The streamer carries a wide variety of series, from Emmy-winning dramas to underrated comedies.
There’s nothing quite like a great TV binge, but there’s also nothing more frustrating than not knowing what to watch. For those nights when you’re ready to dive into a new series that previously slipped off your radar, Entertainment Weekly has got you covered. You'll find something for every viewing mood in this guide, so read on to find your next obsession. Here are the 25 best shows on Hulu right now, from one-season delights to long-running classics.
A Murder at the End of the World (2023)
Emma Corrin (The Crown) plays Darby Hart, a true crime author and self-taught detective who’s thrilled when a tech billionaire (Clive Owen) invites her to an exclusive retreat at his isolated compound in Iceland. Obviously, it does not go great. It’s bad enough when she realizes her ex-boyfriend is there, but then the bodies start dropping. This FX series is a welcome fresh take on the classic murder mystery, made even better by frequent flashbacks to the gruesome case that made Hart a famous author.
Where to watch A Murder at the End of the World: Hulu
Cast: Emma Corrin, Raúl Esparza, Harris Dickinson, Clive Owen, Joan Chen
Related content: Emma Corrin recalls painkiller-induced bee hallucinations they had on the set of upcoming FX series
Atlanta (2016–2022)
Donald and Stephen Glover never resigned their acclaimed series to just one genre. Across 41 episodes, Atlanta has been a sitcom, a satire, a black comedy, a horror comedy, a drama, and even a documentary once or twice. The story of Earn (Donald Glover) managing his cousin Alfred’s (Brian Tyree Henry) rap career remains compelling in part by seamlessly switching to whichever style and tone is best suited for a given moment. This balancing act wouldn’t work without the cast’s stellar dexterity, including Zazie Beetz as Earn’s partner Van, and LaKeith Stanfield as Alfred’s philosophizing best friend Darius. If you missed out on one of the best shows of last decade while it was airing, now’s your chance to catch up.
EW grade: A (read the review)
Cast: Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, LaKeith Stanfield, Zazie Beetz
Related content: Every Atlanta episode ranked
The Bear (2022–present)
The Bear’s plot is deceptively simple: A young fine-dining chef (Jeremy Allen White) comes home to run his family’s faltering Italian beef sandwich shop after his brother’s suicide. But like a perfect meal, the execution of a simple idea is what counts. Even in quick-hit sub-30-minute episodes (a rarity in today’s prestige TV landscape), creator Christopher Storer makes sure each employee’s story shines, whether it’s Marcus’s (Lionel Boyce) spiritual training in Copenhagen, Tina’s (Liza Colón-Zayas) culinary school evolution, Sydney’s (Ayo Edebiri) Chicago food tour, or Cousin Richie’s (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) week at real-life two Michelin star restaurant Ever. That episode, “Forks,” was one of the best TV episodes of 2023, with EW’s Dalton Ross writing, “The transformation that takes place as Richie slowly learns to respect his coworkers, respect the diners, and, most important of all, respect himself is the most powerful character arc yet on a show filled with them.” There’s a reason the Emmys can’t stop hurling statuettes at this show, so savor each episode and whet your appetite for season 3.
EW grade: A (read the review)
Cast: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Abby Elliott, Matty Matheson
Related content: Best of 2023 (Behind the Scenes): How The Bear cooked up that impressive cast for 'Fishes'
Better Things (2016–2022)
Pamela Adlon plays Sam Fox, the working actor raising three daughters and caring for her aging mother in this underappreciated, semi-autobiographical gem. EW critic Kristen Baldwin lauded the show for being a space “where events don't so much happen as they unfurl, at their own pace, in front of our eyes,” a bit of a television miracle in this age of high-speed content designed to keep you hooked. But here, you’re hooked by these complex characters: rebellious Max (Mikey Madison), stubborn and curious Frankie (Hannah Alligood), and sweetheart Duke (Olivia Edward), each going through their teens and dragging their mom along for all the highs and lows that follow. Better Things highlights everything about life that most shows skip in favor of “plot,” when the real plot is small, human, and worth watching.
