There’s no dearth of options on Hulu, so deciding what to watch can be overwhelming. Instead of figuring out which show will keep you on your couch for several hours, check out our roundup of the best series on the streamer, including beloved Hulu originals, FX hits, network TV favorites, and cult gems. Looking for something timely? Keep up with the new season Abbott Elementary, which ends in May, and binge FX’s fantastic epic Shōgun.
This list is in alphabetical order. It was last updated on May 7, 2024. It will update monthly.
2 / 54
Abbott Elementary (ABC: 2021-)
Abbott Elementary (ABC: 2021-)
Stars: Quinta Brunson, Tyler James Williams, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Lisa Ann Walter, Chris Perfetti, Janelle James, William Stanford Davis
Number of seasons on Hulu: 3
Abbott Elementarymultiple Emmy wins—and all for a good reason. Created by Brunson, the series follows underfunded school teachers of a Philadelphia public school as they work hard to make the best of their situation. The mockumentary format recalls The Office and Parks And Recreation, but Abbott has wisely carved its own space in the genre. The show’s third season runs through May 22, with episodes dropping on Hulu one day after they premiere on ABC.
Stream it now: Hulu
3 / 54
Alaska Daily (ABC: 2022)
Alaska Daily (ABC: 2022)
Stars: Hilary Swank, Jeff Perry, Grace Dove, Matt Malloy, Ami Frank, Joe Tippett, Meredith Holzman
Number of seasons on Hulu: 1
Spotlight director and co-writer Tom McCarthy’s affection for journalism stories continues with Alaska Daily. The quietly compelling drama follows New York City reporter Eileen Fitzgerald, who moves to, yes, Alaska after a career scandal. She teams up with a local journalist to write about the case of missing Indigenous women, something long-ignored by significant outlets.
Stream it now: Hulu
4 / 54
The Americans (FX: 2013-2018)
The Americans (FX: 2013-2018)
Stars: Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Noah Emmerich, Alison Wright, Holly Taylor, Margo Martindale, Annet Mahendru, Keidrich Sellati, Costa Ronin
Number of seasons: 6
FX’s The AmericansThe Americans is an even better meditation on family, marriage, and love as it dissects Elizabeth and Philip Jennings’ commitment to each other.
Stream it now: Hulu
5 / 54
Atlanta (FX: 2016-2022)
Atlanta (FX: 2016-2022)
Stars: Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, Zazie Beetz, LaKeith Stanfield, Isiah Whitlock Jr.
Number of seasons on Hulu: 4
In a post-CommunityAtlanta. This isn’t to say the show is by any means mainstream. In it, he plays Earn Marks, a rookie manager trying to get his cousin Paper Boi’s (Henry) rap career to take off. Over four seasons, Atlanta evolved into a sharp, incisive series with nuanced observations on race and other societal issues, with some can’t-miss standalone episodes.
Stream it now: Hulu
6 / 54
The Bear (FX: 2022-)
The Bear (FX: 2022-)
Stars: Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Liza Colón-Zayas, Lionel Boyce, Abby Elliott
Number of seasons on Hulu: 2
No one saw it coming, but The Bearthe show of the summer in 2022. Created by Christopher Stohrer, the dark comedy follows chef Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto, who moves from the fine dining world to run his family’s Italian beef sandwich shop in Chicago after the death of his brother. He has to manage an unruly staff and rundown kitchen, but it’s fine because, in the process, White and The Bear have turned “Yes, chef” into an instantly iconic phrase. Check out The A.V. Club’s review of the show’s fantastic second season. Season three premieres this summer.
Stream it now: Hulu
7 / 54
Better Things (FX: 2016-2022)
Better Things (FX: 2016-2022)
Stars: Pamela Adlon, Celia Imrie, Mikey Madison, Hannah Riley, Olivia Edwards, Diedrich Bader, Alysia Reiner, Rebecca Metz, Kevin Pollak
Number of seasons on Hulu: 5
Adlon quietly created one of TV’s most sublime, must-watch comedies about motherhood, aging, and evolving familial bonds. Better Thingsour interview with the creator-star about the end of the show.
