Hulu’s 25 Best Original Series Ranked

In March 2008, Hulu officially joined the streaming wars by launching its own platform; in the decade-plus that followed its debut, plenty of Hulu original shows, films, and documentaries have been released that remain there exclusively. Because Hulu is also home to plenty of shows that didn’t originate there — networks like ABC, for example, often put new episodes of their popular shows onto the service the morning after they air in primetime — it can be a little difficult to parse through all of the options. (It is, however, important to note that ABC and Hulu are both owned by Disney.) So if you’re looking for a great Hulu original but are a little overwhelmed by everything on the service, where should you start?

From tender love stories to historical dramas to half-hour comedies featuring some of your favorite stars, Hulu has something for everyone. We’ve pulled 25 selections from their catalog of original TV shows and picked the very best — here’s where you can start.

If you’re unfamiliar with Phyllis Schlafly and her years-long crusade to turn the clock back on women’s rights, you may want to get an education by watching “Mrs. America.” This miniseries, which premiered on the streamer in 2020, cast two-time Oscar winner Cate Blanchett as Schlafly, a lawyer, conservative activist, and political figure who led a fight against the Equal Rights Amendment (a proposed amendment that would ensure equality between men and women by banning discrimination on the basis of gender). When “Mrs. America” opens, we meet Schlafly after yet another unsuccessful Congress campaign and watch as she turns her attention to the ERA.

“Mrs. America” features an incredible cast playing influential real-life figures, including Uzo Aduba as Shirley Chisholm, Tracey Ullman as Betty Friedan, Rose Byrne as Gloria Steinem, and Elizabeth Banks as Jill Ruckelshaus, among others, all the while telling the story of how Schlafly and her conservative forces managed to halt the ERA becoming a political reality. The show can be a tough watch in some ways, but it’s absolutely worth checking out.

Created by Joe Weisberg (who also helmed the beloved FX series “The Americans”), “The Patient” is a limited series that released in 2022 and puts two great performers front and center: Steve Carell and Domhnall Gleeson. After losing his wife, therapist Dr. Alan Strauss (Carell) is bereft and grieving, but when he agrees to take on a new patient named Sam Fortner (Gleeson), he quickly realizes he may be in over his head. Sam, as it happens, is a serial killer who hasn’t been caught — and after he’s taken with Alan after their first session, he holds Alan hostage in an attempt to “cure” himself.

“The Patient” is a deeply disturbing miniseries that lets two powerhouse actors work beautifully against each other — Carell and Gleeson are genuinely phenomenal here — and supporting performances by Linda Emond (as Sam’s mother, who acts as his accomplice) and Andrew Leeds (as Alan’s estranged son Ezra) really round out this claustrophobic world Weisberg crafted alongside his collaborator Joel Fields. In just 10 episodes, “The Patient” leaves a mark long after you’re done watching.

The true-crime story of Candy Montgomery, a Texas wife and mother accused of killing her friend Betty Gore in 1980, has been adapted a few times by different networks, but the 2022 Hulu series might just be the best of the interpretations. This particular version, created by Nick Antosca and Robin Veith, casts Jessica Biel as the titular Candy, whose life with her husband Pat Montgomery (“Veep” and “Nobody Wants This” standout Timothy Simons) seems idyllic until everything comes crashing down. Candy was, by all accounts, having a torrid affair with Allan Gore (Pablo Schreiber), Betty’s husband; here, Betty is played by the always-excellent Melanie Lynskey. (Partway through the series, there’s a fun little “Easter egg” of sorts when Jason Ritter and Justin Timberlake, who are respectively married to Lynskey and Biel in real life, show up as police deputies investigating the murder.)

Because the manner of Betty’s death is so gruesome — the real details of the case clarify that she was hit more than 40 times with an axe — this story is perfect fodder for a miniseries. And thanks to Candy’s real-life not guilty plea (she claimed self-defense and that Betty knew about the affair), “Candy” will keep you guessing even as it gives you all the facts. Plus, Biel, a fairly underrated actress, has never been better.

