Ugly Betty cast, creator want Hulu revival

Could more Ugly Betty be on the horizon?

During the show’s Entertainment Weekly-sponsored reunion panel at the ATX Television Festival on Saturday, the big question — whether the beloved ABC dramedy could return for a revival, in movie or television form — begat big answers from the cast and creator Silvio Horta.

When talking about the show’s series finale, star America Ferrera joked that fans would no longer have to wonder whether Betty and Daniel (Eric Mabius) ended up together in the finale because “Hulu’s going to pick us up for a two-hour special, so we’re going to find out,” she said. “That’s not true, but if you tweet it…”

The audience burst into applause, then, and Ferrera directed them to take out their phones and tweet using #HuluBringBackUglyBetty (which was settled on after several creative tries). Ferrera said, “We need a hashtag and [you guys] tweet it out and then we’re going to get Hulu to buy a two-hour special.”

A revival is a perfectly reasonable question to ask of Betty, given that it was arguably last year’s ATX reunion of Gilmore Girls that set the wheels in motion for the upcoming Netflix revival.

Horta chimed in, “There are a lot more stories,” and after the cast speculated where they thought their characters might be in a reboot, he admitted he’s been keeping notes on Betty since the 2010 finale. “I will say that being here with everybody, listening to these ideas, it’s kind of refreshing. Here’s the only thing I know for sure: If we were to do something, it would be a dream, but everybody on this stage would have to be involved, and Becki Newton.” (Newton was absent due to pneumonia.)

The cast vehemently nodded, and Ferrera said, “I mean, it took 20 minutes for everyone to say yes to my email to be at ATX. I think they’re going to be at the reunion movie.”

The moderator, EW’s Jessica Shaw, asked whether there had indeed been any official talks. “This is the talk!” exclaimed Ferrera.

So, where does the cast imagine their characters might be now? A quick refresher from 2010: The series finale found Betty’s MODE family — and her real one — moving on to bigger and better things: Betty took a new job in London, Daniel handed his MODE editorship to Wilhelmina, Marc got a much-deserved promotion and a possibly long-lasting love interest, Amanda found a happy reconnection with her estranged father, and Hilda parted ways with Ignacio to move in with her new husband.

Here’s how the cast replied:

Michael Urie: “Exact same spot.”

Vanessa Williams: “I think we [Marc and Wilhelmina] would be at MODE UK. We’d cross the pond and take shit over there.”

Rebecca Romijn: “Getting released from prison.”

Judith Light: “Back in the sanitarium.”

Ashley Jensen: “I think I’ve got a 10-year-old child, haven’t I? Hell, [Betty is] probably living with me!

Eric Mabius: “I think Daniel asks Alexis to take over the magazine and maybe heads off into something meaningful… philanthropy?”

America Ferrera: “I have thought about this. So, fade in: I think that it’s been six years, maybe seven, depending on how long when Hulu wants to premiere this. I think that Betty has been in London for six years and now she’s coming home.”

Ana Ortiz: “I think Hilda probably had another baby with Bobby and since they were moving to Manhattan, she either opened her salon, probably uptown, or maybe she started her own skin care line.”

Mark Indelicato: “Maybe Justin is finishing fashion school.”

Tony Plana: “I am cleaning, cooking, and doing laundry for my family.”

So, this is no joke — #HuluBringBackUglyBetty is in your hands now.

Entertainment Weekly is on the scene at ATX in Austin, Texas. Go inside the TV festival with all our coverage, available here.