Visit Hulu to stream a wide variety of shows, from linear network series to content available from networks like FX and partnership content with other streaming services like Disney+ and Peacock.
Hulu also has its own healthy slate of originals, and there are some really great ones from which to choose. They vary from dramas to thrillers, true crime to animated sci-fi, and more.
You can save with the Disney Bundle, which makes Hulu an even better deal by including not only Hulu, but also Disney+, and ESPN+, for just $14 a month.
Looking for more originals? Check out our lists of the best Amazon original series and the best Netflix original series, as well as the best shows on Hulu.
Recently added to Hulu
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How I Met Your Father
2022 -
Fleishman Is in Trouble
2022
Solar Opposites (2020)
3 Seasons
Genre
Comedy, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast
Justin Roiland, Sean Giambrone, Thomas Middleditch
Created by
Justin Roiland, Mike McMahan
From the creators of Rick and Morty, Solar Opposites is a hilarious animated dive into the life of a family of aliens living in middle America and observing human behavior. It’s all about perspective, and while some think the way people tend to behave is awesome, others find it deplorable. In a separate storyline, fans also learn about the Yumyulack who has shrunken humans and stored them in a terrarium called The Wall.
You’ll recognize familiar voices like Silicon Valley’s Thomas Middleditch as Terry and The Goldbergs’ Sean Giambrone as Yumyulack. The sci-fi animated sitcom has been praised for being charming, hilarious, sincere, and offering a ridiculous yet also fresh take on humanity and our habits.
How I Met Your Father (2022)
new
2 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Cast
Hilary Duff
Created by
Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger
While How I Met Your Father still struggles to achieve the same success and accolades as the sitcom on which it serves as a spin-off, How I Met Your Mother, the series remains a fun look at how a story from the early 2000s translates to modern-day culture. In the year 2050, adult Sophie recalls to her adult son (over video chat, of course) how she came to meet his father back in the 2020s. As with the original, which took place in a present-day 2030 looking back to 2005 onwards, the story takes twist and turns, and veers off course as Sophie reminisces about the antics she got up to with her friends as singles in New York City. She also talks about the many men she dated before (and potentially after) meeting him, leaving viewers continuously guessing which one, if any, is the father. While the characters are caricatures of stereotypical Gen-Zers, you’ll find their HIMYM counterparts, as well as the same aimless fun and running gags that made the first show such a delight. How I Met Your Father might still be trying to find its footing, but there’s no denying it fits the guilty pleasure bill.
Fleishman Is in Trouble (2022)
new
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Cast
Jesse Eisenberg, Lizzy Caplan, Claire Danes
Created by
Taffy Brodesser-Akner
In the new miniseries Fleishman Is in Trouble, Jesse Eisenberg steps into the title role as Toby Fleishman, a divorced father of two who is rediscovering the benefits of single life in his 40s. However, Toby is forced to reassess his life and his failed marriage when his ex-wife, Rachel (Claire Danes), disappears and leaves him with their kids. The series is told from the point of view of Libby (Lizzy Caplan), one of Toby’s best friends, who is also a bit jealous about his second chance to start over anew.
Welcome to Chippendales (2022)
1 Season
Genre
Drama, Crime, Comedy
Cast
Kumail Nanjiani, Murray Bartlett, Annaleigh Ashford
Who knew that the origins of the Chippendales male stripper franchise was a tale that includes intrigue, jealously, and murder for hire? Welcome To Chippendales stars Kumail Nanjiani as Somen “Steve” Banerjee, an Indian immigrant whose American dream took on a shape that no one could have predicted, including Banerjee himself. Realizing that the female audience is underserved, Banerjee creates Chippendales and eventually teams with Nick De Noia (Murray Bartlett) to give the show a theatrical flair. But as Banerjee’s control of his franchise is threatened, it turns out that he’ll do almost anything to protect it. Even murder.
