Pocket.watch and Hulu are teaming up for a creator-led variety show
Exclusive: Pocket.watch has greenlighted a new entertainment series featuring a group of young creative talent, and Hulu is joining the ride Rabbit hole. In the US, the show will be exclusive to Hulu when it launches in 2026.
Rabbit hole It will be a ten-part variety show that brings together a roster of popular digital creators to participate in collaborations, challenges, games and on-screen performances.
The creative team has a total of 421.8 million followers across social media platforms. Many of them have built a following while creating content in a specific area, such as magic, pranks, art, sports, gaming, comedy, or reviews. The starting line-up will reflect this with a mix of creative talent, which will be complemented by guest stars in the half-hour show.
The main cast of creators includes Dan Rhodes, Papa Jake, Mackenzie Turner, Jesser, Topper Guild, Chung, ZHC, Matthew Beam, Extra Emily, That’s Amazing, The Wrestler and AJ & Big Justice.
Pocket.watch, which specializes in programming for kids and teens, has been expanding distribution beyond YouTube recently, as we mentioned. The new series was co-created by the company’s chief content officer Albie Hecht and chief development officer Karen Davis.
“We’ve come up with a variety show that is the first of its kind,” Hecht told Deadline.
The children’s TV veteran added: “The first wave of linear TV was like, ‘Oh, you’re famous, we’ll make you a broadcaster,’ or ‘You’re famous, we’ll make you an actor.'” This is not what we do. We look at what the creator’s brand is and create a format around that. We don’t have it [pre-existing] Format and then stick it into it. That was the beginning of the creative process behind Rabbit holeas we enter this next phase of creator content on premium platforms.
Rabbit hole It will be produced by Pocket.watch and will be filmed in and around Los Angeles. Hecht said the show will be produced in a way that captures the creators’ own styles of making content. “What we told them is: Tell me how you do it in your world, and we’ll be honest about it.” They are the directors, just as they are in their own content. They bring their own sensibilities, and it’s about capturing their style and authenticity.
The creator economy increasingly intersects with SVOD and traditional TV. Chris Williams, founder and CEO of Pocket.watch, was at the MIPCOM conference in Cannes last week where digital talent and platforms dominated the conversation. Williams executive produces Rabbit hole.