682803511ae18895/6987eff1cd1bbab5d76f9780/466006006.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Business](/section/business/) ## Business Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Media](/tag/media/) ## Media Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Hulu Is Suddenly Assembling a Pretty Killer Lineup by [Victor Luckerson](/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 15, 2015 6:03 PM CUT  The cast of The Mindy Project The cast of The Mindy ProjectNBC/Getty Images by [Victor Luckerson](/author/victor-luckerson/) ## Victor Luckerson Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close May 15, 2015 6:03 PM CUT In the online video streaming wars, Hulu has felt like a perennial also-ran for years. The company introduced a generation to the concept of legally streaming television shows online when it debuted in 2007, but its premium video offering, called Hulu Plus, has never received the critical or commercial attention of competitors like Netflix and Amazon Prime Instant Video. Suddenly, that’s all changing. Hulu [announced](http://time.com/3860406/hulu-the-mindy-project/ "undefined") Friday that it secured the rights to season four of _The Mindy Project_, the recently cancelled Fox sitcom helmed by former _The Office_ star Mindy Kaling. It’s just the latest in a string of recent announcements that could give Hulu the library it needs to be appeal to the growing legion of cord-cutters looking for cheaper ways to watch TV. Hulu scored big in April by tying up the rights to stream the entire run of _Seinfeld_, marking the first time the show would appear on an online service. The deal, which reportedly cost Hulu more than $150 million, takes the last of the ‘90s most iconic sitcoms off the market from competitors — _Friends_ was snapped up by Netflix last year and _The Simpsons_ now has its own dedicated streaming app. Hulu also has exclusive streaming rights to _South Park_ and the original _CSI_, as well non-exclusive rights to popular shows from NBC, ABC, Fox and Comedy Central, among others. All told, the service has developed into a more-than-viable option for the binge watchers of the world. In terms of current shows, Hulu beats its rivals for keeping up with what’s on TV right now. The service is jointly owned by NBC, Fox and Disney, meaning it boasts a large selection of shows from their networks available one day after they air on television. _Empire_, Fox’s spring breakout hit, for example, streams exclusively on Hulu. On Netflix, the latest seasons of exclusive shows like _Mad Men_ typically don’t appear until months after they aired on TV. For people who want to dump cable but still be able to watch broadcast shows on-demand, Hulu is a solid alternative (though current CBS shows typically aren’t available). Hulu’s library of past and current hits has proven attractive with customers. The service now has almost 9 million paying subscribers in the U.S., up from 6 million a year ago. That’s far from Netflix’s 40 million, though it has grown into a sizable userbase. But to reach Netflix levels, Hulu needs strong original programming to define its brand. So far, the service’s original shows have mostly been low-budget fare that failed to garner attention—Hulu is still waiting for its _House of Cards_. That could come with _11/22/63_, a new JFK assassination thriller starring James Franco that’s slated to premiere next year. And, of course, exclusive episodes of _The Mindy Project_ will certainly help. There are big flaws in Hulu’s service, though. The ads, even for paying customers, feel like a frustrating byprodcut of the service’s network ownership, and its movie selection is [abysmal](http://time.com/3825376/best-movie-streaming-service-netflix-hbo-hulu-amazon/ "undefined") compared to Netflix and Amazon. However, it’s become clear that Hulu doesn’t want to be seen as an afterthought behind its more well-known competitors — the fact that it’s the cheapest of the bunch at $7.99 per month also helps. As more big exclusives hit the service, the former runt of the streaming litter will be harder to ignore. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3860504/hulu-mindy-project/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3860504/hulu-mindy-project/"},"headline":"Hulu Is Suddenly Assembling a Pretty Killer Lineup","datePublished":"2015-05-15T18:03:12.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T07:14:42.472Z","description":"Nabbing The Mindy Project shows the streaming service is serious about competing with bigger rivals","url":"https://time.com/3860504/hulu-mindy-project/","keywords":["Media","Amazon","Netflix","Hulu","streaming","Mindy Kaling"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt682803511ae18895/6987eff1cd1bbab5d76f9780/466006006.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Victor Luckerson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/victor-luckerson/"}],"articleSection":"Business","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt682803511ae18895/6987eff1cd1bbab5d76f9780/466006006.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"The cast of The Mindy Project","caption":"The cast of The Mindy Project","creditText":"NBC/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/business/","name":"Business"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/media/","name":"Media"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3860504/hulu-mindy-project/","name":"Hulu Is Suddenly Assembling a Pretty Killer Lineup"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"TIME Tech School: Which TV Streaming Service is Right for You?","description":"With several new TV streaming options available, it can be hard to decide what to choose. 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