The Patient (2022)
1 Season
Genre
Drama, Crime
Cast
Steve Carell, Domhnall Gleeson, Linda Emond
Created by
Joel Fields, Joseph Weisberg
Therapy is meant to be a tool for self-improvement. And who doesn’t want to become a better person than they were? In The Patient, Domhnall Gleeson’s Sam Fortner is especially dedicated to that idea because he is a serial killer who is plagued by the desire to murder again and again. To combat these urges, Sam kidnaps his therapist, Alan Strauss (Steve Carell), and forces him to treat him against his will. Alan, who is already mourning the recent death of his wife, soon finds that the struggle to treat Sam is truly life and death, with his own survival on the line.
The Bear (2022)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Cast
Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri
Created by
Christopher Storer
The Bear really took everyone by surprise this summer, and it’s become an early contender for the best dramedy we’ve seen this year. Jeremy Allen White stars as Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, an award-winning chef who returns to Chicago to run his family’s sandwich shop following the death of his older brother, Michael. Carmy wants to save the business and modernize the restaurant, but he faces stiff resistance from Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) and other members of his staff. But the bonds of friendship and family that form in the kitchen are truly compelling and one of the big reasons why this show has already been renewed.
Under the Banner of Heaven (2022)
1 Season
Genre
Crime, Drama, Mystery
Cast
Andrew Garfield, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Sam Worthington
Created by
Dustin Lance Black
2021 was Andrew Garfield’s year, and 2022 is also shaping up nicely for the actor as he headlines Under the Banner of Heaven. Garfield stars as Detective Jeb Pyre, a devout Mormon whose faith is shaken by the murder of Brenda Lafferty (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her infant daughter. Although suspicion initially falls on Brenda’s husband, Allen Lafferty (Billy Howle), the focus soon shifts to the rest of the Lafferty family, which is very connected in the Mormon community. The deeper that Jeb probes the case, the more he is horrified by the crimes and the extreme religious views that fueled the murderous actions.
Only Murders in the Building (2021)
1 Season
Genre
Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Cast
Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez
Created by
Steve Martin, John Robert Hoffman
Steve Martin and his longtime collaborator, Martin Short, are enjoying a late-career resurgence thanks to the success of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building. Martin co-created the series and headlines the show as Charles, with Short co-starring as Oliver. Their friendship is fueled by a mutual love of true crime stories, which is something they also have in common with their much younger neighbor, Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez). When an actual murder takes place in their high-end apartment building, this unlikely trio starts their own true crime podcast as they try to figure out who the killer is. But by stepping into the spotlight, they get deeper and deeper into the building’s increasingly dangerous intrigue.
Pistol (2022)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Cast
Toby Wallace, Anson Boon, Louis Partridge
Created by
Craig Pearce
If you’ve never heard of The Sex Pistols, then you’re in for a treat with their rock music bio miniseries, Pistol. It’s based on the memoir by guitarist Steve Jones (Toby Wallace), and it features Anson Boon as Johnny Rotten, Jacob Slater as Paul Cook, Christian Lees as Glen Matlock, and Louis Partridge as Sid Vicious. The miniseries follows the individual stories of the band and brings them together as they shake up the music scene with a sound that was uniquely their own. When they say that The Sex Pistols changed music forever, it’s not just hyperbole.
Candy (2022)
1 Season
Genre
Crime
Cast
Jessica Biel, Melanie Lynskey, Timothy Simons
Created by
Nick Antosca, Robin Veith
Jessica Biel stars in this limited series as Candy Montgomery, a 1980 housewife and mother who has done everything right. She has a good husband, two great kids, a beautiful house, and she carefully plans and executes the sinful transgressions she does make. However, when the yearning to be a little less than perfect grows too strong, she indulges herself just a little. And then someone tells her to shush and things get nasty.
Conversations with Friends (2022)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Cast
Alison Oliver, Sasha Lane, Joe Alwyn
Created by
Alice Birch
Adapted from Sally Rooney’s novel, Conversations with Friends focuses on the relationship between college students Frances (Alison Oliver) and her best friend/ex-girlfriend Bobbi (Sasha Lane). As both women grow closer to an older writer and her actor husband, the bounds of friendship are tested by jealousy and a yearning to grow up faster than they are.
