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These are the best shows you can watch on Hulu right now

From Lost to The Great, these are the best shows you can stream on Hulu right now

Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin in 30 Rock.
NBCUniversal Television

There was a time when great TV was hard to come by. While not every TV show is great, these days it can sometimes feel like viewers have the opposite problem. There are simply too many shows, and too many streaming services, to choose from. Thankfully, the best shows on Hulu are also among the best shows you can watch anywhere. From new originals to legacy series from decades past, it has tons of shows that will fill the hours of your day.

You’re probably aware that, while Hulu has plenty of great stuff, it’s far from the only streaming service with plenty of TV to offer. So whether you’re looking for the best Amazon Prime shows, the best Disney+ shows, or the best Netflix shows, we’ve got you covered. Below, we’ll dig into the best shows on Hulu that you can watch now.

Abbott Elementary (2021)

Abbott Elementary
tv-pg 2 Seasons
Genre Comedy
Cast Quinta Brunson, Tyler James Williams, Lisa Ann Walter
Created by Quinta Brunson

One of the best conventional sitcoms on TV today, Abbott Elementary is a mockumentary series that follows the employees of an elementary school in urban Philadelphia. While that may sound like the premise of a much more dire series, Abbott is both genuinely hilarious and remarkably honest about the struggles of being a public educator today. Few shows are as smart or carefully crafted as this one, which also spends plenty of time on the drama and romance between its leads, as any good sitcom should do.

Abbott Elementary ABC Trailer

Under the Banner of Heaven (2022)

Under the Banner of Heaven
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Crime, Drama, Mystery
Cast Andrew Garfield, Sam Worthington, Daisy Edgar-Jones
Created by Dustin Lance Black
There are plenty of exhausting true crime shows out there, but Under the Banner of Heaven manages to buck that general trend. The show tells the true story of a fundamentalist sect of Mormons who committed a series of murders in the 1980s. Thanks to a compelling central performance from Andrew Garfield, and a careful examination of how faith can drive people to madness, Under the Banner of Heaven was equal parts fascinating and disturbing. It also was the rare show that took time to actually articulate who the victims of these crimes were, and why their deaths were such enormous tragedies. 

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005)

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
71 %
8.8/10
tv-ma 16 Seasons
Genre Comedy
Cast Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney, Kaitlin Olsen, Danny Devito
Created by Glenn Howerton, Rob McElhenney
A truly great ongoing comedy series, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a show that really toes the line between what’s funny and what’s outrageous. The show follows five self-absorbed Philadelphia residents who are the absolute epitome of awful, fighting amongst themselves and turning on each other at the drop of a hat. What started as a racy sitcom turned into a brilliant satire that leaves no stone unturned, as political discourse and personal matters play out in a messy and raucous fashion. If you dive in and love it, you’ll find that there are tons of episodes to plow through.

Dopesick (2021)

Dopesick
68 %
8.6/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Drama
Cast Michael Keaton, Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg
Created by Danny Strong
Boasting some incredible performances from a terrific cast, Dopesick tells a real story in a brief limited format. Based on the actual, shocking events that were inflicted on the nation by Purdue Pharma in the late ’90s and early 2000s, Dopesick shows the devastating impact that pushing Oxycontin as a non-addictive painkiller had on communities all over America.

DAVE (2020)

DAVE
76 %
8.3/10
tv-ma 2 Seasons
Genre Comedy
Cast Dave Burd, Taylor Misiak, Andrew Santino
Created by Jeff Schaffer, Lil Dicky
Following the semi-fictionalized trials and tribulations of the Jewish, white rapper Lil Dicky, Dave has something for everybody. As this maladjusted man-child tries to weave his way through the rap world and make a name for himself, he finds that his appearance — among other glaring details — is the least of his worries as he proves to the world that his rap skills are legit. Struggling with writer’s block, Dave Burd reportedly wrote the second season as a parallel to his life as he struggled to finish the creation of his album.

30 Rock (2006)

30 Rock
73 %
8.3/10
tv-14 7 Seasons
Genre Comedy
Cast Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan
Created by Tina Fey
30 Rock is one of the all-time great sitcoms. The show follows Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), the head writer of a sketch comedy show for a major television network, as she deals with needy, arrogant, relentless, and outright ridiculous actors and superiors. 30 Rock — which was created and largely written by Tina Fey — is loosely based on her experience as the head writer for Saturday Night Live, painting hilarious parallels that are usually left up to the audience to decipher.

