Hulu has always been a hub for TV fans to catch up with their favorite shows, both currently airing ones and the classics of yesteryear. Expanding upon its prior acquirement of several different sitcoms from ABC's TGIF era, the company has now added Home Improvement, Boy Meets World and Dinosaurs to its list of exclusive TV properties, with the former two being available to stream for the first time. So many grunts, Mr. Feeny quotes and "Not the Mama" utterances to catch up on.
Hulu signed a major deal with the Disney-ABC Television Group to land exclusive SVOD (subscription video-on-demand) rights to Tim Allen's sitcom Home Improvement, the Girl Meets World predecessor Boy Meets World and the Jim Henson Company's puppet-heavy Dinosaurs. And while the four seasons of the prehistoric workplace comedy Dinosaurs had previously been available to stream on Netflix, this will be the first time that binge-watchers get to settle down with all eight seasons of Home Improvement and all seven seasons of Boy Meets World.
For just about all of its initial run on ABC, Home Improvement was a ratings smash, and it was one of the most-watched shows of the 1990s, comedy or otherwise. Showcasing the often destructive antics of Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor, the sitcom is beloved for mixing slapstick comedy, its star's machismo-themed point-of-view and heartwarming family stories. And it's a good time to bring Home Improvement back to TV viewers at large, since some fans (and the comedian himself) are still bemoaning the cancellation of Allen's second big ABC series, Last Man Standing. That more recent series should actually be heading to Hulu soon as well.
While Home Improvement was known for airing in the middle of the week, both Boy Meets World and Dinosaurs found their audiences as part of the well-remembered TGIF scheduling block that ruled through the late-'80s and most of the '90s. Viewers came of age with Ben Savage's rose-tinted Cory Matthews on Boy Meets World, which was popular enough to later earn its own standalone spinoff Girl Meets World, which featured the bulk of the BMW cast n varying capacities. Like Last Man Standing, Girl Meets World was also cancelled earlier this year amid fans' attempts to make a season renewal happen, so the timing of this deal is also good for those who miss O.G. Feeny and Minkus.
Dinosaurs, which aired from 1991-1994, has become something of a cult favorite over the years, which doesn't happen all that often with major network series. A lot of its lasting power comes from the excellent costumes and production design, which Jim Henson was said to have been working on in the months prior to his death. It's also remembered for how it tackled some extremely topical issues in clever ways, while also not being afraid to get really dark at times. And that finale...
Let's all celebrate Hulu's big deal with a rousing round of grunts, shall we?
Home Improvement, Boy Meets World and Dinosaurs are all currently available on Hulu for all of our streaming delights. And if you're in need of information about everything else heading to Hulu and beyond -- such as Season 2 of Hugh Laurie's intense dramatic thriller Chance -- then head to our fall TV premiere schedule.