The Girl From Plainville (2022)
1 Season
Genre
Drama, Crime
Cast
Elle Fanning, Chloë Sevigny, Colton Ryan
Created by
Patrick Macmanus, Liz Hannah
This limited series is based on the true story of Michelle Carter’s unprecedented “texting-suicide” case. Carter made news after her boyfriend, Conrad Roy III, killed himself and allegations came to light that Carter pushed him to do it. After examining texts between Carter and Roy, a jury ultimately convicted Carter of involuntary manslaughter. The Girl From Plainville examines the events that led to Roy’s death and the complicated, dark relationship he had with Carter.
Woke (2020)
2 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Cast
Lamorne Morris, T. Murph, Blake Anderson
Created by
Marshall Todd, Keith Knight
Inspired by the life and work of artist Keith Knight, Woke has an absurdist, irreverent perspective on identity and culture in modern America. Lamorne Morris plays Keef, a Black cartoonist who is on the verge of mainstream success when an unexpected incident completely changes his outlook on the world. Now, his ideas and his art have permanently changed as a litany of new voices and ideas confront and challenge him in a newly-animated world. Keef has to find a new voice without setting fire to everything he’s already accomplished.
The Dropout (2022)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Cast
Amanda Seyfried, Naveen Andrews, Utkarsh Ambudkar
Elizabeth Holmes captivated the health tech world with her company Theranos, which made a blood analysis product that could revolutionize the industry. Only, the product didn’t work, had never worked, and by all accounts, appeared to be completely fake. Yet, Holmes still raked in millions in investments while putting patients at risk. Amanda Seyfreid stars as Holmes in this limited series about Silicon Valley hubris.
Pam & Tommy (2022)
1 Season
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Cast
Lily James, Sebastian Stan, Seth Rogen
If you lived through the ‘90s, then you saw the love affair between Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee play out in the media. Hulu’s new miniseries, Pam & Tommy, casts Lily James and Sebastian Stan in the title roles. And it’s worth saying that they both have an uncanny physical resemblance to the real-life characters they are playing. After enjoying a whirlwind romance and marriage, Pamela and Tommy are stunned when Rand Gauthier (Seth Rogen) steals their sex tape and releases it online with the help of Uncle Miltie (Nick Offerman). Their lives and their careers were never the same again.
PEN15 (2019)
2 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Cast
Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Mutsuko Erskine
Created by
Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Sam Zvibleman
Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle created and star as their middle school selves in this hilarious adult comedy. Oh, Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle are in their 30s. They’re playing 13-year-old middle schoolers while surrounded by actual 13-year-olds. You don’t need to know the creators to relate to them. They’re outcasts in the year 2000, falling in love and experiencing the worst turmoil of their lives on the whims of a passed note.
Dopesick (2021)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Cast
Michael Keaton, Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg
Created by
Danny Strong
Dopesick is a dramatization of true stories about America’s addiction to OxyContin and other opioids. Michael Keaton headlines the miniseries as Dr. Samuel Finnix, with Peter Sarsgaard as Rick Mountcastle, Michael Stuhlbarg as Richard Sackler, Will Poulter as Billy Cutler, and John Hoogenakker as Randy Ramseyer. Through these characters, viewers will see how this particular drug epidemic began in the boardroom of pharmaceutical companies and expanded into every facet of American life. It’s an ongoing tragedy, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t heroes in this story.
Marvel’s Hit-Monkey (2021)
1 Season
Genre
Action & Adventure, Animation
Cast
Fred Tatasciore, Jason Sudeikis, George Takei
Created by
Josh Gordon, Will Speck
Hulu may operate under Disney’s control, but you won’t see too many Marvel series on this platform. Hit-Monkey is a welcome exception, and this adult animated series gets to explore the sillier side of the Marvel Universe that the MCU hasn’t gotten around to yet. Jason Sudeikis stars in the series as Bryce Fowler, an assassin who recovers from serious injuries in a colony of Japanese snow monkeys. When Bryce is killed alongside the majority of monkeys, the lone survivor, Hit-Monkey, goes on a bloody mission of revenge alongside Bryce’s ghost.