Adventure Time (2010)

Adventure Time
8.6/10
tv-pg 10 Seasons
Genre Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Cast Pendleton Ward, Olivia Olson, Jeremy Shada
Created by Pendleton Ward
A smart, quirky, and sometimes very dark cartoon that barely got approved for Cartoon Network, Adventure Time is a show that has been wholly embraced by people of all ages. The show follows Finn (Jeremy Shada), an adventurous and courageous 12-year-old who befriends a magical dog named Jake (John DiMaggio). Together they make all kinds of friends and go on surreal adventures as they traverse the oddly misshapen, post-apocalyptic Earth they call the Land of Ooo.

Atlanta (2016)

Atlanta
93 %
8.6/10
tv-ma 4 Seasons
Genre Comedy, Drama
Cast Donald Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, Lakeith Stanfield
Created by Donald Glover

Often experimental but always brilliant, Atlanta has earned its vaunted reputation. The show follows Earn (Donald Glover), a struggling father and ex-boyfriend looking for a break who tries to change his luck by becoming the manager of his cousin, Alfred, a recent breakout rap star going by the alias “Paper Boi” in Atlanta. Created by and starring the creative and multitalented Glover, Atlanta is a smart and witty series that addresses the themes of parenthood, race, discrimination, gender, music culture, classism, gentrification, and many others all at once, making it feel genuinely one-of-a-kind, even in a crowded TV landscape.

Key & Peele (2012)

Key & Peele
78 %
8.3/10
tv-14 5 Seasons
Genre Comedy
Cast Keegan-Michael Key, Jordan Peele
Created by Keegan-Michael Key
A provocative and entertaining sketch comedy show, Key & Peele features the comic minds of Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele, writers and actors who bring a refreshing honesty to every one of their sketches. Key & Peele earned legendary status during its run, and both Key and Peele have had prosperous careers in the years since. Fun and easy to watch, this show continues to be hilarious, even though the timeliness of some of its jokes has dissipated.

Ramy (2019)

Ramy
85 %
8/10
tv-ma 3 Seasons
Genre Comedy, Drama
Cast Ramy Youssef, May Calamawy, Hiam Abbass
Created by Ramy Youssef, Ari Katcher, Ryan Welch
One of the more underrated shows on this list, Ramy follows a first-gen Muslim-American trying to make his own path through life. Between religion, family, and friends, Ramy quickly discovers that his life is defined by what he believes in, and how he represents himself to the world. Featuring a fresh perspective on modern Islam in America, our character (loosely based on the real-life trials of the star, Ramy Youssef) navigates his religious upbringing and the dark side of discrimination in this realistic comedy.

Fargo (2014)

Fargo
85 %
8.9/10
tv-ma 4 Seasons
Genre Crime, Drama
Cast Chris Rock, Jessie Buckley, Jason Schwartzman
Created by Noah Hawley

While you might expect this to be a continuation of the events of the Coen brothers film of the same name, Fargo is simply capitalizing on the setting and tone established by that widely beloved classic. Full of recognizable faces and awesome mid-western accents, the first season of Fargo tells the story of a mild-mannered insurance salesman who gets conned by an out-of-town hitman and is led down a very dark path, while subsequent seasons tell entirely separate stories.

Letterkenny (2016)

Letterkenny
8.7/10
tv-ma 11 Seasons
Genre Comedy
Cast Jared Keeso, Nathan Dales, Michelle Mylett
Created by Jared Keeso
Revered as one of the smartest under-the-radar comedy shows on TV, Letterkenny is a brilliantly written show with fast-paced dialogue that might leave you utterly bewildered if you’re not paying attention. Based in the tiny town of Letterkenny, Canada, we witness the ridiculous nature of the local hicks, ‘skids,’ hockey players, and Christians as they all somehow coexist.

Broad City (2014)

Broad City
82 %
8.4/10
tv-14 5 Seasons
Genre Comedy, Drama
Cast Abbi Jacobson, Ilana Glazer, Hannibal Buress
Created by Ilana Glazer, Abbi Jacobson

Created by stars Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer and produced by Amy Poehler, Broad City is a silly, smart show following two best friends in their 20s who navigate New York City with an adventurous spirit. This show is laugh-out-loud funny and sometimes makes a whole episode out of a single, mundane task, ultimately revealing how smart both of the show’s leads are about crafting compelling comedy.