Stream it now: Hulu
8 / 54
Castle Rock (Hulu: 2018-2019)
Castle Rock (Hulu: 2018-2019)
Stars: Bill Skarsgård, André Holland, Melanie Lynskey, Jane Levy, Sissy Spacek, Lizzy Caplan, Elsie Fisher, Paul Sparks, Barkhad Abdi, Yusra Warsama
Number of seasons on Hulu: 2
Creators Sam Shaw and Dustin Thomason struck gold when they made Castle Rock, a kaleidoscopic exploration of Stephen King lore that isn’t tied to one book or short story. Instead, it pulls liberally from the horror author’s entire body of work. Like a cursed curio cabinet, the show displays some of King’s eeriest ideas with unnerving elegance. Beautifully written with a rich atmosphere,
Stream it now: Hulu
9 / 54
Cheers (NBC: 1982-1993)
Cheers (NBC: 1982-1993)
Stars: Ted Danson, Shelley Long, Nicholas Colasanto, Rhea Perlman, George Wendt, John Ratzenberger, Kelsey Grammer, Bebe Neuwirth, Woody Harrleson, Kirstie Alley
Number of seasons on Hulu: 11
A mainstay on any sitcom list worth its salt,Cheers forever raised the bar for the half-hour ensemble comedy with an 11-season run that somehow still feels too short. What starts as a will-they-won’t-they between waitress Diane (Shelley Long) and bartender Sam (Ted Danson) becomes a fully lived-in ecosystem of situational humor and friendship that’s since been mimicked by The Office, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia, and plenty more beloved series. Still, nothing beats an ice-cold Cheers.
Stream it now: Hulu
10 / 54
Community (NBC: 2009-2014, Yahoo! Screen: 2015)
Community (NBC: 2009-2014, Yahoo! Screen: 2015)
Stars: Joel McHale, Gillian Jacobs, Alison Brie, Danny Pudi, Yvette Nicole Brown, Ken Jeong, Donald Glover, Chevy Chase, Jim Rash
Number of seasons on Hulu: 6
Over its six-season run (and now a confirmed #movie), Communitymany parody episodes, running gags, and just a few games of paintball. As Pierce would say, the show was “streets ahead.”
Stream it now: Hulu
11 / 54
Cowboy Bebop (TV Tokyo: 1998, Wowow: 1998-1999)
Cowboy Bebop (TV Tokyo: 1998, Wowow: 1998-1999)
Stars (Japanese subtitled): Koichi Yamadera, Norio Wakamoto, Megumi Hayashibara, Unshō Ishizuka, Aoi Tada
Stars (English dubbed): Steve Blum, Skip Stellrecht, Wendee Lee, Beau Billingslea, Melissa Fahn
Number of seasons on Hulu: 1
Widely regarded as one of the best animated series ever (and that’s some stupidly steep competition), Cowboy Bebop perfectly combines film noir melodrama, spaghetti Western sensibilities, and high-energy anime action. It’s a smooth-riding saga that’s timeless in its start-to-finish confidence, deftly bookending its half-hour adventures about a bounty-hunting space crew with a killer intro sequence and an equally iconic stinger. As cool as hero Spike Spiegel, Cowboy Bebop is slick, smart, top-shelf mystery writing with style to spare.
Stream it now: Hulu
12 / 54
Dave (FXX: 2020-)
Dave (FXX: 2020-)
Stars: Lil Dicky, Taylor Misiak, GaTa, Andrew Santino, Gina Hecht, Christine Ko, Travis “Taco” Bennett
Number of seasons on Hulu: 3
Co-created by Dave Burd, a.k.a. Lil Dicky, and Jeff Schaffer, DaveBrad Pitt.
Stream it now: Hulu
13 / 54
Difficult People (Hulu: 2015-2017)
Difficult People (Hulu: 2015-2017)
Stars: Billy Eichner, Julie Klausner, Andrea Martin, James Urbaniak, Cole Escola, Jackie Hoffman, John Cho
Number of seasons on Hulu: 3
Difficult PeopleCaroline Seide wrote it best in her review (in which she called the show “uber-specifically made for The A.V. Club”): “Difficult People isn’t for everyone. Despite the genuine sweetness of Julie and Billy’s friendship, the show’s barbed humor and unlikable characters are potentially off-putting. In an era when, as Billy puts it, comedies have “become 30-minute dramas,” the broad joke-a-minute style can feel almost old-fashioned. But for the right erudite, pop-culture-obsessed, sardonic audience, Difficult People is the kind of show that feels like it’s reaching out just to them.”
Stream it now: Hulu
14 / 54
Dopesick (Hulu: 2021)
Dopesick (Hulu: 2021)
Stars: Michael Keaton, Kaitlyn Dever, Rosario Dawson, Michael Stuhlbarg, Will Poulter, Peter Sarsgaard, John Hoogenakker, Philippa Soo, Mare Winningham, Jake McDorman
Number of seasons on Hulu: 1
We won’t lie: Dopesick, an eight-part limited series detailing the rise of OxyContin over multiple decades and numerous settings, is a challenging show. Still, the importance of the material and excellent performances from Keaton and Dever make this a must-watch. As Danette Chavez wrote in her review for The A.V. Club : “When [the show] does choose substance over gimmicky style, you won’t be able to look away.”
