Hulu Axes Beloved Book Adaptation Foster Dade — But a Surprise Lifeline Could Save It

Well, that was fast—Hulu has officially bailed on one of its much-hyped YA drama pilots, but the project isn’t dead yet. If you’re waiting for an adaptation of ‘Foster Dade Explores the Cosmos’ to pop up on your Hulu recommendations, you’ll be waiting a while. But that doesn’t mean it’s completely vanished.

Foster Dade: Not Landing at Hulu

So here’s the rundown. Hulu ordered a pilot for Foster Dade, a show based on Nash Jenkins' novel that's all about messy drama at a fancy East Coast boarding school. The team involved? Heavy hitters, including Greg Berlanti, Bash Doran, and Warner Bros. Television. For context, Berlanti is basically the Midas of TV drama—if someone can get a project off the ground, it’s usually him.

This pilot wasn’t even a one-off experiment. It was actually one of three young adult drama pilots Hulu had been trying out recently, riding the wave of its earlier YA hit, ‘Tell Me Lies.’ But, in a move that may surprise some people who thought Hulu was doubling down on YA content, they passed on all three—including Foster Dade.

The Search for a New Home

Now that Hulu tossed Foster Dade aside, Warner Bros. Television is shopping the show around to other platforms. They’re still making a big bet on it, hoping some streamer will want in (and who knows, with all these platforms looking for buzzy dramas, they might find a taker).

There’s some optimism here, apparently because of the success of another drama from the Warner Bros. family, ‘Heated Rivalry’—which found a home over on HBO Max. So if you thought this was just going to end up in a vault somewhere, don’t count it out yet.

The Context: Quiet Rejection Season at Hulu

Foster Dade’s pass is part of a larger shake-up over at Hulu. Recently, the streamer has been axing other pilots—like ‘Buffy: New Sunnydale’ and the comedy ‘Don’t Get High’. This also happens to be the first big pass since Debra O'Connell took the reins as Hulu Originals boss after a Disney restructuring. Apparently, the new strategy is more ‘fewer, bigger swings’ rather than wiring money to every vaguely edgy drama in development.

Meanwhile, Hulu did actually greenlight something: a YA comedy-mystery called ‘Phony’, which will eventually head to series in 2025. So if you want Hulu-approved young people behaving badly, you may have to pivot.

What Was Foster Dade About?

Honestly, the premise sounded pretty juicy: a group of privileged teens at an East Coast boarding school find themselves surrounded by scandal, sexuality, and questions about masculinity—plus the usual millennial problems of social media drama and prescription meds. Word is, the script really pushed boundaries in terms of what’s allowed on TV, especially with sexuality and mature themes. So for anyone who wanted a more ‘adult’ spin on the elite boarding school genre, this might’ve been up your alley.

The Players

• Cast: Jack Alldridge, Chloe East, Cameron Mann, Matt Bomer, Wyatt Aubrey, Olivia Campos-Tarantino, Vinny Chhibber
• Writers: Greg Berlanti and Bash Doran
• Director: Daniel Minahan

And if you want the official party line, here’s how one source puts it:

'The team behind Foster Dade is still bullish on the potential and is actively seeking new partners.'

Translation: just because Hulu passed doesn’t mean Foster Dade is dead. If you’re hoping to see rich kids spiral out of control again, don’t give up yet—someone else might give this show a shot.