What to watch on Hulu: 53 best TV shows streaming right now

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 Elementary made a splash when it premiered on ABC in 2021. Since then, the workplace comedy has earned praise from fans and critics, as well as multiple 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 wrapped up in May, and its fourth arrives this fall.

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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.

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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 Americans will rightfully go down in history as one of television’s finest (at least in our books). Created by Joe Weisberg, the ’80s-set drama works effectively as a riveting Cold War thriller as two Russian agents settle down in Washington, D.C., and start a family. However, The Americans is an even better meditation on family, marriage, and love as it dissects Elizabeth and Philip Jennings’ commitment to each other.

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Stars: Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, Zazie Beetz, LaKeith Stanfield, Isiah Whitlock Jr.

Number of seasons on Hulu: 4

In a post-Community world, Glover found more mainstream success as musician Childish Gambino and through his FX comedy, Atlanta. 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.

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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 Bear ended up as the 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 June 27.

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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 Things borrows very specifically from her own life as a working actor and single mother of three daughters but feels eternally universal thanks to its resonant writing. Be sure to read our interview with the creator-star about the end of the show.

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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, it’s a short-lived titan of terrifying TV.

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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. 

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Stars: Laurence Fishburne, Ed O’Neill, Jacki Weaver, Cleopatra Coleman, Kelly AuCoin, Corbin Berensen

Number of seasons: 1

Donald Sterling’s NBA scandal gets the miniseries treatment in FX’s Clipped. The six-part sports drama details how new L.A. Clippers coach Doc Rivers attempts to push the team to a championship are derailed by the organization’s boisterous and racist owner. As stated in The A.V. Club’s review, the show doesn’t resort to sensationalism, instead handling the subject matter with care and providing a larger overview of race relations in America. Clipped premieres with two episodes on June 4, with the remaining four airing weekly through July 2.

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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), Community cemented itself as a weird, clever send-up of pop culture. While creator Dan Harmon’s series began as a semi-normal sitcom following seven misfits who find themselves at a community college, it quickly morphed into something far greater through its many parody episodes, running gags, and just a few games of paintball. As Pierce would say, the show was “streets ahead.”

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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.

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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, Dave is a surreal but oddly resonant comedy you don’t want to sleep on. Lil Dicky plays a fictionalized version of himself, a rapper who goes viral and uses that opportunity to become as famous as possible (although it’s, naturally, not an easy process). Expect lots of cameos from artists like Machine Gun Kelly, Justin Beiber, Doja Cat, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Lil Nas X, Usher, and Travis Barker. The third season outdid itself with appearances from Rachel McAdams and Brad Pitt.

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Stars: Billy Eichner, Julie Klausner, Andrea Martin, James Urbaniak, Cole Escola, Jackie Hoffman, John Cho

Number of seasons on Hulu: 3

Difficult People follows two aspiring comedians trying to make a name for themselves, while seemingly hating on everyone except each other. Caroline 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.”

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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.”

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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 for Amanda Seyfried’s award-winning, chilling turn as Theranos’ Elizabeth Holmes; stay for Naveen Andrews’ even more deranged take on her partner, Sunny Balwani. The two ran their company to the ground while scamming folks into constantly giving them money for an advanced blood testing machine that didn’t exist. Hulu’s limited series is an enticing depiction of the events, digging into how Elizabeth and Sunny manage to get investors while running a tight, paranoid ship at the office.

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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, Echo is a grounded drama about Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) connecting with her roots. After debuting in Hawkeye, 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.

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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.

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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 Trouble lives up to the hype of the cast and the Taffy Brodesser-Akner book it’s based on. The show follows Eisenberg’s Toby, a recently divorced man trying dating apps for the first time. Just as he begins to find success, his ex-wife disappears and leaves him to care for their kids, all while he just gets a promotion at the hospital where he works. Fleishman examines marriages, relationships, and how they fall apart through this story. It also happens to be very, very good.

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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.

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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.

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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 Trouble follows foster siblings Callie and Mariana as they begin a new life in Los Angeles. They move into a communal apartment building and befriend the rest of the residents, forging meaningful friendships and romances while navigating their careers in law and tech, respectively. Good 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.

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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 and its dystopian nightmare doesn’t sound like an appealing escape. Based on Margaret Atwood’s novel, the show follows June Osborne’s (Moss) attempts to escape Gilead, formerly the U.S., which is reorganized based on religious fanaticism where women have no agency. It’s a dark, daring TV drama that regained its groove in season four.

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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.

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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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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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 Creek and Kim’s Convenience), Letterkenny is a hell of a good time. The scathing comedy from series star Keeso and Jacob Tierney is set in the titular rural community and follows siblings Wayne and Katy, who run a farm and produce stand with the help of their friends. The show deals with the low-stakes problems they encounter and subverts the trope that all small-town residents are, well, dim. The show’s twelfth and final season dropped in December 2023.

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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, changed how ensemble-driven dramas can succeed on TV. The show reveled in a puzzle-box setting, using flashbacks, flash-forwards (and flash-sideways!) to set up an epic and gut-wrenching mystery. Despite a divisive finale—which actually rules hard, sue me—Lost remains one of the most groundbreaking TV shows of our generation. It’s always a good time to watch (or rewatch) it.

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Stars: Bruce Willis, Cybill Shepherd, Curtis Armstrong, Allyce Beasley, Jack Blessing, Mark Harmon, Robert Webber

Number of seasons: 5

ABC’s acclaimed ’80s dramedy is available on a streaming platform for the first time ever. Moonlighting is the TV show that turned a pre-Die Hard Bruce Willis into an overnight star (and for good reason). The show centers on private detectives David Addison (Willis) and Maddie Hayes (Shepherd), who can’t escape romantic or sexual tension while solving fun, mysterious cases as the heads of Blue Moon Investigations.

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Stars: Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Hannah Simone, Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris, Damon Wayans Jr., Nasim Pedrad

Number of seasons: 7

If you weren’t obsessed with “Who’s that girl? It’s Jess!” when New Girl aired, now is your chance to catch up. Fox’s ensemble sitcom follows Zooey Deschanel’s Jessica Day, who moves in with three guys in an L.A. loft after a breakup. Jess and her BFF, Cece (Hannah Simone), find friends and their respective soulmates with this crew. New Girl remains an ultimate comfort favorite, and let’s not forget it gave us TV’s best first kiss of all time. (We said what we said.)

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Stars: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Paul Mescal, Sarah Greene, Aislin McGuckin, Sebastian De Souza

Number of seasons on Hulu: 1

Few adaptations feel as innately “correct” as Normal People, Hulu’s hugely affectionate retelling of Sally Rooney’s beloved romance novel. Across 12 half-hour episodes, each more tender than the last, Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal) come of age while falling in and out of love along Ireland’s Atlantic coast. The result is a tortured fantasy that will leave you screaming, “JUST FUCKING TALK TO EACH OTHER!” in the most satisfying way imaginable.

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Stars: Martin Short, Steve Martin, Selena Gomez, Aaron Dominguez, Amy Ryan, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Jane Lynch, Jackie Hoffman

Number of seasons: 3

Only Murders In The Building could just be Hulu’s best offering to date. Short and Martin are frequent and terrific collaborators, but their pairing with Gomez makes the series an immediate hit, with the three playing residents of a fancy New York City building who begin a true-crime podcast. And as a delightful bonus, its third season, which finished in 2023, boasts appearances from Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd. Hulu renewed the show for a fourth season.

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