Letterkenny (2016)
10 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Cast
Jared Keeso, Nathan Dales, Michelle Mylett
Created by
Jared Keeso
It’s not strictly a Hulu original since the first six seasons premiered on The Movie Network in Canada. However, in 2019, Hulu acquired exclusive U.S. distribution rights and the last four seasons have been branded as Hulu Originals. Semantics aside, Letterkenny centers on the residents of Letterkenny, a tiny rural community in Ontario, Canada. The town’s inhabitants generally fall into one of several groups: hicks, hockey players, drug addicts (aka, skids), and members of the local First Nation. Letterkenny has much in common with another Canadian sitcom that was popular in the U.S., Trailer Park Boys, but it also has an ethos all to itself and has a greater tendency to get philosophical — even if it’s by accident. Season 10 is now streaming on Hulu.
Y: The Last Man (2021)
1 Season
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama
Cast
Diane Lane, Ben Schnetzer, Ashley Romans
Created by
Eliza Clark
Would the world be better off if women were in charge? Not necessarily, according to the adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra’s comic, Y: The Last Man. When almost every biological man with a Y chromosome suddenly dies from a plague, the surviving women find themselves fighting each other. Senator Jennifer Brown (Diane Lane) soon finds herself elevated to the office of president of the United States as she struggles to hold the nation together. What she doesn’t know is that her son, Yorick Brown (Ben Schnetzer), is the last man alive. He may also be the last hope for humanity’s future, if the women don’t kill him first.
The Premise (2021)
1 Season
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Cast
B.J. Novak
Created by
B.J. Novak
The Office veteran B.J. Novak created, wrote, and directed two episodes of The Premise, a new anthology series for Hulu. Each episode has a different cast and a different story. For example, Ben Platt, Ayo Edebiri, and Tracee Ellis Ross star in an episode about a man whose embarrassing sex tape may shed some light on a police incident and save an innocent man … but at the cost of his own social reputation. Additionally, Jon Berenthal, Boyd Holbrook, Beau Bridges, and Amy Landecker’s episode follows a father who works for the gun lobby after losing his child to a shooting, although his true agenda may be more than it seems. The first season goes to some very interesting places, and it could continue to explore different aspects of modern life.
Chance (2016)
2 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Cast
Hugh Laurie, Ethan Suplee, Greta Lee
Created by
Alexandra Cunningham, Kem Nunn
Hugh Laurie plays another doctor in Chance, but his turn as Dr. Eldon Chance goes in different directions compared to his earlier role, Dr. Gregory House. In this series, Dr. Chance is a forensic neuropsychiatrist who is drawn into the orbit of his patient, Jaclyn Blackstone (Gretchen Mol). When Jacklyn’s life is threatened by her husband, a corrupt police detective named Raymond Blackstone (Paul Adelstein), Dr. Chance makes it his mission to save her. To do that, Dr. Chance joins forces with Darius “D” Pringle (Ethan Suplee), a man who is capable of great violence. They also turn to Detective Kevin Hynes (Brian Goodman), but his help comes with a high price.
Reservation Dogs (2021)
1 Season
Genre
Drama, Comedy, Crime
Cast
Devery Jacobs, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Paulina Jewel Alexis
Created by
Taika Waititi, Sterlin Harjo
Hulu’s partnership with FX has once again paid dividends with the arrival of Reservation Dogs. The newest FX on Hulu original series was created by Taika Waititi and Sterlin Harjo, and it may be one of the most unique comedies in a long time. The series follows Bear (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Elora Danan (Devery Jacobs), Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis), and Cheese (Lane Factor), a group of Native American teenagers languishing on a reservation in Oklahoma. They want out of the rez, and they’re willing to steal, save, and even rob to get enough money to move to California. However, their ambitions remain tantalizingly out of reach.
American Horror Stories (2021)
1 Season
Genre
Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Created by
Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk
The FX original series, American Horror Story, now has a companion series on Hulu called American Horror Stories. Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk co-created both shows, and there are some connections between the original series and the new spinoff. However, American Horror Stories has largely embraced one-off stand-alone stories. These tightly focused narratives don’t take 10 or more episodes to unfold before reaching a conclusion. The series premiere was an exception because it was a two-part return to the infamous Murder House from the very first season of AHS.