Where to watch Better Things: Hulu
EW grade: A (read the review)
Cast: Pamela Adlon, Mikey Madison, Hannah Alligood, Olivia Edward, Celia Imrie
Related content: Better Things star Pamela Adlon scores 100 on EW's Pop Culture Personality Test
Bob Ross – The Joy of Painting (1983–1994)
You don’t always need an Emmy-winning prestige drama or an edgy comedy to pass the time. Sometimes when you turn on the TV, you just need something soothing and inherently positive, where mistakes are just a brush stroke away from becoming something beautiful. For over 400 episodes, Bob Ross taught public television audiences how to paint lovely landscapes, leaving behind a legacy of affable, meme-able moments, plus artworks that live on everywhere from your family garage to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
Where to watch Bob Ross – The Joy of Painting: Hulu
Cast: Bob Ross, lots of “happy trees”
Related content: The Joy of Painting: First episode with Bob Ross arrives online
ER (1994–2009)
This beloved NBC medical drama follows the emergency room at Chicago’s Cook County General Hospital for a whopping 331 episodes. ER’s biggest moments are television lore: Doug (George Clooney) carrying a child out of a flooded drainpipe, Carter (Noah Wyle) and Lucy (Kellie Martin) getting stabbed by a schizophrenic patient, Dr. Romano (Paul McCrane) facing off against a helicopter… twice. Almost every episode is memorable in some way, including a cast list filled with stars, whether they had a guest spot as a patient or were a series regular. If you were too young to watch it when it aired or haven’t spent time with your favorite docs recently, clock in for your shift and get to work.
EW grade: A- (read the review)
Cast: Anthony Edwards, George Clooney, Sherry Stringfield, Noah Wyle, Julianna Margulies, Eriq La Salle
Related content: ER cast: Where are they now?
Extraordinary (2023–2024)
In the world of this British comedy, every person on Earth gets a superpower when they turn 18 — except Jen (Máiréad Tyers), our powerless main character who’s desperate to find her gift. Extraordinary has a great time messing with our previous notions of superpowers by putting them into the hands of ordinary people. Take Jen’s best friend and roommate Carrie (Sofia Oxenham), for example. She can channel the dead, but she mostly uses it to settle disputes at a law firm, though she’ll occasionally channel Hitler so people can make fun of him directly. It’s a clever, sometimes raunchy/sometimes sweet series about how we embrace our potential.
Where to watch Extraordinary: Hulu
Cast: Máiréad Tyers, Sofia Oxenham, Bilal Hasna, Luke Rollason
Fargo (2014–present)
Based on the 1996 Coen brothers movie, each episode of Noah Hawley’s crime anthology series begins with this message: “This is a true story. At the request of the survivors, the names have been changed. Out of respect for the dead, the rest has been told exactly as it occurred.” Of course, it’s not technically a true story, except perhaps in the larger capital-T truth about crime and consequences. Every season brings a new cast, a new story, and all the quirk you crave from a middle-America franchise. It’s excellent entertainment, especially seeing how actors like Juno Temple and Kirsten Dunst take on the required accent.
EW grade: N/A (read the review)
Cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks
Related content: Fargo creatives talk casting 'menacing' Jon Hamm, Juno Temple, and more in season 5
Feud (2017–2024)
As the title implies, Ryan Murphy’s anthology series sees two separate but equally intense feuds unfold. In season 1, Bette Davis (Susan Sarandon) and Joan Crawford (Jessica Lange) battle each other and the Hollywood misogyny they’re constantly up against. In season 2, Truman Capote (Tom Hollander) spars with half a dozen New York socialites (Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Chloë Sevigny, Calista Flockhart, Demi Moore) who didn’t appreciate him mining their lives for his writing. (We don’t want to pick sides, but really, he could have made it less obvious.) Both installments share Murphy’s typically stacked cast of legendary actors, gorgeous costuming, and fast-paced direction.
EW grade: B (read the review)
Cast: Jessica Lange, Susan Sarandon, Naomi Watts, Tom Hollander, Calista Flockhart, Demi Moore
Related content: The next Truman Capote: The White Lotus star Tom Hollander on channeling the writer in Feud season 2
Freaks and Geeks (1999)
Judd Apatow’s cult comedy about the outcasts of a Detroit high school in the early 1980s remains famous for two things: First, it launched the careers of stars like James Franco, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Linda Cardellini, and Busy Philipps. Second, it’s on every “Canceled Too Soon” list of the last 25 years. The story of siblings Lindsey (Cardellini) and Sam (John Francis Daley) and their respective cliques (of burnouts and nerds, respectively) is a hilarious look at the most awkward parts of adolescence and how we survive them.
