Hulu seems like they’re trying to play catch up with their unique programming. Netflix is the juggernaut, Amazon is second, they have a lot of prestige shows and award-winning shows, and Hulu is hanging in there. From what little I’ve seen of the numbers that’s reflected in their funding and capital too. Plus there’s Apple TV and now Disney is in that space as well. I root for Hulu, I loved The Path especially and they also have Handmaid’s Tale and the phenomenal Castle Rock. Hulu recently came out with the series The Act, based on the true story of the murder of Dee Dee Blanchard by her daughter, Gypsy Rose Blanchard, whom Dee Dee had abused and falsely claimed was sick. It stars Patricia Arquette and Joey King and it’s been getting mixed reviews. (I’m familiar with the story and tried watching it but ended up not finding it compelling enough.)
There’s a new Hulu limited series coming about Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of the blood testing company Theranos, who is facing multiple federal counts of fraud. It’s going to star Kate McKinnon as Holmes, which is brilliant casting, and Kate is co-executive producing it along with the producers of the popular podcast The Dropout.
[From Deadline]Hulu is closing a deal for The Dropout, a limited series starring and executive produced by Kate McKinnon based on ABC News/ABC Radio’s podcast about the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and her company, Theranos.
Emmy-winning Saturday Night Live star McKinnon will play the disgraced wunderkind entrepreneur Holmes and will executive produce the limited drama series, whose length is expected to be between 6-10 episodes.
She executive produces with The Dropout podcast host /creator Rebecca Jarvis, who is ABC News chief business, technology and economics correspondent. The podcast’s producers Taylor Dunn and Victoria Thompson serve as producers on the series.
The podcast The Dropout was fascinating and I sort-of liked the HBO special The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley. The HBO doc focused too much on Holmes. The true stars of The Dropout and The Inventor were the people who did the actual work at Theranos and tried to call bullshit on Holmes and her co-conspirator, Sunny Balwani. They told fascinating stories about trying to hold slippery Holmes to account and being dazzled, dismissed and demoted by her and Balwani. While I know that McKinnon will do an excellent job mimicking Holmes and I’m looking forward to that, I’m hoping this will be a comedy of sorts and if they’ll focus on the phenomenal Theranos employees, especially the whistle blowers. I would love to see a workplace dramedy about Theranos! Like so many other concepts it just depends on how it’s executed. Also this story isn’t even over yet. We have yet to see if Holmes and Balwani will serve time for their crimes. If Lori Loughlin is facing a decade or more for scamming her daughters way into college surely Holmes should get similar time for scamming investors and patients.
Look at Kate at the premiere of Shrill last month. She was cosplaying Holmes back then!
Photos credit: Avalon.red and screenshot from Youtube
Yay! I haven’t really followed this story that much yet, but I love Kate and I think this will be a great opportunity for her.
I have Hulu but mainly just use it to play Brooklyn 99 or the Golden Girls in the background while I’m doing other stuff, but I need to start checking out their original stuff more. I didn’t love Castle Rock, but do want to watch Shrill, and now this.
John Carreyrou’s book is definitely worth a read for anyone who wants a more in-depth look at the Theranos scandal. It reads like a thriller, and I devoured it in two nights!
So good. I did the audible. It’s also a great listen.
Holmes needs life. She manipulated blood tests. She dicked around with people’s health. She stole millions. Lied, coerced, cheated, fraud, manslaughter, etc. She’s a wicked, sick, delusional whoremonger who should have her tongue removed. Nobody on earth should ever hear that noxious voice again. 😀
I’ll watch it.
Lol. I probably will, too but I’m probably in the minority in that I’m not that interested in hearing her story yet again. But Kate McKinnon will no doubt do her justice and hopefully the other players, too.
I was riveted by the Dropout podcast and the print articles I read. Then I read Bad Blood last week and by the end I was just done with her, wishing she’d fade into oblivion with her young fiancé forever.
First of all, I can’t wait for this and am hoping Kate does “the voice.” Second, don’t forget Shrill with Aidy Bryant. That was TRULY wonderful, the episode at the size inclusive pool party deserves an Emmy.
I tried to watch Shrill but I just felt so bad for her I couldn’t take it. People were so mean, like that’s the point I know, but I wanted to see more wins for her in the first episode.
I know! The first episode made me cringe and my heart hurt–but if you stick with it–she grows into realizing that she has value and can ask for what she wants–(to the point she actually gets a little self-centered and has to recalibrate)–but when she publishes her first article, she just transforms. And Aidy Bryant is a revelation, at least go back and watch the pool party episode.
I bingewatched Shrill and loved it. Don’t give up on Aidy’s character, she prevails! Also, the writing is quite nuanced and real, I think.
I loved the book. I did watch the series but I wasn’t that impressed. Aidy was great but I had some serious issues with the portrayal of the few black characters and other people of color.
I love Shrill but I think I’m biased because I adore Lindy West as well as her sister-in-law Ijeoma Oluo.
Kate is perfect casting! I watched the HBO and 20/20 specials on Theranos back-to-back… I found the latter had more of the content I cared about, but they complemented each other well. I like my Hulu subscription… I got it on a whim after watching a few episodes of Casual on a flight, but kept it for Handmaid’s Tale and previous seasons of Better Things. I liked Shrill too, Aidy Bryant is a champ and Hedwig steals all the scenes as her boss.
I’m more curious about Bad Blood with JLaw because that book was amazing.
Shallow and barely related, but I have the biggest crush on McKinnon. Funny, gorgeous, smart? Ugh. She can do no wrong.
I dated a guy who worked at Theranos for several years. I actually think it would be great material for a workplace dramedy b/c there was SO much bullshit going on there that didn’t get covered in the Bad Blood book (probably just b/c it wasn’t directly part of the “doing illegal stuff” narrative).
Can you spill anymore info!? What would he say about work? Any crazy stories?
Honestly, I’m still so scared about their litigiousness that I probably shouldn’t have even made that initial comment! The level of surveillance/threats/intimidation they were comfortable with actively employing and using against employees was really stressful. When Carreyrou started contacting people to see if they would be sources (before any of the articles came out, when Theranos was still a big unicorn darling), some people thought it was a Theranos sting operation, that was the kind of culture of paranoia that existed. Shit management who didn’t deal well (or at all) with absolute crap behavior by some employees, since those employees were the yes-men. The number of hours of work expected was the most mind-boggling at the time. I live in Silicon Valley and have other friends in tech and the idea of long hours or a big push to get a project done is not foreign, but Theranos was on a whole other level, it seemed.
Kate MacKinnon, the GENIUS character actor of our time ?!?!
Playing that psycho fraudster w the weird voice?
There. Done. Sold. 100%. Say no more!
I hate when there are two projects going with the exact same story or premise. Like the two j Paul Getty stories now Roger Ailes and Elizabeth Holmes. One project always loses out