Hulu looks to Lindy West and Bret Easton Ellis in hopes of finding its next Handmaid's Tale

By Sam Barsanti | April 25, 2018 | 9:46pm

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As we noted last night when we reported that Hulu had canceled The Path, the streaming service seems to be making a conscious effort to trim its library of older shows to make room for more award-ready hits like The Handmaid’s Tale. Just in 2018, it has been working on a pilot based on Carrie Brownstein’s life, a “monthly horror anthology,” George Clooney’s adaptation of Catch-22, a fictionalized take on the Satanic Panic of the ‘80s and ‘90s, and new/upcoming things like The Looming Tower, Castle Rock, and an adaptation of Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, any of which could be the sort of grown-up drama that generates buzz and—just maybe—wins awards.

Still, Hulu wants more, so this week it has announced that it’s developing even more shows that could be good and win awards. First is Less Than Zero, an adaptation of the Bret Easton Ellis novel and 1987 feature film of the same name. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the TV version will “explore the culture of wealthy, decadent youth in Los Angeles,” following a college freshman who returns to his hometown to hang out with some old friends (one of whom is struggling with addiction).

Another Hollywood Reporter story says that Hulu is also developing an adaptation of author and comedian Lindy West’s memoir Shrill: Notes From A Loud Woman. The fictionalized take on West’s real life story will be about a “young woman who wants to change her life, but not her body,” and Saturday Night Live’s Aidy Bryant is on board to develop and write the project. Shrill will be a single-camera comedy, unlike most of Hulu’s other new projects, but it is based on a book which automatically gives it a certain amount of prestige.

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