Netflix’s competition series The Circle is heading to Hulu after seven seasons, with Hulu set to launch a “fast-turnaround” reimagined version in which everyday players and celebrity contestants compete side by side in real time.
The Circle is officially getting a new home.
After seven seasons on Netflix. the popular competition series will move to Hulu following the streamer’s decision not to renew it after season seven ended in late 2024. Deadline reports the change comes as Netflix passes on the show—opening the door for Hulu to take the franchise in a fresh direction.
Hulu’s version of The Circle won’t rely only on civilian competitors like the show originally did. Instead, it will add celebrity contestants so that everyday players and celebrities can compete side by side.
The format is also set for a shake-up for the first time in the US version. including a new audience voting component described as a “reimagined” fast-turnaround social experiment. That experiment is planned to run in real time. aiming to make the competition feel more immediate and less distant—where the momentum doesn’t have time to cool between moments.
The new setup keeps The Circle’s core mechanism: contestants live in separate apartments within the same building. isolated from each other. communicating only through a specific app using text and photos. From there. the rules lean into the show’s signature tension—contestants can choose to play as themselves or take on another identity they prefer.
Hulu’s plans also point back to the series’ roots. The new format is described as taking the show back to its original British version, which launched in the UK and ran for three seasons from 2018 to 2021.
The Circle Netflix Hulu TV competition series reality TV celebrity contestants real time voting social experiment
So it’s basically switching channels like nothing happened?
I feel like Hulu is gonna ruin it by making it “real time” or whatever. The whole point was it felt chill and tense at the same time.
Wait, celebrities are gonna be in there too? That’s kinda wild because isn’t The Circle supposed to be regular people pretending? If Hulu’s adding voting in real time, won’t it just get messy and scripted?
Netflix not renewing after 7 seasons in late 2024… so they just gave up? I swear these platforms swap shows around like it’s Monopoly. Also “fast-turnaround” sounds like they’re copying the UK version but like… didn’t UK already have real-time social stuff? Not sure, I just know I’m tired of remakes and then everyone acts like it’s new.