It’s said that the road to success is paved with good intentions, but lately I’ve been reluctant and, frankly, too cash-strapped to even get in the car and drive on it. You already know what birthday months do to me and I suspect you’re even more fed up with that sad sack story than I am.
I indeed had intentions to sample what was increasingly becoming one of the summer’s sleeper streaming hits, Hulu’s FURIOUS, long before yesterday. But when stories like the one that PLAYLIST’s Alex Miller dropped I realized that my procrastination had once again gotten the best of me:
Hulu isn’t waiting for the finale to decide the fate of “Furious.” The streamer has renewed the Emmy Rossum-led thriller for Season 2, with creator Elizabeth Meriwether and Rossum both returning as executive producers.
The renewal arrives just days before the first-season finale, which will stream Monday, August 31. More importantly for Hulu, the series appears to have gained viewers as its run progressed rather than peaking with its premiere. According to the streamer, one-day views for Episode 7 were up 40% compared with the premiere…Hulu did not provide raw viewing figures, so it’s difficult to compare the show directly with the platform’s other recent dramas.
But DEADLINE’s intrepid Nellie Andreeva actually did quite a bit of digging to help Hulu craft a more detailed narrative to justify a move in a rare situation where they actually had a positive one to share:
Nielsen’s reporting is delayed, with numbers for Furious‘ launch week coming out today. Despite premiering with only three episodes vs. full-season drops for many streaming series, Furious cracked the Top 10 for streaming originals, which is based on total viewing time, amassing 372M minutes at #10. Despite its staggered release, Furious also has been a consistent presence on Luminate’s weekly rankings, peaking at No.5 with 2.43M U.S. views for its first full week of release.
Additionally, Furious is believed to be the #1 series on Disney+/Hulu worldwide for the month of August and the #2 freshman drama on Hulu in the U.S. year to date, with 4B cross-media impressions. Furious‘ solid performance, coupled with its 98% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes and reasonable cost by streaming standards likely tipped the scale for an early renewal.
Despite my distractions I was aware that something was up. The PRESTIGE TV yentas-in-residence Joanna Robinson and Rob Mahoney had unexpectedly dedicated their feed to it after its late July premiere. Maybe they had more faith in it then the Hulugans who seemed to soft-pedal it at a time when they were still reeling from their disappointment that the since-cancelled Mindy Kaling swing-and-a-miss NOT SUITABLE FOR WORK didn’t resonate. And I was reminded of why those tastemakers jumped on baord when FANDOM WIRE’s Supriya Singh combined her review with her renewal story yesterday:
If you have been looking for a gritty crime drama that combines the cold, procedural intensity of David Fincher’s Se7en with the deeply personal, justice-seeking edge of Patty Jenkins’ 2003 masterpiece Monster, your prayers have been answered….Much like Charlize Theron’s iconic, Oscar-winning portrayal of Aileen Wuornos in Monster, this dark narrative centers around a female serial killer whose twisted pursuit of retribution blurs every single moral boundary. Driven by a relentless quest for justice against corrupt and abusive power, the show’s central killer operates outside the law, invoking the same haunting questions about morality and survival that defined classic crime cinema.
So spurred on by unbearable humidity and a failed air conditioner that ironically my colleagues can’t service I broke down last night and started to watch for myself. I haven’t stopped as of this writing. It’s that good. I tend to love cat-and-mouse thrillers, especially when the protagonists are engaged in catfights of their own. I found myself channeling Singh’s additional fangirl points as the episodes unfolded:
The heart of the series’ massive success lies in the volatile, electric dynamic between its two leads. Emmy Rossum stars as dedicated FBI agent Alice Black, while Lola Petticrew delivers a chillingly brilliant performance as Catherine, the calculating and elusive female serial killer… (T)he show explores how two women walking opposite sides of the law become dangerously intertwined. As their psychological games continue, viewers can expect higher stakes, deeper dives into Alice’s troubled past, and a confrontation that will test whether any line between right and wrong can truly survive. With its stellar writing, incredible performances, and a tone that resonates deeply with fans of psychological thrillers, Furious has firmly cemented itself as a must-watch streaming phenomenon.
It’s also beautifully shot and directed, and thanks to showrunner Elizabeth Meriwhether, who I developed my own fandom for during her run on the ever-bingable NEW GIRL, there’s more than enough comic relief and sexiness to break up the monotony of what in someone else’s hands might have been simply a higher-gloss procedural. I’d like to think the season finale that drops Monday night will have all of those elements and that Meriwhether had slightly more confidence in her work than her platform seemingly did to throw in a few last twists and set up how these two bad asses will seek to run it back with enough novelty to get quicker buy-in.
For those of you not working the weekend as I do and/or have a functioning AC I can’t more heartily recommend you charge your device, pop in a coupla Airpods and settle in to your favorite couch. Or if yours is on the fritz be proactive enough to head for a pool or beach and put aside your Kindle for a while. It’s as gripping as anything out there in that form and you won’t have to swipe quite as much.
Do it. Don’t make me as furious as you as I am at myself.
Until next time…