Hulu’s New Rival To Blumhouse Horror Hit Is A Massive Streaming Hit After Just 1 Day

Published Oct 21, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT

Nick Bythrow is a Lead Writer for ScreenRant. He has been writing for the site since September 2022. He graduated from Hampshire College in 2022, where he triple majored in Journalism, Communications, and Media Studies. When he's not writing about TV and movies for ScreenRant and his blog, Frayed Branches, Nick is penning speculative fiction and poetry on Amazon. He lives outside Boston, Massachusetts.

Hulu's new rival to a Blumhouse horror hit has become a massive streaming success after just one day on the platform. Blumhouse's 2026 horror movies have included a number of major success stories, from new, original projects like Obsession to sequels in familiar franchises, like Insidious: Out of the Further. The most recent release from the studio is Other Mommy starring Jessica Chastain as a mother whose daughter is targeted by an entity that looks like her. The film has been a major success, earning $80.9 million at the global box office against a $19 million budget.

But Hulu now has some competition in the form of a similar release that began just one day ago: Phony. The comedy mystery series follows high school student Sonny Cooke (Sam Nivola), who, after getting into a car wreck, wakes up to discover that his mother, Ellen (Connie Britton), looks slightly different than before. He believes his mother has been replaced by someone else, but nobody else does. Determined to uncover the truth, he begins to investigate to prove his mother is actually an impostor.

Hulu's Phony Is Already Conquering Streaming

Image via ©Hulu/Disney / Courtesy Everett Collection

The first two episodes of Phony were released on October 20, 2026. Already, the series has proven itself a major success on its home platform, with the show making it into the Top 10 instantly. According to data from October 21, 2026, Phony has become the Number 8 TV show in the United States on Hulu. It's outperforming the likes of other popular, currently-airing series, including Abbott Elementary and American Horror Story. In addition, it's the Number 6 TV show in the world via its international release on Disney+.

The series is set to run for eight total episodes, with new episodes airing weekly on Tuesdays until the season finale on December 1, 2026. In addition to Britton and Nivola, the other core stars of the series include Grace Brennan as Mallory Russell, Maliq Johnson as Vogel, Meera Syal as Sharla, Colter Lee as Weldon, and Mahaela Park as Chloe. The series was created by Nick Paley, who also serves as the writer and director of the first two episodes.

Phony Is Already Faring Better Than Blumhouse's Other Mommy

Image via David Astorga / ©Hulu/Disney / Courtesy Everett Collection

While Blumhouse's latest outing has been a financial success, it hasn't performed as well when it comes to critical reception. According to Rotten Tomatoes, Other Mommy reviews have averaged an 18% from critics and 48% from audiences, indicating generally unfavorable reviews as a whole. However, Phony is getting plenty of praise, currently sitting at an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes. The show's beginnings on Hulu prove there's an audience for it, too, which could aid in its popularity continuing to skyrocket.

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As Phony continues to air weekly, it'll likely keep up competition with Other Mommy, though will inevitably surpass it's release in theaters by the nature of its weekly episode airings. It's clear the show has legs considering the interest in it thus far, which is liable to grow even more as the weeks progress. Though it's a comedy mystery show, its similarities to the Blumhouse movie proves it'll have plenty to say in the weeks to follow.

Cast

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  Connie Britton

  Ellen

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  Sam Nivola

  Sonny

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  Meera Syal

  Sharla

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  Maliq Johnson

  Vogel