Nine Perfect Strangers debut sets record for a Hulu original

Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers is already doing very well on the streamer. The ensemble limited series has set the record for the most-watched premiere on the platform.

Hulu, like pretty much all streaming services, doesn’t reveal hard figures so we’ll have to take their word for it but the high-profile limited series, starring Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy, was the most-watched Hulu original ever — drama, comedy, limited series or unscripted — on premiere day as well as after five days on the service. That includes all seasons of The Handmaid’s Tale, The Act, and other popular Hulu offerings. The Handmaid’s Tale Season 4 finale was previously the most-watched Hulu original ever on premiere day, according to the streaming service.

How Hulu determines their figures on this is based on counting individual users to accommodate different release patterns. Hulu released the first three episodes of Nine Perfect Strangers at once so a viewer is counted once whether they watched one episode or all three. I’m not too surprised that the series has started off well. Hulu had been promoting it like crazy with ads running virtually non-stop and the show boasts a pretty solid ensemble of high-profile names. Reviews have also been relatively decent so that adds to the desire to want to check it out.

Based on “Big Little Lies” author Liane Moriarty’s latest book, Nine Perfect Strangers comes from David E. Kelley and it takes place at a boutique health-and-wellness resort that promises healing and transformation as nine stressed city dwellers try to get on a path to a better way of living. Watching over them during this 10-day retreat is the resort’s director Masha (played by Kidman), a woman on a mission to reinvigorate their tired minds and bodies. However, these nine “perfect” strangers have no idea what is about to hit them. The series also stars Michael Shannon, Luke Evans, Bobby Cannavale, Regina Hall, Samara Weaving, Melvin Gregg, Asher Keddie, Grace Van Patten, Tiffany Boone, and Manny Jacinto.

Have YOU been watching Nine Perfect Strangers?