McCartney 3, 2, 1 (2021)
1 Season
Genre
Documentary
Cast
Paul McCartney, Rick Rubin
Few can match the six-decade-plus career of Sir Paul McCartney. And the key thing in McCartney 3,2,1 is that its subject is still around to share his story in his own words. Music producer Rick Rubin and McCartney share conversations that span the entirety of Paul’s career, including his time with The Beatles and Wings as well as the significant relationships in his life that shaped his writing, his music, and even the person that he’s become. It’s a fascinating glimpse into the history of a living legend.
A Teacher (2020)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Cast
Kate Mara, Nick Robinson
Created by
Hannah Fidell
Hannah Fidell adapted her own film, A Teacher, as a miniseries for FX on Hulu, which allowed her to further explore the ramifications of a sexual relationship between a female teacher and her high school student. Kate Mara stars as Claire Wilson, a teacher in her 30s who is drawn to Eric Walker (Nick Robinson), a 17-year-old in her class. Eric is also very attracted to Claire, and they waste little time before having an affair. However, the resulting fallout has devastating effects on both of their lives, even a decade down the line. This miniseries doesn’t romanticize their actions, and it serves as a cautionary tale.
Devs (2020)
1 Season
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama, Mystery
Cast
Sonoya Mizuno, Nick Offerman, Alison Pill
Created by
Alex Garland
FX on Hulu scored a home run with Devs, a miniseries created, written, and directed by noted filmmaker Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation, The Beach). The series stars Sonoya Mizuno as Lily Chan, a software engineer for the quantum computing company Amaya. Lily’s boyfriend and fellow engineer, Sergei Pavlov (Karl Glusman), is recruited by Amaya’s enigmatic CEO, Forest (Nick Offerman), to work on the secretive Devs project. Shortly thereafter, Segei turns up dead under very suspicious circumstances. To find answers, Lily joins the Devs team as well. But she may not like what she discovers as she unravels the mystery.
Love, Victor (2020)
2 Seasons
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Cast
Michael Cimino, Rachel Hilson, Anthony Turpel
Created by
Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger
Disney+ deemed Love, Victor too mature for its platform, but it’s coming in for a second season on Hulu. As the name suggests, this is a spinoff from the LGBT romance film Love, Simon. Nick Robinson even reprises his role as Simon Spier in a supporting capacity, but this show belongs to Victor Salazar (Michael Cimino), a teenager who struggles with his homosexuality after moving to a new town. Simon offers his support long-distance while Victor tries to work up the nerve to express his attraction to Benji Campbell (George Sear), an openly gay teenager at his school.
The Looming Tower (2018)
1 Season
Genre
War & Politics, Drama
Cast
Jeff Daniels, Tahar Rahim, Peter Sarsgaard
Created by
Dan Futterman, Lawrence Wright, Alex Gibney
September 2021 marked the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, an event that still reverberates through this country. Hulu’s adaptation of Lawrence Wright’s The Looming Tower is a dramatized account of the real events that led up to 9/11. Jeff Daniels headlines the series as John O’Neill, the head of the FBI’s Counterterrorism Center, 1-49. Peter Sarsgaard plays Martin Schmidt, John’s counterpart at the CIA Counterterrorism Center. Because of the inter-agency rivalries, John and Martin are at each other’s throats in the years leading up to the attacks. And by the time the intelligence community predicts a terrorist event, it’s too late for the agencies to stop it.
UnREAL (2015)
4 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Comedy
Cast
Shiri Appleby, Constance Zimmer, Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman
Created by
Marti Noxon, Sarah Gertrude Shapiro
Reality competition shows almost always revolve around artificially generated drama. The former Lifetime original series Unreal is all about the actual drama behind the scenes of Everlasting, a show-within-a-show that sure seems a lot like The Bachelor. Hulu picked up the series for its fourth and final season, which completed the story of Rachel Goldberg (Shiri Appleby). She’s a producer on Everlasting who is morally troubled by the ethical lines that she has to cross for her job. And yet she’s really good at it too. Rachel also has a complex relationship with her executive producer, Quinn King (Constance Zimmer), in part because Quinn left her morality in the rearview mirror a long time ago.
Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. (2021)
1 Season
Genre
Comedy, Animation
Cast
Patton Oswalt, Melissa Fumero, Aimee Garcia
Created by
Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum
While most supervillains share a lot of negative traits, you’ve got to admit they’re also very persistent. They fail, fail, and fail again, but they always come back for more. But what happens when years of trying and failing to conquer the world takes too heavy a toll? That’s what one of the biggest craniums in comics is about to find out in Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. The stop-motion animated comedy features the voice of Patton Oswalt as M.O.D.O.K., and he’s joined by Aimee Garcia, Ben Schwartz, Jon Hamm, Nathan Fillion, and more as the villain’s focus on global domination starts to shift because of complications in his family. All 10 episodes go live on Hulu on Friday, May 21. But before you invite your kids to watch with you, know that Marvel’s M.O.D.O.K. promises to be pretty bloody, with the series trailer featuring just as much murder as it does hilarity.
Sasquatch (2021)
1 Season
Genre
Documentary, Mystery, Crime
Cast
David Holthouse
Created by
Joshua Rofé
There must be a lot of snickering for those first learning the premise for Sasquatch. But if you’re one of the snickerers, prepare to be surprised. Joshua Rofé’s three-part documentary series investigating grisly murders many attribute to the legendary Bigfoot is no X-Files-esque hunt for ape-men. While Rofé does delve into the mystery of Bigfoot, Sasquatch is also about California and, in particular, the region known as the Emerald Triangle where the alleged murders took place. Sasquatch finds monsters, but the most disturbing part of the story is how human they prove to be.
Shrill (2019)
3 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Cast
Aidy Bryant, Lolly Adefope, Luka Jones
Lorne Michaels and Elizabeth Banks serve as executive producers on this funky, coming-of-age-in-your-20s comedy starring Aidy Bryant. For Annie (Bryant), seemingly everything revolves around her weight. But while she wants to change her life, she has no interest in changing her body — which appears to be a problem for everyone else in her life. While she’s struggling to launch a career, Annie is forced to juggle bad, manipulative boyfriends, a judgmental boss, and a sick parent. With so much else on her plate, everyone else’s perception of her body image is just downright stupid. Shrill‘s third and final season is now streaming.
The Handmaid’s Tale (2017)
6 Seasons
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Drama
Cast
Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Joseph Fiennes
Created by
Bruce Miller
The Handmaid’s Tale is a true gem of a Hulu original. This dramatic dystopian series is based on the 1985 Margaret Atwood novel of the same name. The story is set in an alternate future where a brutal civil war has transformed the United States into a tyrannical, patriarchal culture that oppresses women. Elisabeth Moss is the star of the show, playing a woman who is forced to be a child-bearing handmaid for a military commander and his barren wife. The first three seasons have been nominated for 54 Emmy awards, winning 14 of them. The first season also earned the title of Outstanding Series.
Veronica Mars (2004)
4 Seasons
Genre
Mystery, Drama, Comedy
Cast
Kristen Bell, Enrico Colantoni, Jason Dohring
Created by
Rob Thomas
Kristen Bell skyrocketed to stardom in the mid-aughts thanks to her portrayal of Veronica Mars, a seemingly ordinary high school student in the wealthy, seaside community of Neptune, California. But by night, Veronica is a fearless private investigator and the lifeblood of her decidedly less talented father’s PI business. The noirish, occasionally soapy series attained cult status as a teen drama on The CW and was revived as a Hulu original for a fourth season in 2019.
Animaniacs (2020)
2 Seasons
Genre
Animation, Comedy
Cast
Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, Tress MacNeille
The extremely self-aware Animaniacs reboot is shockingly on-brand for 2020. The popular show about the “Warner Brothers” (and the Warner Sister, Dot) went off the air in 1998 and was revived on Hulu with help from Steven Spielberg. While it’s still ostensibly a kids’ show, the title characters are fully aware that their original audience has grown up, and they’ve elevated their comedy to walk a fine line between caustic meta-satire and physical gags. This new style is immediately evident from the show’s revived version of its iconic title song: “A brand-new cast that tested well in focus group research: Gender-balanced, pronoun-neutral, and ethnically diverse.”