Where to watch Freaks and Geeks: Hulu
EW grade: A (read the review)
Cast: Linda Cardellini, John Francis Daley, James Franco, Samm Levine, Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, Martin Starr, Busy Philipps
Related content: Freaks and Geeks cast post moving tributes to celebrate show's 20th anniversary
The Great (2020–2023)
The real-life story of Catherine the Great, empress of Russia, is fascinating. But is it a great comedy? You better stick to Tony McNamara’s (The Favourite, Poor Things) version if you want to be entertained. His interpretation of Catherine (Elle Fanning) and Peter’s (Nicholas Hoult) love story/power struggle is part historical drama, part grand romance, part sex romp, part palace intrigue, all sharply observed and wickedly funny. The script twists and turns in unexpected ways (Gillian Anderson’s guest role will not go the way you think) and you’ll gasp several times a season, but you’ll laugh more. There’s a reason so many reviews of The Great end with a declaration that it is, well, great. Huzzah!
Where to watch The Great: Hulu
Cast: Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Phoebe Fox, Sacha Dhawan
Related content: Elle Fanning addresses The Great cancellation and where she thinks Catherine's journey goes next
High Fidelity (2020)
The 2000 John Cusack movie was a faithful adaptation of the 1995 Nick Hornby novel, but like a great cover of a classic hit, the 2020 series modernized it for today. Rob (Zoë Kravitz) is still an immature record store owner bemoaning past heartbreak and breaking the fourth wall, but given 10 episodes instead of one film, her character gets to evolve further. The music is, predictably, fantastic (don’t skip end credits!), and future Oscar winner Da'Vine Joy Randolph steals every scene as Cherise, Rob’s employee and a struggling musician who's afraid to take a creative leap.
Where to watch High Fidelity: Hulu
Cast: Zoë Kravitz, Jake Lacy, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, David H. Holmes
Related content: Zoë Kravitz explains why High Fidelity reopens the debate about Michael Jackson and Kanye West
Living Single (1993–1998)
Tell us if you heard of this one: A 1990s hit sitcom about six friends searching for professional success and love while living in the same New York City building. No, not that one. The other one. The first one. The Black one. Premiering in 1993, the cast’s chemistry and the great writing made Living Single an unexpected success against big competition on Sunday nights, setting the show up for a five-season, 118-episode run that holds up to this day. It’s also one of the most beloved Black sitcoms of all time, giving young non-white audiences a group of, ahem, friends who look and sound like them. As creator Yvette Lee Bowser told Entertainment Weekly, “Black people are always creating American culture, and yet we were disproportionately absent from the television landscape… That was the impetus for the whole thing — to tell our stories from our point of view.”
Where to watch Living Single: Hulu
Cast: Queen Latifah, Kim Coles, Erika Alexander, Kim Fields, T.C. Carson, John Henton
Related content: Living Single cast: Where are they now?
The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970–1977)
Yes, The Mary Tyler Moore Show has had a massive cultural impact, from its feminist core to its adult themes to its influence on every sitcom that followed. But the series’s place in television history shouldn’t overwhelm the fact that it’s incredibly funny. An absolute murderers’ row of comedic legends (Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner, Gavin MacLeod, Ted Knight, Cloris Leachman, Valerie Harper, Georgia Engel, Betty White) are all at the top of their game here, deftly pulling every possible punchline from the beautifully written material. If you only recall the biggest moments (Chuckles the Clown, hating spunk, et al.), now is the time to go back and remember that it wasn’t just love all around, it was laughs too.
Where to watch The Mary Tyler Moore Show: Hulu
Cast: Mary Tyler Moore, Ed Asner, Gavin MacLeod, Ted Knight, Cloris Leachman, Valerie Harper, Georgia Engel, Betty White
Related content: Ed Asner remembers Mary Tyler Moore: 'She was one of the greats'
Moonlighting (1985–1989)
When former model Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd) loses all her money to a crooked accountant, she’s forced to run an L.A. detective agency with a roguish private eye (Bruce Willis), and sparks fly. Moonlighting broke the fourth wall, broke long-held industry assumptions, and was Willis’ big break. The highs were very high (like the Taming of the Shrew costume fantasy “Atomic Shakespeare” or “The Dream Sequence Always Rings Twice,” an ode to film noir) and the lows were really low (“Womb with a View,” with Willis playing Maddie’s unborn fetus is disturbing on several levels). Just remember, Ted Williams only had a lifetime average of .344, and he’s one of the greatest hitters in baseball history. Moonlighting swung for the fences every time, and it’s no mystery why audiences still love it.
