# Up Here
**Up Here** is an American musical romantic comedy television series that premiered on Hulu on March 24, 2023, and ran for one season of eight episodes. Set in New York City in the waning days of 1999, it follows Lindsay ([Mae Whitman](https://www.edgepedia.org/mae-whitman)) and Miguel ([Carlos Valdes](https://www.edgepedia.org/carlos-valdes-actor)), a couple who fall in love and find that the greatest obstacle to their happiness is themselves, in the form of the memories, obsessions, fears, and fantasies living inside their heads.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/up_here) • [2](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/up-here/) The series was canceled by Hulu in July 2023.[3](https://www.tvline.com/news/up-here-cancelled-hulu-season-2-mae-whitman-carlos-valdes-1234970048/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Premiere | March 24, 2023; all eight episodes released at once on Hulu[3](https://www.tvline.com/news/up-here-cancelled-hulu-season-2-mae-whitman-carlos-valdes-1234970048/) |
| Setting | New York City in 1999, ending at the turn of the millennium[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/up_here) |
| Leads | Mae Whitman as Lindsay, Carlos Valdes as Miguel[2](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/up-here/) |
| Creative team | Written by Steven Levenson and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel; songs by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez; directed and executive produced by Thomas Kail[4](https://press.hulu.com/shows/up-here/) |
| Basis | Adapted from the songwriting couple's 2015 stage musical of the same name[5](https://playbill.com/article/kristen-anderson-lopez-and-robert-lopez-musical-up-here-to-be-adapted-into-series-for-hulu) |
| Reception | 57% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (28 reviews) and 86% on its Popcornmeter; Metascore 58 on Metacritic[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/up_here) • [2](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/up-here/) |
| Cancellation | Cancelled by Hulu after one season, reported July 28, 2023[3](https://www.tvline.com/news/up-here-cancelled-hulu-season-2-mae-whitman-carlos-valdes-1234970048/) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and format
The story begins when Lindsay, an aspiring writer, leaves her small-town Vermont life and her fiancé and moves to Manhattan, where she meets Miguel, a sensitive investment banker, by chance in a bar.[6](https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2023/07/29/up-here-hulu-canceled/7121690638884/) • [7](https://time.com/6262021/up-here-review/) The couple's romance is complicated by the voices in their heads, which the show personifies as characters from their pasts, including parents, rivals, and exes, who sing to them and comment on their choices.[7](https://time.com/6262021/up-here-review/) Each lead is surrounded by this invisible chorus of critical figures: Lindsay's nitpicking mother Joan ([Katie Finneran](https://www.edgepedia.org/katie-finneran)), fretful father Tom ([John Hodgman](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-hodgman)), and seventh-grade frenemy Celeste (Sophia Hammons); Miguel's doting mother Rosie (Andréa Burns), high-school mean girl Renee (Emilia Suárez), and corporate colleague Orson ([Scott Porter](https://www.edgepedia.org/scott-porter)).[8](https://www.avclub.com/up-here-tv-review-hulu-musical-mae-whitman-1850229600)
The eight episodes, each roughly 29 minutes, are titled "Lindsay," "Miguel," "Signs," "Special," "Labels," "Armor," "Baggage," and "Y2K," with the finale set on [New Year's Eve](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-years-eve) 1999.[9](https://epguides.com/UpHere/) In the finale, Lindsay and Miguel finally get together and exchange "I love you"s, and Lindsay realizes her recent nausea and heartburn might be pregnancy symptoms.[3](https://www.tvline.com/news/up-here-cancelled-hulu-season-2-mae-whitman-carlos-valdes-1234970048/)
## Origin and production
The series is adapted from *Up Here*, a stage musical by the married songwriting team [Kristen Anderson-Lopez](https://www.edgepedia.org/kristen-anderson-lopez) and [Robert Lopez](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-lopez) that played the La Jolla Playhouse in 2015.[5](https://playbill.com/article/kristen-anderson-lopez-and-robert-lopez-musical-up-here-to-be-adapted-into-series-for-hulu) • [10](https://www.americantheatre.org/2015/07/17/bobby-lopez-and-kristen-anderson-lopez-have-a-lot-going-on-up-here/) For television, the book was written by Tony winner Steven Levenson, known for *Dear Evan Hansen* and *tick, tick...BOOM!*, and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (*The Carmichael Show*), with original songs by the Lopez duo, whose film credits include *Frozen* and *WandaVision*.[4](https://press.hulu.com/shows/up-here/) [Thomas Kail](https://www.edgepedia.org/thomas-kail), director of *Hamilton*, directed and executive produced the series alongside Levenson, Sanchez-Witzel, Anderson-Lopez, Lopez, and Jennifer Todd, with 20th Television producing alongside Kail's Old 320 Sycamore Productions.[4](https://press.hulu.com/shows/up-here/)
Levenson described the adaptation as developed largely over pandemic-era video calls with his co-creators, reworking the stage material into an eight-episode musical series.[11](https://www.broadwaypodcastnetwork.com/podcasts/the-theatre-podcast-with-alan-seales/ep260-steven-levenson-up-here-with-our-favorite-tony-winning-executive-producer/282) The show was released on Hulu in the United States and as a Star Original on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ elsewhere.[12](https://whatsondisneyplus.com/up-here-cancelled-after-one-season/)
