Hulu Buys Queer Dating Shows ‘I Kissed A Girl’ & ‘I Kissed A Boy’

Hulu has secured the rights to the Dannii Minogue-hosted, UK queer reality dating shows I Kissed A Boy and it's spin-off I Kissed A Girl.

via: Deadline

The reality series, which has drawn plaudits for its open-book approach to queer issues coupled with high drama, has been acquired as part of a package for the streamer’s Hulu Has Pride LGBTQ+ month.

Produced by ITV Studios-backed Twofour, the award-winning I Kissed A Boy aired last year and I Kissed A Girl is currently on BBC Three and iPlayer. The basic concept is that couples are matched up by experts and kiss in the seconds they first meet. They then live in a Love Island-style villa in which they can remain with the couples they are first paired with or seek alternatives, while some are slowly eliminated. Both seasons are hosted by singer and LGBTQ+ ally Minogue. The BBC said that the launch episode beat BBC Three’s slot averages for 16-24 year olds by 290% in volume and 380% in share.

I Kissed A Boy will air on Hulu on June 15 and I Kissed A Girl – which hasn’t yet finished its BBC run – will be on the streamer later this year.

Hulu has also bought BBC YA drama Wreck Season 2, along with ITV’s An Audience with Kylie for the Hulu Has Pride month.

Meanwhile, ITV Studios has also sold the I Kissed A… franchise to TV2 Echo and TV2 Play in Denmark, and TVNZ in New Zealand. 10Play in Australia, VMI in Ireland and YES in Israel have acquired I Kissed A Boy.

Tom Clark, Global Sales and Commercial Strategy, Global Partnerships, ITV Studios said: “It’s our absolute pleasure to bring this trail-blazing series to the world. We’re so delighted that Hulu, which has been the home of Love Island UK for many years and will launch the upcoming season this summer, will be its US home. I Kissed A… deserves every inch of the critical acclaim it has garnered for its “genre-defining” approach, it’s really exciting to see it transition to a global reality brand.”

I've been wanting to check out this show the first time I heard about it, so I'm happy to hear Hulu secured the rights.