Where to watch Moonlighting: Hulu
Cast: Cybill Shepherd, Bruce Willis, Allyce Beasley, Curtis Armstrong
Related content: The cast of Moonlighting: Where are they now?
Only Murders in the Building (2021–present)
The charm of this mystery-comedy begins with the three leads: Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez are an absolute delight as tenants of the death-prone Arconia apartment building who become podcasting, crime-solving besties. Each season is stuffed with guest stars who could possibly be the victim or the murderer (Paul Rudd, Amy Ryan, Tina Fey, Nathan Lane, and Meryl frickin’ Streep, to name a few) but the recurring cast of Arconia eccentrics are just as good (special shout out to Jackie Hoffman, one of television’s most reliable comedy curmudgeons). The mysteries are fun but almost beside the point, and red herrings can take entire episodes. The joy of Only Murders, then, is in what the cases reveal about the all-too-human characters, not to mention the slapstick comedy and heartwarming friendship.
Where to watch Only Murders in the Building: Hulu
EW grade: B (read the review)
Cast: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez
Related content: Paul Rudd calls working on Only Murders In the Building season 3 the 'Mount Rushmore' of comedy
The Other Black Girl (2023)
When Nella Rogers (Sinclair Daniel) finally gains a fellow Black co-worker at Wagner Books, the young editorial assistant is delighted — until she’s not. Horror-comedy has always been a natural vehicle to write about racism, and this Hulu show leans into the genre tropes to highlight the way micro and macro aggressions in the workplace can slowly break a person down. Ashleigh Murray is great as Hazel, the colleague who starts as friend but becomes foe, and Daniel plays Nella’s awakening to the truth about her cohort with a sincerity that humanizes the series’ most bonkers twist. A parallel plot set in 1988 works with Nella’s story to amp up the eeriness and remind the audience that the real horror is how little progress towards equality has been made.
Where to watch The Other Black Girl: Hulu
Cast: Sinclair Daniel, Ashleigh Murray, Brittany Adebumola, Hunter Parrish, Bellamy Young, Eric McCormack
Related content: The Other Black Girl author says Hulu series is 'a mishmash of genres'
The Patient (2022)
What’s a serial killer to do when he wants to change but doesn’t quite know how? For Kenny Chesney superfan Sam (Domhnall Gleeson), the answer is kidnapping his therapist Alan (Steve Carell). Chained in a finished basem*nt, Alan spends his days thinking of his family, hallucinating his own therapy sessions with former mentor Charlie (David Alan Grier), and trying to get Sam to curb his deadly instincts. The miniseries is 10 episodes of thrilling tension, especially when Gleeson and Carell share the screen and subvert their characters’ intentions.
Where to watch The Patient: Hulu
Cast: Steve Carell, Domhnall Gleeson, Linda Emond
Related content: The 15 best Steve Carell movies and TV shows, ranked
Ramy (2019–2022)
Comedian Ramy Youssef stars in (and often writes and directs) this comedy-drama as the titular New Jersey twentysomething trying to balance his first-generation Muslim identity with a millennial aimlessness. EW’s critic called Ramy “essential viewing” for reasons both political (the rare television show about an American Muslim family) and creative (it’s just really, really good). Hiam Abbass (Succession) is especially wonderful as Ramy’s mother Maysa, whose dissatisfaction is given whole episodes to explore.
EW grade: A- (read the review)
Cast: Ramy Youssef, Hiam Abbass, Amr Waked, May Calamawy
Related content: Ramy Youssef on bringing a Muslim American story to Hulu's new comedy Ramy
Reservation Dogs (2021–2023)
Not enough people (and certainly not enough Emmy voters) have watched this marvelous comedy about four Native American teenagers (Devery Jacobs, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Lane Factor, Paulina Alexis) reeling from the loss of their friend Daniel on an Oklahoma reservation. Created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, the almost all-indigenous cast and crew used their background and wit to craft an authentic laugh-out-loud comedy that represents a multitude of Native experiences without cheapening the depth of loss, dispossession, poverty, resilience, and joy that affect these characters lives. Harjo intentionally ended Dogs after only three seasons, but those 28 episodes give us plenty of Res to love, plus an acting masterclass from Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone as the incarcerated grieving mother of Daniel.