Stream it now: Hulu
15 / 54
The Dropout (Hulu: 2022)
The Dropout (Hulu: 2022)
Stars: Amanda Seyfriend, Naveen Andrews, William H. Macy, Dylan Minnette, Bill Irwin, Laurie Metcalf, Sam Waterston, Camryn Mi-Young Kim, Stephen Fry, Kate Burton, Elizabeth Marvel, Mary Lynn Rajskub
Number of seasons on Hulu: 1
Come to The Dropout
Stream it now: Hulu
16 / 54
Echo (Hulu/Disney+: 2024)
Echo (Hulu/Disney+: 2024)
Stars: Alaqua Cox, Devery Jacobs, Chaske Spencer, Tantoo Cardinal, Vincent D’Onofrio, Graham Greene, Cody Lightning, Zahn McClarnon, Charlie Cox
Number of seasons: 1
Echo is the first show under the Marvel Spotlight banner, which promises to focus more on character-driven stories over the larger MCU canon. And to some degree, the five-part series delivers on that front. Sans shifting timelines and alien invasions, EchoHawkeye, her spinoff dwells on her ancestry, powers, family connections in Oklahoma, and complicated bond with Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio). It’s positively different from recent MCU fare, which automatically grants it some bonus points in our book.
Stream it now: Hulu
17 / 54
Fargo (FX: 2014-)
Fargo (FX: 2014-)
Stars: Billy Bob Thornton and Allison Tolman (season one), Kirsten Dunst and Patrick Wilson (season two), Ewan McGregor and Carrie Coon (season three), Chris Rock and Jessie Buckley (season four), Juno Temple and Jon Hamm (season 5)
Number of seasons on Hulu: 5
A blood-soaked love letter to the Coen brothers (inspired by their 1996 masterpiece but bursting with references to a bunch of their films), creator Noah Hawley’s anthology series is that rarest of birds: a show completely steeped in the mythology of other peoples’ creations that somehow still feels remarkably fresh. Fargo’s second and third seasons, in particular, were marvelous, high-water marks in an era of peak television. And even when the show dips in quality ever so slightly (cough, season four, cough), it’s a fascinating, beautifully made dip that we can’t turn off. Season five wrapped up in January.
Stream it now: Hulu
18 / 54
Fleishman Is In Trouble (FX on Hulu: 2022)
Fleishman Is In Trouble (FX on Hulu: 2022)
Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Lizzy Caplan, Claire Danes, Adam Brody, Meara Mahoney Gross, Maxim Jasper Swinton
Number of seasons on Hulu: 1
First of all, talk about an enviable ensemble. Fleishman Is In TroubleFleishman examines marriages, relationships, and how they fall apart through this story. It also happens to be very, very good.
Stream it now: Hulu
19 / 54
Futurama (FOX: 1999-2003, Comedy Central: 2008-2013, Hulu: 2023-)
Futurama (FOX: 1999-2003, Comedy Central: 2008-2013, Hulu: 2023-)
Stars: Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio, Phil LaMarr, Lauren Tom
Number of seasons: 11
Futurama’s shelf life is commendable considering the animated series has switched hosts three times now. In fact, cryogenically preserved Philip J. Fry would be proud that the show continues to live on. Matt Groening’s sci-fi sitcom follows Fry, who finds work at an interplanetary delivery company alongside colleagues that include one-eyed Leela and a robot named Bender. After a decade off the air, Hulu not only revived the series this summer but renewed it for two more seasons.
Stream it now: Hulu
20 / 54
The Great (Hulu: 2020-2023)
The Great (Hulu: 2020-2023)
Stars: Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Sacha Dhawan, Phoebe Fox, Gwilym Lee, Charity Wakefield, Adam Godley, Belinda Bromilow
Number of seasons on Hulu: 3
Tony McNamara’s historical comedy isn’t necessarily a true story at all. It is loosely—like, very extremely loosely—based on the life of Russian Empress Catherine the Great (Fanning), who usurps power from her cruel husband, Peter III (Hoult). The show has a helluva time depicting how she plots to overtake his kingdom, all while avoiding falling in love with him. For his part, Hoult delivers an extraordinarily funny, awards-worthy performance.
Stream it now: Hulu
21 / 54
Good Trouble (Freeform: 2019-2024)
Good Trouble (Freeform: 2019-2024)
Stars: Cierra Ramirez, Maia Mitchell, Zuri Adele, Sherry Cola, Josh Pence, Tommy Martinez, Emma Hunton
Number of seasons: 5
A spin-off of The Fosters, Good TroubleGood Trouble’s strength lies in its engaging storylines, nuanced writing, and diverse representation as it captures millennial issues, from equal pay to fighting for trans rights, without getting buried in drama. The show wrapped up in February.
