The 40 Best Shows to Stream Now on Hulu
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Hulu is a portal to endless entertainment. From gripping dramas with stellar performances—think: Pose, Candy, and Dopesick—to hilarious comedies that beg for a binge—like Schitt's Creek, Abbott Elementary, and Only Murders in the Building—there's a series to suit every mood. Ahead, a further rundown of best shows on Hulu right now. And if you’re curious about the other streamers, check out the best shows on Netflix and the best TV shows on Prime Video. Should you be feeling brave, head on over to our roundup of the best horror shows perfect for spooky season.
Abbott Elementary
A mockumentary sitcom about devoted teachers in an underfunded Philly public school, led by unflinching optimist Janine Teagues (creator Quinta Brunson). The new comedy is adored for its hilarious and realistic depiction of educators as everyday superheroes, and there's just enough time to catch it before the end of its second stellar season.
American Horror Story
A dark horror show from the twisted minds of Ryan Murphy (yes, of Glee and Nip/Tuck fame) and Brad Falchuk. Each season of American Horror Story is self-contained, meaning you’ll find a different spooky setting and protagonists each eight or so episodes: a haunted house, an asylum, and the aftermath of the Salem Witch Trials, among others.
Atlanta
Earn Marks (played by Donald Glover) is a 30-something Princeton dropout trying to get his cousin Paper Boi's rap career off the ground in Atlanta, a hotbed of industry talent. Smart, cynical, but sometimes reckless, he struggles with homelessness throughout the show’s critically acclaimed four seasons.
Pose
Co-created by Brad Falchuck and Ryan Murphy, this groundbreaking series took its final bow in 2021; sad news, yes, but now it means you can binge all three seasons from beginning to end. And trust us, taking another spin through late-’80s/early-’90s ballroom scene of New York City is a glorious encore. From the dazzling performances to the compelling characters, Pose is a triumphant love letter to the LGBTQ+ community.
Ramy
As thought provoking as it is entertaining, Ramy Youssef's semi-autobiographical series, in which he also stars, is an exploration of self-discovery both in faith and the modern world. An Egyptian American navigating sex, dating, and prayer, Ramy tries to make ends meet after losing his job at a tech startup. And it all leads to a humorous and relatable look at living, working, and surviving as a Muslim in America.
Schitt's Creek
There are no throwaway episodes, there is no hook episode: Every single episode of this comedy series from Dan and Eugene Levy is a delight. And at a brief 20-something minutes between credits, bingeing a whole season in one sitting is super doable, and super encouraged. The gist: A rich family loses everything, except a rural town bought as a joke. Thrust from luxury, they make do in their new nightmare reality.
The Other Black Girl
Strange things start happening at Wagner Books. And it all begins when Nella meets Hazel, the "other Black girl" in her otherwise all-white department. Thrilled at first, the two become friends. But before long, things turn sinister and dark secrets are revealed. An adaptation of Zakiya Dalila Harris's 2021 novel, this thriller series from executive producer Rashida Jones offers a chilling look at racism in corporate America.
What We Do in the Shadows
Vampires are old. Really old. Storytellers have been spinning yarns about the bloodsuckers since tale tales were born. But when it comes to this silly series from Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, the eternal night dwellers get a revamp. Breathing new life into the tired subgenre, each season plays out like a mockumentary, chronicling the daily life of a group of vampires who live in Staten Island and documenting what they're up to in between meals.
Better Things
A dramedy about the day-to-day life of Sam Fox (Pamela Adlon), working actor and single mother to three children, shows an honest depiction of a woman in her middle age and the daily sacrifices of motherhood. Though the award-winning series ended last year, all five seasons are available to binge on the streamer now.
Black-ish
A sitcom about Dre Johnson (Anthony Anderson) and his wife Rainbow (Tracee Ellis Ross) who live a great life in an upper-middle-class, predominantly white neighborhood. As a Black man raising his family, Dre helps them establish a sense of their own cultural identity. This critically acclaimed comedy series has eight seasons for you to binge on.
Candy
In 1980s Texas, suburban housewife Candy Montgomery has an affair with her neighbor Betty’s husband. Candy is then accused of brutally murdering Betty after being confronted about the affair. Jessica Biel is an executive producer and the star of the show in this limited series about Montgomery, who IRL was charged and subsequently acquitted of Betty’s murder.
Conversations with Friends
If you loved Normal People, here’s another brilliant show from the brain of Irish author Sally Rooney. Conversations with Friends centers on the unlikely friendship between two college students and a married couple. It’s a funny, honest, and sensitive portrayal of slightly introverted people and the connections they make.