Based on writer Lindy West’s book of the same name, Hulu’s original comedy “Shrill” ran for three seasons between 2019 and 2021 and helped “Saturday Night Live” standout Aidy Bryant make a name for herself outside of the long-running sketch comedy series. Bryant plays West’s stand-in, Annie Easton — as a matter of fact, West and Bryant teamed up with Alexandra Rushfield to bring the series to life — and here, Annie works as a journalist who aspires to do more at a publication called The Thorn. Alongside her roommate and best friend Fran (Lolly Adefope), Annie tries to find self-confidence within the confines of a world that’s always trying to make her feel smaller, both physically and mentally.

“Shrill” is a breath of fresh air, and if you have even a passing familiarity with West’s work — her books “Shrill,” “The Witches Are Coming,” and “Sh**, Actually” are all phenomenal — you’ll definitely love the TV show that she brought to life on Hulu. If you need to find some joy with Annie and Fran, whom you’ll wish were your best friends in real life, cue up “Shrill.”

For a while, the entire world was fascinated by scams like the Fyre Festival and grifters like Anna Delvey — and unfortunately for real-life Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, she’s included in the dubious category of “all-time scammers.” Theranos claimed it could perform blood tests super-quickly with particularly small amounts of blood using a patented device, and its founder was eventually unmasked as a highly ambitious and driven woman who fabricated some pretty major things about her company’s biotechnology. Thanks to “New Girl” creator Liz Meriwether, we got to watch Holmes’ story play out in the 2022 miniseries “The Dropout,” which stars Amanda Seyfried as the idiosyncratic CEO of Theranos.

Seyfried — who stars alongside Naveen Andrews, Elizabeth Marvel, William H. Macy, Laurie Metcalf, and Sam Waterston, among others — took home a well-deserved Emmy for her performance as the frankly bizarre Holmes, managing to channel her real-life counterpart’s incredibly unique voice without ever making her performance feel like a caricature. Whether you’re dying to learn about the mess that was Theranos or you’re just a massive fan of Seyfried, give “The Dropout” a try.

Have you ever been in a seriously toxic relationship? If the answer is “yes,” the Hulu original series “Tell Me Lies” will definitely hit you where it hurts. Based on the bestselling book of the same name by Carola Lovering and first released in 2022 (with Season 3 coming in January 2026), “Tell Me Lies” centers around Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten) as she begins her freshman year at the fictional, picturesque Baird College, only to meet her future tormentor, upperclassman Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White), shortly after her arrival. To say Stephen is a jerk is a massive understatement, but Lucy is constantly unable to tear herself away from him, even as he keeps going back to his girlfriend Diana (Alicia Crowder).

Told through dual timelines and across eight years, “Tell Me Lies” features a truly impressive cast of young, fairly unknown performers — including Catherine Missal and Sonia Mena as Bree and Pippa, Lucy’s best friends at Baird with some seriously messed-up relationship problems of their own. Whether you’re watching the 2008 timeline or the 2015 timeline, you’ll find yourself utterly gripped by Stephen and Lucy’s ups and downs. Steamy, soapy, and underrated, “Tell Me Lies” is definitely worth a binge-watch.

Nicole Kidman has never met a crazy wig she won’t don and a foreign accent she won’t adopt, which makes “Nine Perfect Strangers” the perfect vehicle for the Emmy and Oscar-winning performer. Based on Liane Moriarty’s novel of the same name, the Hulu series, which kicked off in 2021, casts Kidman as a mysterious and enigmatic woman named Masha Dmitrichenko, who founded a wellness retreat called the Tranquillum House. In the first season, actors like Regina Hall, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Shannon, Samara Weaving, and Melissa McCarthy join Kidman as guests at her retreat who start to think Masha’s therapeutic techniques are a little suspect; in Season 2, Kidman’s Masha meets luminaries like Christine Baranski, Murray Bartlett, Dolly de Leon, Annie Murphy and Henry Golding when she travels to a snowy ski resort called Zauberwald.

