Grab your pen and paper because Hulu has given the green light to a new show that may require you to take a few notes. The streaming network (and home of popular dramas like The Handmaid's Tale) has picked up the comedy PEN15. The series is a comedy about two girls' middle school experience. But the series features one pretty big twist, as you might expect from the... rather suggestive name. Before that's revealed, check out Hulu's announcement of the show:
Adult actresses Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle will star as versions of their 13-year-old selves in the series. Yes, you read that correctly. Deadline reported the pickup of the series. While Erskine and Konkle will play their teenage-selves, the rest of the cast will be comprised of real 13-year-olds. The actresses co-created the series alongside Sam Zvibleman.
PEN15 is set in the year 2000, when Erskine and Konkle (now in their thirties) were 13. The actresses are best friends in real life, and the series will see them dramatize their experiences during their particularly awkward time in the 7th grade.
Along with acting in the series, Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle will write and executive produce the series with fellow co-creator Sam Zvibleman. Among the names set to executive produce the series is actor Andy Samberg. The show is getting a massive vote of confidence from one of comedy's leading figures.
Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle are not strangers to television. Erskine has starred in several episodes of the HBO comedy Insecure and the Hulu dramedy Casual. One of her most recent credits includes playing Ginny in Netflix's Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later in 2017. Erskine's best friend and PEN15 co-star Anna Konkle has also starred on television. One of her most substantial roles was as Tara Milly Izikoff on the FOX police drama Rosewood, which starred Morris Chestnut. The drama ran for two seasons before being cancelled in 2017.
As for PEN15, the surreal-surrounding comedy series has received a 10-episode order from Hulu. Production on PEN15 will begin this summer. Viewers who were around 13 in 2000 can relate to the series' description, which mentions the days when life was heavily chronicled at the point of a gel pen. The colorful ink made it possible to express one's feelings without having to say anything in particular. Before social media, this means of expression was a standard way to express one's feelings and lament frustration. This historical tidbit is brought to you by CinemaBlend.
Hulu has not announced a premiere date for PEN15, so stay tuned. If you want to learn more about what is coming up on Hulu, you can check out our guides to TV's midseason and summer premieres. If you are curious what is coming up on Hulu's rival streaming services, we have you covered there too with Netflix and Amazon Prime's premiere schedules.
