The Circle is getting new life over at Hulu, meaning fans will no longer be enjoying it via Netflix subscription. I'm excited about it, however, because the shift to another streamer is bringing some massive changes to the game, far more impactful than that wild AI twist from a while back.
Deadline reported that Studio Lambert will take the show to Hulu, and while we don't know if we'll see it on the 2026 TV schedule, I don't mind waiting a bit. The Circle is getting retooled ahead of its big return, and the massive changes that include a fan vote and celebrities have me ready for the premiere.
The Circle Is Letting The Viewers Vote
One major change that will happen when The Circle is available with a Hulu subscription is that the show will film in real-time. Along with that change, fans will vote during the proceedings for the first time. There are no specifics on what this means, but it could mean people at home influence anything from player rankings on the charts to deciding twists and gifts to send each contestant.
I'm a huge Big Brother fan who once called The Circle a great substitute for the CBS mainstay, and this new element will further enforce that. I would love for the audience to vote on ratings of contestants, but I also think that could break the game in its current format. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what's cooked up!
Celebrities Will Be Joining The Game
It seems like The Circle will also take a page out of The Traitors' playbook, as many other reality shows have already done. People like seeing celebrities on reality game shows, and the newest iteration will mix regular people with the famous.
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It was not stated exactly how famous celebrities we could expect, but I think we can all be relatively certain Tom Cruise won't be part of the Hulu premiere cast for The Circle. I'm more curious about whether we'll get someone like Dylan Efron, or they'll be more like "reality show" famous, like Wes Bergmann from The Challenge.
Ultimately, I'm just happy to see a show like The Circle get new life elsewhere. I also think all reality competition shows need something to shake things up after a while, as evidenced when Big Brother introduced the BB Blockbuster to combat the longtime strategy of "backdooring" Houseguests. Ultimately, making sure there's a way to keep the game fresh and entertaining for the fans at home is key, and it sounds like Hulu is on the right path to making that happen.
As mentioned, we're still waiting on a specific return date for The Circle, but I'll be excited when it shows up! Here's hoping it lives up to the excitement I had for the Netflix version in its early seasons, and has a nice long run.
