A new mystery series just in time for Halloween, the new half-hour show Phony follows mother and son Ellen and Sonny, who find their relationship fracturing after Sonny is injured in a car accident. It's not the accident itself that causes the rift in their relationship. When Sonny wakes up from his head injury, he becomes convinced that the woman claiming to be his mother is actually an imposter.
Even though no one else can see the differences the way he can, Sonny tries to convince his friends of a potential body switch. He seemingly devises a plan to uncover the mystery of what's happened to his "real" mom — and why their family was targeted for the switch at all (if there even was a switch!). The series aims to keep the audience guessing about what's actually happened, and with eight episodes to unwind the mystery, we expect there to be new twists and turns from week to week that flip this story on its head.
Hulu has teased that we can expect a series that blends "humor with supernatural and sci-fi elements, keeping you inside Sonny’s uncertainty about what’s happened to his mother." But at its core, the show is a "coming-of-age story about navigating teenage awkwardness, vulnerability, and seeing a parent in a new light."
If you're a fan of genre-bending family mysteries, this one's for you.
Phony release schedule on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+
Like many other new shows coming to Hulu, Phony will have a two-episode premiere followed by a weekly episode release until its finale in early December. I'm glad that Phony will let us see more of the show for our first viewing so that we can get more involved with the mystery from the beginning, especially since episodes are only a half-hour each.
New episodes drop at 12:01a.m. ET on Tuesdays on Hulu, which means if you live on the West Coast, you'll be able to tune in Monday nights. New episodes will also be available to stream with Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers.
We don't know too much about what to expect from later episodes this season, but here's the full Phony season 1 release schedule for Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
Episode # | Episode Title | Hulu Airdate |
|---|---|---|
Episode 1 | Pilot | Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026 |
Episode 2 | Crosby, Stills and Nash | Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026 |
Episode 3 | Reverse Cuckoo Situation | Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2026 |
Episode 4 | Vibes are Rancid | Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026 |
Episode 5 | Episode 5 | Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2026 |
Episode 6 | Episode 6 | Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2026 |
Episode 7 | Episode 7 | Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2026 |
Episode 8 | Episode 8 | Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2026 |
Is Connie Britton playing both mothers on Phony? Who's in the cast?
If you've seen the trailer or the first episode of the series, you'll know that Ellen's face after Sonny's accident looks eerily similar but also quite different to actress Connie Britton (who plays the original Ellen that Sonny is desperate to find).
At first glance, you might get the impression the show has hired another actor to play this version of the character, but Connie Britton is playing both versions of Ellen — and the prosthetics look absolutely amazing.
Take a closer look at the show's main cast:
- Connie Britton as Ellen
- Sam Nivola as Sonny
- Maliq Johnson as Vogel
- Mahaela Park as Chloe
- Colter Lee as Weldon
- Grace Brennan as Mallory
- Kelvin Yu as Jason Chang
- Meera Syal as Sharla
The first two episodes of Phony are now available to stream on Hulu and with Hulu on Disney+ for bundle subscribers.
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