Hot Ones (2015)

Hot Ones
8.4/10
tv-14 4 Seasons
Genre Talk
Cast Sean Evans
Created by Chris Schonberger
“… The show with hot questions and even hotter wings,” Hot Ones is an interview show originally started on YouTube for hot sauce fanatics. Host Sean Evans takes on celebrities from all circles of entertainment to test how much heat they can handle as they answer his questions. Full of zany zings, zesty anecdotes, and spicy inside scoops, this show is a great choice for Scoville scale enthusiasts as well as pop culture fans.

Justified (2010)

Justified
86 %
8.6/10
tv-ma 6 Seasons
Genre Crime, Drama
Cast Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins, Joelle Carter
Created by Graham Yost
In the critically acclaimed crime drama Justified, we follow Raylan Givens, a deputy U.S. Marshal tasked with bringing down some of the most dangerous drug rings in the American South. Armed with his hip-holstered handgun and his fearless wit, our character is the closest thing to a modern-day cowboy you’re going to get on TV. Starring Timothy Olyphant and Walton Goggins, Justified explores the themes of justice, peace, crime, and punishment from a wide array of perspectives, and gives us some great character arcs along the way.

One Punch Man (2015)

One Punch Man
8.7/10
tv-pg 2 Seasons
Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy
Cast Kazuhiro Yamaji, Yuichi Nakamura, Kenjiro Tsuda
Created by ONE
One of the best anime series on Hulu, One-Punch Man follows the life of Saitama, a hero that fights evil just because it’s fun. Of course, fighting can only be so entertaining when you can defeat any enemy with a single punch. A great mix of comedy and artistically executed action, One-Punch Man is a unique series that even anime newbies can enjoy from the start, subbed or dubbed.

Arrested Development (2003)

Arrested Development
78 %
8.7/10
tv-14 5 Seasons
Genre Comedy
Cast Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, Portia De Rossi
Created by Mitchell Hurwitz

Arrested Development follows the Bluths, a very wealthy family, as they finally discover that their wealth has been founded on lies and deceit after Michael Bluth’s (Jason Bateman) father is arrested. Seemingly the only sane one in the family, Michael must attempt to keep the rest of his kin above water as their way of life crumbles around them. This comedy series is one of the best ever made and features some of the most quotable lines you’ll ever see on TV.

High Fidelity (2020)

High Fidelity
70 %
7.7/10
tv-ma 1 Season
Genre Comedy, Drama
Cast Zoë Kravitz, David H. Holmes, Da'Vine Joy Randolph
Created by Veronica West, Sarah Kucserka
Based on Nick Hornsby’s novel and a great John Cusack movie, High Fidelity is a story of music, neuroticism, and self-deprecation. A deeply self-involved lover of music and pop culture, Robyn ‘Rob’ Brooks (Zoë Kravitz) is the owner of a local record store, where she makes endless top-five lists while throwing back neat whiskey and reviewing all the events that led to the end of her last relationship. With plenty of great comedic timing and writing, this modern revival is worth a watch for any music lover.

The Great (2020)

The Great
tv-ma 3 Seasons
Genre Drama, Comedy
Cast Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Phoebe Fox
Created by Tony McNamara
A sharp, surreal, absurd show about the rise of Catherine the Great in Russia in the 18th century, The Great is unlike any other show on TV. Starring Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult as a frightful pair of would-be rulers, the show is far funnier than any period piece ever should be. Tony McNamara, who co-wrote The Favourite, is responsible for this show as well, which explains why it’s tone is so absurd and downright strange. Hoult and Fanning keep the whole thing grounded, though, even as they’re prone to flights of fancy themselves.

Lost (2004)

Lost
tv-14 6 Seasons
Genre Mystery, Action & Adventure
Cast Matthew Fox, Evangeline Lilly, Josh Holloway
Created by J.J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Jeffrey Lieber
One of the more controversial shows ever made, Lost is nonetheless a pillar of what great TV storytelling can be. Following a group of plane crash survivors who wind up on a mysterious island, the series is really about what it means to connect to someone, and how important that connection is to who we ultimately become. Over the course of six sprawling seasons, Lost introduced plenty of mythology as well, and while not everyone was totally satisfied by the ending, the ride there was more than worth it. 

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Joe Allen
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Joe Allen is a freelance culture writer based in upstate New York. His work has been published in The Washington Post, The…
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