Dopesick
A miniseries depicting the epicenter of the opioid epidemic, adapted from journalist Beth Macy's 2018 book Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America. The heart-wrenching miniseries stars Michael Keaton, Rosario Dawson, Kaitlyn Dever, and Michael Stuhlbarg as the major players and everyday people caught up in the wake of the addictive drug.
Fargo
In 1996, there was a Fargo film starring Frances McDormand as a pregnant Minnesota police chief. The show Fargo is set in the same universe, and though it comes with totally new characters, you’ll find the same dark humor that made the original movie so iconic. In February 2022, the show was renewed for a fifth season.
Fleishman Is in Trouble
Based on the 2019 novel of the same name by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, the show follows Toby Fleishman (Jesse Eisenberg), a recently divorced doctor whose new dating life is complicated when his ex-wife (Claire Danes) disappears, leaving their two children with him. The nuanced drama about the paths people take in life is narrated by Libby (Lizzy Caplan), a sardonic writer-turned-housewife.
Godfather of Harlem
From Narcos creator Chris Brancato, Forest Whitaker stars as crime boss Bumpy Johnson in this gritty crime drama based on true events. Johnson returns home from a long prison sentence to discover his Harlem kingdom has been usurped by the Genovese family. Of course, he goes to war with the Italians to reclaim his title.
High Fidelity
A fresh interpretation of Nick Hornby’s acclaimed novel High Fidelity, this new iteration stars Zoë Kravitz as the central character, Robyn Brooks. She’s the ultimate music fan and owner of a record store who reflects on her failed relationships, five of which compose her All-Time Top 5 Most Memorable Heartbreaks. Unfortunately, the show was canceled after one season, but it’s still worth the watch.
Justified
This gritty Western-meets-crime drama stars Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens, a deputy U.S. Marshal responsible for dealing out justice in Harlan County, a region in the Appalachian Mountains area of eastern Kentucky. It’s a severely underappreciated series, with Olyphant delivering some of the best performances of his career.
Killing Eve
From one of our favorite brains in the business, Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Fleabag), comes this spy thriller-cum-dark comedy series. Sandra Oh stars as a British intelligence officer hunting a psychopathic assassin. The show is actually based on the Villanelle novel series by Luke Jennings, and every season (of which there are four) is led by a different female head writer.
Nine Perfect Strangers
When nine strangers descend on the secluded wellness retreat known as Tranquillum House, they get a little more than they bargained for in their pursuit of life transformations. It’s from the famed writer Liane Moriarty, who brought us Big Little Lies. Nine Perfect Strangers is an unexpected drama about trauma and healing, starring Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon, Regina Hall, Bobby Cannavale, and an odd-talking Nicole Kidman as the guru Masha.
Normal People
Don’t you just love a show that lives up to its title? We love Normal People, based on the book by Sally Rooney of the same name, because it’s about just that: Normal people looking for true connection, saying the wrong things, and falling in love. While Hollywood is bloated with unrealistic romantic storylines, Normal People is grounded and totally relatable.
Only Murders in the Building
Three unlikely friends bond over their love of true-crime podcasts, only to begin an investigation themselves into a mysterious death in their own apartment building. Starring the classic comedy stylings of New York legends Steve Martin and Martin Short, with the dry delivery of our BFF, Selena Gomez, it’s smart, self-aware, and endlessly entertaining.
Pam & Tommy
Celebrity sex tapes are a dime a dozen these days, but this is the OG. In 1998, the video Pamela Anderson and her husband, Tommy Lee, made while on their honeymoon made international headlines. Pam & Tommy tells the story of the couple’s tumultuous relationship and the making public of what was supposed to be a very intimate, private moment.
PEN15
Dubbed “cringe comedy,” PEN15 is a heartwarming depiction of being a teenager in the early 2000s and all the awkwardness that comes with it. Best friends Anna and Maya navigate middle school as, shall we say, not the most popular kids in school, “where the best day of your life can turn into your worst with the stroke of a gel pen.”
Reservation Dogs
Four Indigenous teenagers from Oklahoma are set on making a new life in California, but they must commit—and fight—crime to get there. The teen comedy show, which returned for Season 2 in August, is a huge win for representation, as it features a near-total Indigenous North American cast.
Rick and Morty
One of the smartest animated series out there, Rick and Morty follows a teenage boy and his nihilistic scientist grandfather as they go on adventures throughout the universe. All six seasons somehow strike the perfect balance between cheap potty humor and wildly intelligent scientific and philosophic questions.
