Says co-creator Phil Rosenthal: "I put 'Everybody Loves Raymond' on the original script. What I loved about it was that it was like 'I Love Lucy,' and I was trying to do an old-fashioned show. ... Once you knew the show, you got that the title spoke to sibling rivalries, problems with parents, problems with your wife."
Globe Photos/ZumaPress.com/NewscomCBS and Hulu have expanded their licensing deal to give the online streamer access to 2,600 new episodes from the network’s library.
As part of the non-exclusive, multi-year agreement, Hulu will add series such as Undercover Boss, United States of Tara, Everybody Loves Raymond and Ghost Whisperer to its Hulu Plus subscription service. Classic shows such as Taxi, The Brady Bunch and Melrose Place will also be added.
A selection of the shows will rotate through Hulu’s free service.
“With the newly expanded CBS content library, Hulu Plus subscribers will be treated to some of the most significant shows ever seen on television,” said Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins. “From Happy Days to Cheers and Everybody Loves Raymond, these hit shows defined their eras, and we’re thrilled to offer full seasons to be enjoyed by new and loyal audiences anytime, anywhere.”
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Hulu had already licensed 2,700 episodes of CBS shows, including The Good Wife, The Amazing Race and I Love Lucy. The expanded deal — bringing the total episode count to 5,300 — comes on the heels of an exclusive subscription video-on-demand agreement to stream the Sherlock Holmes drama Elementary. Hulu also recently inked a deal to stream past seasons of police procedural Blue Bloods.
“CBS programming on Hulu Plus has performed exceptionally well,” said Scott Koondel, CBS’ chief corporate content licensing officer. “We’re thrilled to expand our relationship with them, providing more terrific CBS content to their growing base of subscribers.”