## Reception
Critical response was mixed. The first season holds a 57% average Tomatometer from 28 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, against an 86% Popcornmeter audience score from more than 50 ratings, and a Metascore of 58 on Metacritic based on 13 critic reviews, with 5 positive, 7 mixed, and 1 negative.[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/up_here) • [2](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/up-here/) Rotten Tomatoes' critics consensus reads: "Mae Whitman and Carlos Valdes are a likable enough pair, but Up Here is let down by a thin story that knocks its melody off-key."[13](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/up_here/s01)
Reviewers frequently praised the leads while criticizing the story. TIME's Judy Berman wrote that the surreal musical numbers elevate the show, illuminating why Lindsay and Miguel keep sabotaging their relationship, and that the series infuses "the magic of Broadway into what might otherwise have been a mundane romantic comedy."[7](https://time.com/6262021/up-here-review/) RogerEbert.com's Cristina Escobar found that the characters and songs improve by the third episode and that the show had "fully captured" her by the finale.[14](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/up-here-tv-review-2023) More negative reviews called the plot predictable: the Boston Globe's Matthew Gilbert wished the storyline were "a little less predictable and trite," and [The A.V. Club](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-a-v-club)'s David Cote found the emotional journey "more cloying than moving."[2](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/up-here/) The San Francisco Chronicle's Bob Strauss judged that the leads' charms could not rise above "trite 1990s romantic misunderstandings and follow-your-heart cliches."[15](https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/movies-tv/article/review-up-here-musical-mae-whitman-carlos-valdes-17849808.php)
The show received one win and one nomination at the ReFrame Awards and one nomination at the Imagen Foundation Awards.[2](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/up-here/)
## Cancellation
Hulu canceled the series after one season, with TVLine reporting on July 28, 2023 that the streamer was "not moving forward" with a second season; the Season 1 finale now serves as the series ender.[3](https://www.tvline.com/news/up-here-cancelled-hulu-season-2-mae-whitman-carlos-valdes-1234970048/) UPI reported the cancellation the next day, citing Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, and Deadline.[6](https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2023/07/29/up-here-hulu-canceled/7121690638884/) As of late 2026 listings, the series remains available to stream on Hulu.[16](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/up-here)
## References
1. [Up Here, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/up_here)
2. [Up Here Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/up-here/)
3. [Up Here Cancelled At Hulu, No Season 2, TVLine (Rebecca Luther, July 28, 2023)](https://www.tvline.com/news/up-here-cancelled-hulu-season-2-mae-whitman-carlos-valdes-1234970048/)
4. [Up Here, Hulu Press](https://press.hulu.com/shows/up-here/)
5. [Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez Musical Up Here to Be Adapted Into Series For Hulu, Playbill](https://playbill.com/article/kristen-anderson-lopez-and-robert-lopez-musical-up-here-to-be-adapted-into-series-for-hulu)
6. [No Season 2 for 'Up Here' on Hulu, UPI (July 29, 2023)](https://www.upi.com/Entertainment_News/TV/2023/07/29/up-here-hulu-canceled/7121690638884/)
7. [Review: Up Here Is Like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend With a Neurotypical Twist, TIME (Judy Berman, March 24, 2023)](https://time.com/6262021/up-here-review/)
8. [Up Here review: Two nerds play mind games in Hulu's musical rom-com, The A.V. Club (David Cote)](https://www.avclub.com/up-here-tv-review-hulu-musical-mae-whitman-1850229600)
9. [Up Here, a Titles & Air Dates Guide, epguides.com](https://epguides.com/UpHere/)
10. [Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez Have a Lot Going On 'Up Here', American Theatre (2015)](https://www.americantheatre.org/2015/07/17/bobby-lopez-and-kristen-anderson-lopez-have-a-lot-going-on-up-here/)
11. [Ep260 - Steven Levenson: UP HERE, Broadway Podcast Network](https://www.broadwaypodcastnetwork.com/podcasts/the-theatre-podcast-with-alan-seales/ep260-steven-levenson-up-here-with-our-favorite-tony-winning-executive-producer/282)
12. ["Up Here" Cancelled After One Season, What's On Disney Plus (Roger Palmer, July 29, 2023)](https://whatsondisneyplus.com/up-here-cancelled-after-one-season/)
13. [Up Here: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/up_here/s01)
14. [Hulu's Musical Series Up Here Eventually Finds Its Rhythm, RogerEbert.com (Cristina Escobar, March 20, 2023)](https://www.rogerebert.com/streaming/up-here-tv-review-2023)
15. [Review: Voices in their heads sing, but their show 'Up Here' doesn't, San Francisco Chronicle (Bob Strauss)](https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertainment/movies-tv/article/review-up-here-musical-mae-whitman-carlos-valdes-17849808.php)
16. [Up Here - watch tv show streaming online, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/tv-show/up-here)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Sitcom and comedy series › American sitcoms and comedy series › 2020s cable and streaming comedies*
*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license