The Great (2020)
2 Seasons
Genre
Drama, Comedy
Cast
Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Phoebe Fox
Created by
Tony McNamara
Everybody’s heard of Catherine the Great, the Russian Empress who presided over one of imperial Russia’s greatest periods of prosperity. But not so many know about her husband and second cousin, Peter III, who was so incompetent that she overthrew him in a practically bloodless coup d’état. History is dramatic and tragic, but it’s also comical, and The Great finds wicked pleasure in pitting Elle Fanning’s cunning and witty Catherine against Nicholas Hoult’s dull, naive Peter. Catherine’s rise is, of course, inevitable, but it’s a lot of fun to watch play out in this satirical drama.
Monsterland (2020)
1 Season
Genre
Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast
Kaitlyn Dever, Charlotte Cabell, Taylor Schilling
Created by
Mary Laws
Hulu has built a name for itself in the horror genre, thanks largely to its partnership with Blumhouse and its Into the Dark movie anthology series. Monsterland, however, stands as its own anthology television, telling gruesome tales about angels, werewolves, mermaids, and more monstrous creatures that inhabit the shadows of our world. Each episode depicts broken people driven to desperate acts to fix their lives and save themselves, ultimately drawing a thin line between man and monster. Monsterland is at times heavy-handed with its message and themes, but it’s good, thought-provoking horror at its best.
Normal People (2020)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Cast
Daisy Edgar-Jones, Paul Mescal
Based on Sally Rooney’s bestselling novel, Normal People follows the relationship of Marianne and Connell, two Irish teens, as they grow together and apart, from their school days in a small town through their undergrad years at Trinity College. At first glance, Marianne and Connell couldn’t be more different. Connell is well-liked and popular, while Marianne is solitary, proud, and intimidating. When they meet as Connell picks his mother up from a cleaning job at Marianne’s house, the two discover they have instant chemistry. Although they’re social opposites, a connection evolves that they’re determined to hide from the rest of the world. Over time, their roles in society and in their own circles evolve and change, and they’ll need each other to find the balance.
Little Fires Everywhere (2020)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Cast
Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Megan Stott
Created by
Liz Tigelaar
Based on Celeste Ng’s novel of the same name, Little Fires Everywhere stars Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington as two mothers in the same wealthy neighborhood with polar-opposite experiences. Witherspoon plays Elena, the matriarch of the picture-perfect Richardson family, devoted more to maintaining her family’s image than actually connecting with her children. When her youngest daughter gravitates towards Mia (Washington), an artist who is new in town, Elena can’t keep from meddling. But as she digs into Mia’s life behind her back, she sets off a series of events she couldn’t foresee that will change her family forever.
High Fidelity (2020)
1 Season
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Cast
Zoë Kravitz, David H. Holmes, Da’Vine Joy Randolph
Created by
Veronica West, Sarah Kucserka
High Fidelity is a twist on the hit John Cusack movie about a record store owner named Rob who examines his failure in love and relationships through the lens of his encyclopedic knowledge of music. In Hulu’s series retelling of the story, Rob is short for Robyn, and she’s played by Zoe Kravitz. Rob owns a record store in the rapidly-gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhood of Crown Heights, and is determined to keep her store authentic. But she also struggles in love, and the series follows her attempts to grow up, find her identity, and get over her one true love while revisiting her past relationships through music and pop culture.
Mrs. America (2020)
1 Season
Genre
Drama
Cast
Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Uzo Aduba
Created by
Dahvi Waller
Cate Blanchett stars in this story about the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). Blanchett portrays Phyllis Schlafly, “the sweetheart of the silent majority” that is hellbent on preserving the sanctity of separate gender roles and the cult of domesticity. The story is told through the eyes of Schlafly and second-wave feminists like Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, Shirley Chisholm, Bella Abzug, and Jill Ruckelshaus, exploring one of the toughest battlegrounds of the 1970s culture wars that forever changed the American political landscape.
Ramy (2019)
2 Seasons
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Cast
Ramy Youssef, May Calamawy, Hiam Abbass
Created by
Ramy Youssef, Ari Katcher, Ryan Welch
Ramy Youssef won a Best Actor Golden Globe for his portrayal of a version of himself on this intelligent comedy about a first-generation Egyptian American on a spiritual journey in his politically divided New Jersey neighborhood. Caught between a Muslim community that believes life is a moral test and a millennial generation that doesn’t believe in consequences, Ramy’s perspective is nuanced, conflicted, and evolving. Although he’s looking to find some enlightenment, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t still want to be a normal 20-something who dates, goes to parties, and all of that. He’s just trying to find some balance.