RuPaul’s Drag Race
Easily one of the best reality TV shows out there, RuPaul’s Drag Race is a fierce talent competition to dub the King or Queen of Drag. Contestants must make their own costumes, do their own makeup, and deliver original performances to impress the OG, the fabulous RuPaul her/himself.
Shrill
Based on the book Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman by Lindy West, Aidy Bryant stars as Annie. She’s a young, ambitious journalist for a youth magazine in Portland, Oregon. The show features unapologetic observations on fat-phobia, abortion stigma, and #Girlboss culture. It ran for three seasons while you can easily binge but was inexplicably canceled in 2021.
The Bear
Bringing the phrase “yes, Chef” into everyday vernacular (maybe even the bedroom if you’re so inclined?), everyone is talking about The Bear. It’s an intimate, raw, and frankly thirsty AF comedy/drama portrayal of a fine dining chef who returns to Chicago to take over the family sandwich shop after his brother dies by suicide. I don’t care who you are; Jeremy Allen White deserves all the Emmys in the world for his performance.
The Dropout
Amanda Seyfried stars as Elizabeth Holmes, the enigmatic and convicted fraudster who founded the biotechnology company Theranos. Holmes claimed she and her company had developed a revolutionary technology to replace the blood test with a single drop of blood. But after a months-long investigation into the business by journalist John Carreyrou, Holmes’s empire came crashing down, and she was found to have misled investors and the government.
The Girl from Plainville
The Hulu series is a heartbreaking true story that set a stunning criminal precedent. Teenager Conrad Roy III dies by suicide, and the investigation into his death reveals a complicated, romantic relationship with fellow teen Michelle Carter. A jury would convict Carter of involuntary manslaughter when texts between the two suggest she encouraged him to end his life.
The Great
We love a show that comes with the caveat “an occasionally true story.” Starring Elle Fanning as Catherine, Empress of Russia, in the 18th century, The Great certainly takes artistic liberties with history, but it’s a joy to watch with sensational comedic delivery and sometimes downright shocking scenes.
The Handmaid’s Tale
Set in a dystopian future (although some might argue it’s frighteningly edging closer to reality), the series unfolds through the few fertile women left in the oppressive Republic of Gilead who are mercilessly used as breeding surrogates for wealthy elites. These women are known as handmaids. Now heading into its sixth and final season, Elisabeth Moss stars as a handmaid Offred, a.k.a. June, struggling to find her identity in a bleak world.
The Mindy Project
Mindy Lahiri (Mindy Kaling) is a successful ob-gyn at a small medical practice in New York City. On ultimately a path to self-discovery, Mindy tries to balance her professional and personal life with often hilarious, mixed results. The character was largely inspired by Kaling’s real-life mother.
This Fool
Julio (Chris Estrada) lives in South Central Los Angeles and works at a gang rehabilitation nonprofit with his cousin Luis (Frankie Quinones), who just got out of jail. As the two men get used to working and living together (in Julio's childhood home), they learn more about each other and themselves in this uproarious, introspective comedy. Michael Imperioli also stars as Minister Payne, the nonprofit’s founder.
This Is Us
There’s one caveat to watching This Is Us, and that is always to have tissues nearby. Starring Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia, this emotional drama series is centered on the Pearson family and their unique set of triplets (two are biological, and one is adopted) and how their lives play out, often in unexpected ways.
Top of the Lake
When a pregnant 12-year-old daughter disappears, last seen standing chest deep in a freezing lake, Detective Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss) is enlisted to investigate. A haunting show made all the more so by the otherworldly landscape of New Zealand’s South Island, Top of the Lake is mysterious, sometimes bleak, but ultimately hopeful.
Under the Banner of Heaven
In 2003, author Jon Krakauer published his nonfiction work Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith. It examined the origin and evolution of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty, Mormon fundamentalists who committed a double murder in the name of God. In the onscreen adaption, Andrew Garfield and Gil Birmingham star as the two detectives investigating the brutal crime.
Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons
There was a time when Victoria’s Secret was all millennials at the mall could talk about. It was at the pinnacle of pop culture. But behind the scenes, there was a toxic work culture and questionable ties with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. This limited documentary series explores the giant that was VS and its fall from grace.
Vikings
If you’re looking for something to fill the Game of Thrones hole before House of the Dragon, you’ll get the same satisfaction, albeit without the fantasy element, from this historical show set during the Viking invasion of England. It’s based on the saga of Norse hero Ragnar Lodbrok during the ninth century.
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