Hulu acting CEO Andy Forssell and Ms. Longoria previewed the
show during Ad Age's Digital Conference in New York.
Hulu is getting what would be the broadcast-TV window on the
show in the U.S., but Mr. Landau sees the show as having the same
after-life as a show that starts out TV.
"I don't think of it as any differently than launching on Fox on
a Friday night," he said. "We think once it has aired on Hulu, it
could have a home on any number of cable networks, and obviously we
will be selling it into video-on-demand systems like iTunes and
Netflix."
In an interview Wednesday, Ms. Longoria said stars are
increasingly looking beyond traditional broadcast and cable as
markets for content. "Creativity expands when distribution
expands," she said.
The world has changed since "Desperate Housewives" drew 30
million viewers a decade ago. "TV in general is an elevator that's
gone down," she said. "It's not affecting just one network; those
[big] numbers just don't exist."
"Mother Up" will portray Rudi Wilson's hard-rocking lifestyle in
the suburbs, drinking and swearing included, but the content will
be more "Family Guy" than "South Park."
"In many ways we are delivering "Family Guy" from a
female-empowerment standpoint," Mr. Landau said. "All of us who are
parents feel like we mess up a lot and there aren't a lot of moms
on TV that mess up in the way real moms do."
It's a big investment for Hulu, but Mr. Forssell says this kind
of programming has done well for the service.
"We think the audience will be large, and we've invested
accordingly," he said. "'Family Guy' and 'American Dad' are
frequently top-10 shows on Hulu, and there's a vibrant female
audience."
Like all of Hulu's originals, "Mother Up" will air on Hulu and
its pay service, Hulu Plus. "We want to get this in front of as
many people as possible," Mr. Forssell said.
Mr. Landau says while animation has been popular in prime time,
female leads are rare. "While there are a lot of funny women and
big voices expressed, they haven't been in animation, so far," he
said.