Is “Nine Perfect Strangers” campy and silly? Yes! Is it a ton of fun? Definitely. Kidman is genuinely one of our most versatile and dynamic living performers, so if you want to watch her try on a new personality, give “Nine Perfect Strangers” a shot.

Based on Beth Macy’s nonfiction book “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company That Addicted America,” the 2021 Hulu original series “Dopesick” is a hard watch, to say the very least — but it’s a necessary one. As you might ascertain from the title of Macy’s book, “Dopesick” focuses on the origins of the opioid epidemic in the United States, particularly the way Purdue Pharma infamously ensured that its highly addictive drugs would be prescribed as often as possible — and the way Purdue worked closely with government agencies to bypass some necessary rules and regulations.

Across different timelines, we watch Richard Sackler (Michael Stuhlbarg), Purdue’s head of research, push OxyContin to both doctors and consumers, while we also bear witness to the eventual legal charges leveled against the Sacklers and Purdue for the way they manipulated the distribution of OxyContin. “Dopesick” is stomach-churning at times, but thanks to Danny Strong’s careful touch as showrunner, and standout performances from Michael Keaton, Kaitlyn Dever, and Rosario Dawson, the show is also a must-watch.

After Dan Fogelman created “This Is Us,” the super-successful family drama with a twist, he returned to the small screen with yet another series that’ll toy with your expectations. On “Paradise,” though, the stakes are considerably higher. After a brisk morning jog, United States Secret Service agent Xavier Collins (“This is Us” alum and Emmy winner Sterling K. Brown) makes a shocking discovery: The President, Cal Bradford (James Marsden), is dead in the Oval Office. As Xavier tries to figure out who killed the man he was sworn to protect — and why — the audience is left with a mystery to solve, as well, once they learn that this entire scenario… well, we won’t spoil it for you. But if you’re looking for a gripping, thrilling show with a bunch of great performances, you should head to “Paradise.”

The 2022 series “Under the Banner of Heaven,” which takes its real-life story from Jon Krakauer’s 2003 book of the same name, is centered on a pretty gruesome crime: specifically, the murder of a Utah woman and her daughter at the hands of brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty. As detectives Jeb Pyre (Andrew Garfield) and Bill Taba (Gil Birmingham) start looking into the murder, they’re startled to realize it could be related to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints … and to complicate everything further, Jeb is a Mormon who finds his faith tested during the investigation.

Garfield, Birmingham, and their co-stars Daisy Edgar-Jones, Wyatt Russell, and Sam Worthington are spectacular, and with “Milk” screenwriter Dustin Lance Black as the showrunner, every moment of “Under the Banner of Heaven” is impactful. Again, it’s not for the faint of heart, but if you’re intrigued by true-crime stories, check out “Under the Banner of Heaven.”

Natasha Rothwell’s 2024 comedy “How to Die Alone” was, sadly, canceled by Hulu after a single season, but you should still binge it as soon as you possibly can. Our leading lady, Mel (Rothwell), is working at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York when she has a near-death experience that forces her to re-evaluate her entire life up until that point. As she embarks on a new, bolder life alongside her best friend and fellow JFK employee Rory (Conrad Ricamora), Mel discovers herself… and chases some big dreams in the process. 

Rothwell, who’s appeared on two non-consecutive seasons of “The White Lotus,” is so great on “How to Die Alone,” and even though it’s frustrating that Mel’s story is technically unfinished, the show is still absolutely worth a watch.

In Liz Meriwether’s 2025 Hulu series “Dying for Sex” — based on the real life and death of podcast host Molly Kochan — we meet Molly (Michelle Williams) right as she receives some horrible news: She has Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, and even though she can receive treatment, the prognosis is terminal. Knowing she no longer has a ton of time, Molly leaves her husband of 10 years, Steve (Jay Duplass), and realizes the treatments she’s receiving for her cancer are making her libido skyrocket.

