Hulu Strikes Again with the Stealth Release of 'Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes'

No offense to Hulu, but if a series is debuting on the Disney-owned platform and it's not an FX series (or a Freeform one), it feels like no one bothers to promote it. We've been complaining about this on and off for the last few years, as Hulu stealth dropped British shows Telly Visions was specifically keeping an eye on to see which American distributor stepped up. Some of this is due to the tight turnaround times Hulu operates on — there are times when a deal is made (like with Big Boys), where the real get was Season 3, and Seasons 1 and 2 were almost like an afterthought once the papers were signed, showing up with no warning. However, some of this is simply the left and right hands not communicating, as seen in the Disney+ series Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes, which lands on Hulu with all episodes on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. This reveal was not apparent until Tuesday, April 29.

Disney+ only announced the series was in production in February 2025, but at the time, the press release stated that this series was a Disney+ UK joint venture, with no mention of Hulu. That made sense, as the series is about an incident that most Americans aren't aware of — the shooting of unarmed, innocent Brazilian-born electrician Jean Charles de Menezes, who the Metropolitan police misidentified in the wake of the 7/7 bombings and shot dead in a crowded tube station. The series aimed to arrive in time for the 20th anniversary of the shooting, and securing an American distributor seemed as likely as a U.S. network trying to convince the U.K. to pick up a series about Eric Gardner.

However, it turns out that the producers were planning to release the series globally from the start, including the U.S., where the series will debut on Hulu with all episodes available on the same day as they are on Disney+ everywhere else.

Here's the series synopsis:

Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes focuses on the events surrounding the tragic killing of innocent Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes, after he is mistaken for a terrorist.  Told from multiple perspectives of those involved, it examines how memory, both accurate and distorted, can be turned into fact and shape our understanding of the truth.

The trailer takes us back almost twenty years, as London reels from the devastating suicide bomb attacks of 7 July 2005. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair launches a large-scale counter terrorism operation to prevent further attacks, with Assistant Commissioner Andy Hayman leading the investigation into the bombings. Unbeknownst to them, another terrorist cell plots an assault that could equal the devastation of 7/7.

This second set of planned attacks fails, setting off one of the UK’s largest-ever manhunts and sparking a covert surveillance operation led by Commander Cressida Dick. As tension and uncertainty rise across the nation, a series of extraordinary events unfolds, and the actions of the Metropolitan Police lead to a critical misidentification. Jean Charles de Menezes, an innocent young Brazilian electrician on his way to work, is mistaken for a terrorist and fatally shot at Stockwell station. In the wake of these tragic events, Independent Police Complaints Commission secretary Lana Vandenberghe makes a life-changing decision, and Deputy Assistant Commissioner Brian Paddick, in a police force engulfed by crisis, fights for the truth to prevail. What follows is a family’s fight for justice and answers, and a long-fought struggle to bring clarity to a situation clouded by disinformation.

Newcomer Edison Alcaide leads the cast as the ill-fated Brazilian electrician Jean Charles de Menezes. He's joined by an all-star cast, including Conleth Hill (Magpie Murders) as Met Police Commissioner Sir Ian Blair, Max Beesley (Jamestown) as Asst Commissioner Andy Hayman, Russell Tovey (Flesh & Blood) as Deputy Asst Commissioner Brian Paddick, Emily Mortimer (Paddington in Peru) as Commander Cressida Dick, Daniel Mays (Moonflower Murders) as chemist Cliff Todd, and Laura Aikman (Archie) as whistleblower Independent Police Complaints Commission secretary Lana Vandenberghe. 

The supporting cast includes Alex Jennings (Unforgotten), Ella Bruccoleri (Call the Midwife), James Palmer (Endeavour), Oliver Ryan (Steeltown Murders), Naveed Khan (Ludwig), and Bert Seymour (Bridgerton). 

The series is written by Jeff Pope (Philomena), who penned all episodes, and directed by Paul Andrew Williams (Broadchurch). The series is executive produced by Pope, with Lee Mason for Disney+. Jean Charles de Menezes’ parents and other relatives served as consultants for the series.

All four episodes of Suspect: The Shooting of Jean Charles de Menezes will debut on Disney+ in the UK on Wednesday, April 30, 2025, and will also be available on Hulu on the same day.