Where to watch Reservation Dogs: Hulu
EW grade: A- (read the review)
Cast: Devery Jacobs, D'Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Lane Factor, Paulina Alexis
Related content: The 20 best TV episodes of 2023
Shōgun (2024)
If you’re of a certain age, you remember Shōgun as the massive paperback your Mom lugged around one summer, or perhaps the swoony 1980 miniseries starring Richard Chamberlain. This FX version is a welcome update. Sure, English sailor John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) still accidentally shipwrecks himself into the middle of a feudal power dispute in 1600s Japan, but his story is equally entwined with Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), the regent trying to survive his ouster from the ruling council, and Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai), the translator with a disgraced lineage and a star-crossed romance with Blackthorne. At various points, the politics and humor will remind you of Succession and the scope will bring Game of Thrones to mind, but EW critic Kristen Baldwin argues Shōgun stands alone as “a stunning epic that never lets big-budget set pieces overshadow the human drama at its core.”
EW grade: A- (read the review)
Cast: Hiroyuki Sanada, Cosmo Jarvis, Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asano
Related content: Shōgun's fraught political landscape and power players, explained
Shoresy (2022–present)
Absolutely no one was requesting a spinoff of Letterkenny’s most foul-mouthed, never-actually-seen character Shoresy, but goes to show what we know, eh? A one-note gag in the original series, Shoresy (writer and creator Jared Keeso) is a solid hockey player but an even better “chirper” who lobs vicious insults to get under the opposition’s skin. In his solo outing, the athlete finds himself in Sudbury, home of the miserably bad Triple-A Bulldogs. The team’s owner Nat (Tasya Teles) is ready to fold the franchise, but uber-competitive Shoresy instead convinces her that he can revamp the roster and “never lose again.” Suddenly, we’re in a classic sports underdog story, albeit with some extremely low-brow punchlines and a healthy amount of male-gaziness. But there’s also a sweetness at its core, and watching how much the team comes to mean to both Shoresy and the Sudbury locals will hit you like a puck to the teeth.
Cast: Jared Keeso, Tasya Teles, Harlan Blayne Kytwayhat, Blair Lamora
Related content: Letterkenny plays the hits on tour: Here's what we saw at Letterkenny Live
Terriers (2010)
It’s been long assumed that the (admittedly) terrible title kept audiences away from this wise-cracking detective show, so let’s get this out of the way… Terriers is not about dogs. The name is a metaphor for the scrappy, tenacious unlicensed private detectives at the center of the show: Hank (Donal Logue), the alcoholic ex-cop, and his ex-con best friend Bitt (Michael Raymond-James). The two are broke, cynical, and miserable, mostly by way of their own making, but they’re also smart, funny, and hate a bully. The case they stumble into is full of noir-level corruption, but luckily there’s enough of a resolution that these 13 episodes are still worth watching.
Cast: Donal Logue, Michael Raymond-James
Related content: Terriers series finale: What did you think of the ending?
Vida (2018–2020)
The two sisters at the center of this three-season Starz comedy-drama are polar opposites. Lyn (Melissa Barrera) is a San Francisco-based free spirit and Emma (Mishel Prada) is a Chicago corporate shark. When their mother Vida dies suddenly, they reluctantly return to Boyle Heights, Calif., to bury her and deal with the family bar. But a quick sale is out of the question when they discover it’s in debt and co-owned by Eddy (Ser Anzoategui), who was absolutely more than Mom’s roommate. Vida is a sharp, funny show about gentrification, family, and what it means to come home.
EW grade: B (read the review)
Cast: Melissa Barrera, Mishel Prada, Ser Anzoategui
Related content: Inside Vida's writers' room — one of the queerest spaces in Hollywood
White Collar (2009–2014)
If you’ve finished Suits and are looking for your next wry, frothy binge, we’ve got you covered. Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) of the FBI White Collar Crimes Unit is the lawman that caught Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer), an international art-forger and con artist. When circ*mstances lead them to work together, the agent and newly minted criminal consultant tackle the various white-collar crimes of New York City. Bomer and DeKay make for a charming pair, and each comes with a best friend who adds to the fun; Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiessen) is Peter’s wife who adores Neal, and Mozzie (the late, great Willie Garson) is Neal’s criminal buddy who loathes law enforcement. Heists, jewelry thieves, and underground auctions abound, plus Neal’s love of all things vintage means you’ll still get to see some great suits.
Where to watch White Collar: Hulu
Cast: Matt Bomer, Tim DeKay, Tiffani Thiessen, Willie Garson
Related content: The new menswear collection inspired by Matt Bomer's White Collar character
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.