With the aid of her best friend Nikki (Jenny Slate), Molly goes on a sexual journey of self-discovery, forging an actual relationship with a man simply referred to as Neighbor Guy (Rob Delaney) and pushing her personal boundaries farther and farther. You probably won’t want to watch “Dying for Sex” in front of young kids or with your parents, but even during the show’s most ridiculous moments, the sobering story — and the truly phenomenal performances from Williams, Slate, and Delaney — keep the series wonderfully grounded.

When the first season of “Only Murders in the Building” premiered on Hulu in Summer 2021, it became an immediate hit for the streamer, thanks in large part to its wholly engaging and totally unexpected main trio: Martin Short, Steve Martin, and Selena Gomez. (Martin and Short have been friends and collaborators for decades, but tossing a deadpan Gomez into their dynamic was inspired.) When Gomez’s sardonic Mabel Mora meets Short’s Broadway director Oliver Putnam and Martin’s once-popular actor Charles Haden-Savage during a fire drill at the Arconia — a luxurious and old New York City apartment building — the three bond over their love of true-crime podcasts. But when a body turns up in the Arconia shortly thereafter, the three of them find themselves solving a crime of their own.

“Only Murders” keeps finding inventive and funny ways to get Mabel, Charles, and Oliver to solve murder mysteries across multiple seasons, and even if you start to wonder why anybody lives in the apparently deadly Arconia anymore, you’ll be charmed by Gomez, Martin, and Short’s chemistry.

Does it feel like every single show you watched decades ago is getting a reboot these days? That’s exactly the thing that Hulu’s outstanding 2022 series “Reboot” tackled. When writer Hannah Korman (Rachel Bloom) pitches a reboot of a popular (fictional) sitcom called “Step Right Up” to fictional Hulu executives, she assembles its main cast all over again; luckily, they all need the work for different reasons. 

Reed Sterling (Keegan-Michael Key), who prides himself on his classical acting training, is having trouble booking roles; Clay Barber (Johnny Knoxville) has overcome his alcohol addiction but has a laundry list of arrests on his record; Bree Marie Jensen (Judy Greer) is going through a nasty divorce that’s left her broke; and the show’s former child star, Zack Jackson (Calum Worthy), lives with his mom after appearing in a string of poorly reviewed teen movies. There’s one problem for Hannah: The original showrunner of “Step Right Up” is her estranged biological father, Gordon Gelman (Paul Reiser), and when he joins the reboot’s writing staff, everything gets a lot more complicated.

Sadly, “Reboot” was canceled after its first season, which is a crying shame; the show is extremely funny, and every single main cast member is firing on all cylinders (plus, it’s nice to see typical supporting players like Key and Greer take center stage for once). The story might be unfinished, but “Reboot” is still worth it.

Based on Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s hit 2019 novel of the same name, the Hulu miniseries “Fleishman Is in Trouble,” which was released in 2022, is a searing, fascinating look at marriage, parenthood, and what happens when the trappings of a luxurious life fall apart. Toby Fleishman (a perfectly cast Jesse Eisenberg) is set to bring his kids to see his ex-wife Rachel (Claire Danes) as the two navigate their difficult divorce, only to discover that Rachel is missing. Dealing with his divorce and splitting custody is hard enough on Toby, but he’s also dating again for the first time in years… and when Rachel vanishes, everything takes a strange turn.

The most impressive thing about “Fleishman Is in Trouble” is that it’s got a genuinely brilliant narrative trick; even though you think Toby is the titular troubled Fleishman, there’s actually something deeply troubling going on with Rachel. Danes, Eisenberg, and their co-stars tell this tough story beautifully, so you should absolutely put “Fleishman Is in Trouble” on your watchlist.

In February 2020, Hulu quietly released a reboot of “High Fidelity,” the 2000 film directed by Stephen Frears which stars John Cusack (and which itself was based on Nick Hornby’s 1995 novel of the same name). In this reboot, though, Cusack’s main character, Rob, is repurposed for star Zoë Kravitz as Robyn “Rob” Brooks, who owns a record store in Brooklyn. (Kravitz’s mother, Lisa Bonet, was in the original movie, bringing this whole thing full circle.) 