Casual (2015)
4 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Cast
Michaela Watkins, Tommy Dewey, Tara Lynne Barr
Created by
Jason Reitman, Zander Lehmann
This critically acclaimed comedy series follows a newly divorced single mother who finds herself living with her slacker brother, the founder of a popular dating site, after her ex-husband leaves her — and their teenage daughter — for a younger woman. Michaela Watkins, Tommy Dewey, and Tara Lynne Barr star in the series, which also featured Oscar-nominated Juno and Up in the Air director Jason Reitman behind the camera for several episodes of the series’ four-season run. Widely praised for its clever dialogue and insightful look at the modern dating scene, Casual earned a Golden Globe Award nomination in 2016 as one of the year’s best comedy series.
The Act (2019)
1 Season
Genre
Drama, Crime
Cast
Patricia Arquette, Joey King, AnnaSophia Robb
Created by
Nick Antosca, Michelle Dean
The Act is a seasonal anthology series that focuses on some of the strangest true crime stories yanked straight from the headlines. The first season follows Gypsy Blanchard (Joey King), a girl trying to escape the toxic relationship she has with her mother, Dee Dee (Patricia Arquette), who suffers from Munchausen by proxy. As Gypsy seeks independence, she opens a Pandora’s box of secrets that ultimately lead to her mother’s murder. If you like crazy, true stories about situations that get dramatically out of hand, you’ll love The Act.
Difficult People (2015)
3 Seasons
Genre
Comedy
Cast
Julie Klausner, Billy Eichner, James Urbaniak
Created by
Julie Klausner
“Difficult” is an understatement when it comes to the lead duo in this series, which follows a pair of struggling New York City comedians who are terrible to just about everyone they encounter — all except for each other, that is. Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner portray the two mean-spirited comedians who can’t seem to get out of their own way, with Amy Poehler serving as executive producer on the series. The three-season series earned comparisons to Curb Your Enthusiasm over the course of its run, and like the latter series, it also featured a long list of familiar faces from the comedy world who make cameos or play supporting roles in the series. The final season of the series premiered in 2017.
Future Man (2017)
3 Seasons
Genre
Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast
Josh Hutcherson, Eliza Coupe, Derek Wilson
Created by
Howard Overman, Ariel Shaffir, Kyle Hunter
The Hunger Games actor Josh Hutcherson stars in this sci-fi comedy series that casts him as a lowly janitor whose mastery of a popular video game leads to him being recruited for a time-hopping mission to stop a future apocalypse. If it sounds like the plot of The Last Starfighter, it’s supposed to — and that’s not the only pop-culture touchstone the series mines for inspiration. The show comes from the mind of Misfits creator Howard Overman, and the presence of Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg as producers — better known for their collaborations on Superbad, Pineapple Express, and Knocked Up — offers a good indication of the sort of humor and pop culture references that fill the show.
Harlots (2017)
3 Seasons
Genre
Drama
Cast
Rosalind Eleazar, Danny Sapani, Roy Beck
Created by
Moira Buffini
This dramatic British American original Hulu series tells the story of a scandalous family business dedicated to pleasure. The setting is 18th-century England, where two brothel owners are battling it out. Samantha Morton plays the role of former seducer Margaret Wells. Throughout the series, she contests the upper-class brothel run by her previous boss while simultaneously managing her family and social prestige.
Marvel’s Runaways (2017)
3 Seasons
Genre
Action & Adventure, Crime, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast
Rhenzy Feliz, Lyrica Okano, Virginia Gardner
Created by
Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage
Runaways is Hulu’s single entry in Marvel’s cinematic universe. This comic book-based television series features a crew of wealthy teenagers living in the Los Angeles suburbs who find out that their parents are criminals. The young actors and actresses thoroughly impressed viewers with an exceptional first season that flawlessly integrated today’s high school drama with old-school comic book themes. This fantastic elemental mixture made the show stand out from the rest of the superhero movies and television counterparts.
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