Stream it now: Hulu
22 / 54
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu: 2017-)
The Handmaid’s Tale (Hulu: 2017-)
Stars: Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Ann Dowd, Samira Wiley, O.T. Fagbenle, Joseph Fiennes, Bradley Whitford, Madeline Brewer, Amanda Brugel, Max Minghella
Number of seasons: 5
Yes, The Handmaid’s Tale
Stream it now: Hulu
23 / 54
Hannibal (NBC: 2013-2015)
Hannibal (NBC: 2013-2015)
Stars: Mads Mikkelsen, Hugh Dancy, Laurence Fishburne, Gillian Anderson, Hettienne Park, Caroline Dhavernas, Aaron Abrams, Gina Torres
Number of seasons: 3
Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal wasn’t really appreciated when it aired, but NBC’s psychological thriller has achieved a cult-favorite status over the last few years for a good reason. In the show, Mads Mikkelsen gives one hell of a performance as Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a forensic psychologist by day and a serial killing cannibal by night. He starts assisting FBI profiler Will Graham, who in turn doesn’t initially know he’s working with an expert murderer. And their sly cat-and-mouse dance keeps the series’ momentum going.
Stream it now: Hulu
24 / 54
High Fidelity (Hulu: 2020)
High Fidelity (Hulu: 2020)
Stars: Zoë Kravitz, Jake Lacy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, David H. Holmes
Number of seasons on Hulu: 1
We’re as pissed as Zoë Kravitz about the cancelation of High Fidelity, a fiercely smart, inclusive retelling of Stephen Frears’ 2000 rom-com about a heartsick record store owner. Not only did Kravitz’s star performance deliver a complex portrait of a queer woman looking for love, but the series also offered a comforting sense of old-school cool, something modern TV had been missing. Even if it ends on a cliffhanger, High Fidelity is worth watching on repeat.
Stream it now: Hulu
25 / 54
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia (FX: 2005-2012, FXX: 2013-)
It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia (FX: 2005-2012, FXX: 2013-)
Stars: Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olson, Danny DeVito
Number of seasons on Hulu: 16
Against all odds, The Gang and the havoc it inevitably wreaks don’t seem to be going anywhere—16 seasons and counting!—and that’s just fine by us. Dennis Perkins summed up Sunny’s endurance nicely: “A lot’s been made about It’s Always Sunny’s unprecedented longevity, and how, despite the occasional misstep, its astoundingly consistent quality. As time’s gone on, the extreme difficulty built into Sunny’s singularly dark and bitter formula has only made that consistency more impressive.”
Stream it now: Hulu
26 / 54
Justified (FX: 2010-2015)
Justified (FX: 2010-2015)
Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins, Natalie Zea, Jacob Pitts, Nick Searcy, Erica Tazel, Joelle Carter
Number of seasons on Hulu: 6
Whoever decided to team up Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins for a neo-Western crime drama deserves all the praise. The duo expertly leads Justified, with the former playing moral U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens. He’s assigned to the county he was born and raised in as a form of punishment and is forced to reckon with his community. The show remains one of the best, most underrated dramas of the 2010s.
Stream it now: Hulu
27 / 54
Justified: City Primeval (FX: 2023-)
Justified: City Primeval (FX: 2023-)
Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Boyd Holbrook, Adelaide Clemens, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Aunjanue Ellis, Vivian Olyphant, Marin Ireland, Norbert Leo Butz
Number of seasons on Hulu: 1
The only logical thing to do after enjoying all six seasons of Justified is jump to the worthy 2023 revival series, Justified: City Primeval. Set years after the original, it features Olyphant’s Raylan Givens, who is more than capable of holding his own. (We must note, though, that Walton Goggins is sincerely missed here.) Givens gets caught up in tracking down notorious criminal Clement Mansell (Holbrook), which leads him to a new case, a new love interest, and some old ways.
Stream it now: Hulu
28 / 54
Letterkenny (Crave: 2016-)
Letterkenny (Crave: 2016-)
Stars: Jared Keeso, Nathan Dales, Melanie Scrofano, Michelle Mylett, Dylan Playfair
Number of seasons on Hulu: 12
One of Canada’s best recent sitcoms (alongside Schitt’s CreekKim’s Convenience), LetterkennyThe show’s twelfth and final season dropped in December 2023.
Stream it now: Hulu
29 / 54
Lost (ABC: 2004-2010)
Lost (ABC: 2004-2010)
Stars: Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Naveen Andrews, Yunjin Kim, Daniel Dae Kim, Josh Holloway, Michael Emerson, Terry O’ Quinn, Henry Ian Cusick
Number of seasons on Hulu: 6
It can easily be argued that Lost, which follows a group of people who land on a seemingly deserted island after a plane crash,Lost remains one of the most groundbreaking TV shows of our generation. It’s always a good time to watch (or rewatch) it.
Stream it now: Hulu