Kravitz is pitch-perfect as Rob, a woman who, like her male predecessor, is constantly unlucky in love and spends her time mentally relitigating her past relationships; thankfully, like Cusack’s Rob, Kravitz’s Rob has two best friends (Da’Vine Joy Randolph’s Cherise and David H. Holmes’ Simon) who work with her at Championship Vinyl and are happy to relitigate right along with her.

Like a few other entries on this list, “High Fidelity” was canceled after a single season, which is frankly infuriating once you actually experience it for yourself. “High Fidelity” is one of the best reboots ever made — and an all-timer for Hulu — and thankfully, that excellent single season is still streaming right now.

Billy Eichner and Julie Klausner’s “Difficult People” characters, Billy Epstein and Julie Kessler, are, to be clear, really terrible, but that’s exactly what makes them so delightful to watch. Across three seasons, “Difficult People” — which was created by Klausner herself and premiered in 2015 — puts Billy and Julie into increasingly ludicrous situations and simply lets them loose. Eichner and Klausner would be funny enough on their own, but they’re joined by comedy heavyweights like Cole Escola, Andrea Martin, James Urbaniak, and Shannon DeVido throughout their misadventures.

Yes, “Difficult People” qualifies as a “cringe comedy,” but even if your threshold for that genre is low, give this one a shot. Julie and Billy might be “difficult,” but at least they’re really, really funny.

Based on acclaimed nonfiction author Patrick Radden Keefe’s 2018 book of the same name, the fascinating, unsettling “Say Nothing” takes place across three decades and focuses partly on a period of Northern Irish turmoil known as “the Troubles.” The series, adapted and created by Joshua Zetumer, utilizes a Boston project known as the Belfast Project that interviewed people present during this deadly armed conflict — and by doing so, it spans the time period from the 1970s through the 1990s, which saw the worst of the fighting.

“Say Nothing” definitely isn’t an easy watch, but if you’re unfamiliar with the Troubles and are keen to learn some vital Irish history, it’s a must-watch. Anchored by phenomenal performances from actors like Lola Petticrew, Hazel Doupe, Anthony Boyle, and Josh Finan, among others, “Say Nothing” is a stunning, searing look at a pivotal and bloody time in Ireland.

After Irish novelist Sally Rooney won over readers with her second introspective novel “Normal People” in 2018, it was quickly adapted into a series for Hulu in 2020 — and became one of the streamer’s best originals. Throughout a multi-year timeline, we follow Marianne Sheridan (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell Waldron (Paul Mescal in his television debut) from the time they encounter each other as students at secondary school; after Connell has a chance meeting with Marianne due to the fact that his mother Lorraine (Sarah Greene) cleans Marianne’s family home, the two have to navigate a friendship that turns romantic despite the fact that they occupy very different roles at school (Connell is a popular athlete, and Marianne is a bookish nerd). As they go through life, their roles shift and change, but the connection between Connell and Marianne endures.

Edgar-Jones and Mescal are truly transcendent as Marianne and Connell, and if you’ve ever yearned for someone or wondered about a relationship that didn’t work out, “Normal People” will feel incredibly real. Don’t hesitate to add this miniseries to your watchlist; even though you’ll cry, you won’t regret watching it.

From the same writer (Tony McNamara) who brought you the anachronistic historical drama “The Favourite,” “The Great” is a silly but shrewd look at the life and times of Catherine the Great, a Russian ruler who managed to overthrow her idiot husband, Emperor Peter III, and become a powerful and beloved empress to her people. With a razor-sharp Elle Fanning as Catherine and the always-excellent Nicholas Hoult as Peter, “The Great” is a well-executed, often-hilarious look at Catherine’s rise to power, her rocky relationship with Peter, and her behind-the-scenes machinations with her maid, disgraced former noblewoman Marial (Phoebe Fox).

You shouldn’t watch “The Great” if you’re a total stickler for historical accuracy, but you’d be missing out. “The Great,” true to its name, is simply great thanks to Fanning, Hoult, and McNamara’s clever stewardship of the series.

Based on Margaret Atwood’s troublingly relevant 1985 novel of the same name, “The Handmaid’s Tale,” a series created by Bruce Miller, was one of Hulu’s very first successful shows when it premiered in 2017 — which makes sense, as it’s also one of its best. After religious fanatics overthrow the United States and create a dystopian society known as Gilead, June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) is stuck as a Handmaiden, renamed “Offred” and trapped in the “employ” of Commander Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes) and his wife Serena Joy (Yvonne Strahovski). Desperate to change or escape her truly dire circumstances, June jumps at the chance to join a resistance effort against the leaders of Gilead, despite the dangers that come with rebellion.

Moss is, as usual, great, and other phenomenal actors like Alexis Bledel, Max Minghella, Samira Wiley, and Ann Dowd make their mark on the series, as well. Despite how “The Handmaid’s Tale” goes well past the stopping point of Atwood’s novel, book purists needn’t fear; it’s a worthy exploration of the world and June’s journey.

Anybody who’s ever been a teenager will relate to “PEN15,” unfortunately, but if you’re a card-carrying millennial, this incredible comedy series is going to hit hard. Created by stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle (alongside producers The Lonely Island and their co-creator Sam Zvibleman), “PEN15” premiered in 2019 with Erskine and Konkle as Maya Ishii-Peters and Anna Kone, two middle schoolers. Just to amp up how funny this show is, Erskine and Konkle — who were both 31 when they shot the first season — play the 13-year-old versions of themselves, complete with unflattering haircuts and braces.

Erskine and Konkle commit so hard to their performances, which ensures that “PEN15” succeeds — an episode where Anna and Maya inexplicably get into witchcraft shows off some of their biggest go-for-broke impulses — and the show’s commitment to balancing laugh-out-loud humor with real, serious topics is excellent. “PEN15” is truly great, even if it’ll make you cringe thinking about your own middle school experiences.

Created by star Ramy Youssef, “Ramy,” which premiered in 2019, focuses on Ramy Hassan, a millennial who’s also a first-generation Muslim-American trying to find his place in an increasingly divided world. While living in New Jersey, Ramy goes on dates, gets fired and finds new jobs, and tries to connect with his faith and family by visiting Egypt and reckoning with anti-Muslim sentiment from some Americans. 

Youssef isn’t just a gifted comedian, but a smart observer of the human condition and a truly introspective artist, and “Ramy” is a perfect example of that. If you only know Youssef from his stand-up or films like “Poor Things,” reintroduce yourself to him with “Ramy.”

The first American TV show to feature an entirely Indigenous main cast may not have premiered until 2021, but ultimately, “Reservation Dogs” became one of Hulu’s best-ever shows. Set in rural Oklahoma, the show focuses on a group of kids — including Elora Danan Postoak (Devery Jacobs), Bear Smallhill (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), and Willie Jack Sampson (Paulina Alexis) — who navigate their teenage years living on a reservation. Hoping to escape to California, the gang gets into a series of scrapes, but even in the show’s funniest moments, the stakes are still high.

“Reservation Dogs” isn’t just a truly vital piece of representation for the Native American community; it’s also just a really good show. If you’ve somehow overlooked this series, go remedy that right away.

Unless you’re living under a rock, you’ve probably heard of “The Bear” — and despite some very slight dips in quality from season to season, it’s still the reigning champion of Hulu’s original shows. After the death of his brother Mikey (Jon Bernthal), Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a fine dining chef, returns to his family’s sandwich shop in Chicago to take over the business. Along the way, he hires chefs like Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri) and elevates some of the Original Beef’s original employees like Tina Marrero (Liza Colón-Zayas), turning the space into The Bear, a fine dining destination.

“The Bear,” helmed by creator Christopher Storer, is so good that even if it doesn’t always match the heights of its extraordinary, award-winning second season, it’s still better than most stuff on TV. Whether you love cooking or can barely mince garlic, definitely go check out “The Bear” — Hulu’s best original series to date.