What to watch on Hulu: The best shows streaming right now

There is 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 right now, including beloved originals (Normal People), FX essentials (Shōgun), classics (Moonlighting), and a whole lot more.

Note: This was updated on November 28, 2024. It will update monthly. 

November spotlight: Interior Chinatown

Stars: Jimmy O. Yang, Chloe Bennet, Ronny Chieng, Tzi Ma, Archie Kao, Sullivan Jones, Lisa Gilroy

Number of seasons: 1

Charles Yu adapts his 2020 novel of the same name into an entertaining and meta 10-episode season of TV. Willis Wu (Yang) is a waiter at his uncle’s restaurant, but he secretly longs to get out of Chinatown and become “a hero.” He’s granted an unlikely opportunity to do so when he teams up with Detective Lana Lee (Bennet) to investigate the disappearance of his brother, who vanished years ago. Through this mystery, Interior Chinatown attempts to break down Hollywood stereotypes and poke fun at the police procedurals.

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: 4 (currently airing)

Abbott Elementary made a splash when it premiered on ABC in 2021. Since then, workplace comedy has earned praise from fans, critics, and the Emmys—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 and boasts a talented ensemble.

The Americans (FX: 2013-2018)

Stars: Matthew Rhys, Keri Russell, Noah Emmerich, Alison Wright, Holly Taylor, Margo Martindale, Annet Mahendru, Keidrich Sellati, Costa Ronin

Number of seasons: 6

FX’s award-winning The Americans will rightfully go down in history as one of television’s finest. Created by Joe Weisberg and Joel Fields, the ’80s-set drama works effectively as a riveting Cold War thriller about two Russian agents who settle down in Washington, D.C., and start a family. However, The Americans is an even better meditation on marriage and love as it dissects the relationship between Philip (Rhys) and Elizabeth Jennings (Russell).

Atlanta (FX: 2016-2022)

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

Number of seasons: 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.

The Bear (FX: 2022-)

Stars: Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Liza Colón-Zayas, Lionel Boyce, Abby Elliott

Number of seasons: 3

No one saw it coming, but The Bear ended up being the best TV show to premiere 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. In the third season, which dropped in 2024, the staff struggles to run the show’s ambitious, eponymous restaurant.

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: 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 universal thanks to its resonant writing. Be sure to read our interview with the creator star about the end of the show.

Dave (FXX: 2020-)

Stars: Lil Dicky, Taylor Misiak, GaTa, Andrew Santino, Gina Hecht, Christine Ko, Travis “Taco” Bennett

Number of seasons: 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.

Difficult People (Hulu: 2015-2017)

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

Number of seasons: 3

Difficult People follows two aspiring comedians trying to make a name for themselves, while seemingly hating on everyone except each other. Per The A.V. Club‘s review: “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.”

The Dropout(Hulu: 2022)

Stars: Amanda Seyfried, 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: 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 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.

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: 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.

Fleishman Is In Trouble (Hulu: 2022)

Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Lizzy Caplan, Claire Danes, Adam Brody, Meara Mahoney Gross, Maxim Jasper Swinton

Number of seasons: 1

Fleishman Is In Trouble lives up to both the hype of its cast and the book by Taffy Brodesser-Akner on which it’s based. The show follows Eisenberg’s Toby, a recently divorced Manhattan doctor 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.

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 really a true story at all. It is loosely—like, 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 one hell of a time depicting how she plots to overtake his kingdom—all while avoiding falling in love with him.

High Fidelity (Hulu: 2020)

Stars: Zoë Kravitz, Jake Lacy, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, David H. Holmes

Number of seasons: 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.

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: 16

Against all odds, The Gang and the havoc it inevitably wreaks don’t seem to be going anywhere. Dennis Perkins summed up Sunny’s endurance nicely: “A lot’s been made about It’s Always Sunny’s unprecedented longevity and, 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.”

Justified (FX: 2010-2015)

Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins, Natalie Zea, Jacob Pitts, Nick Searcy, Erica Tazel, Joelle Carter

Number of seasons: 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 most underrated dramas of the 2010s.

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. (That said, 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.

Letterkenny (Crave: 2016-2023)

Stars: Jared Keeso, Nathan Dales, Melanie Scrofano, Michelle Mylett, Dylan Playfair

Number of seasons: 12

Letterkenny is a great hang. 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 2023.

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: 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 setup, using flashbacks, flash-forwards (and flash-sideways!) to concoct an epic and gut-wrenching mystery.

Moonlighting (ABC: 1985-1989)

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 cases as the heads of Blue Moon Investigations.

Normal People (Hulu: 2020)

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

Number of seasons: 1

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

Only Murders In The Building (Hulu: 2021-)

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

Number of seasons: 4

Only Murders In The Building could just be Hulu’s most consistent offering to date. Short and Martin are frequent and terrific collaborators, but their pairing with Gomez makes the series an immediate gem, with the three playing residents of a fancy New York City building who begin a true-crime podcast. The star-packed fourth season wrapped up this fall, and season five arrives next year.

Pen15 (Hulu: 2019-2021)

Stars: Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Taj Cross, Mutsuko Erskine, Richard Karn, Melora Walters, Dallas Liu, Taylor Nichols

Number of seasons on Hulu: 2

Cringe comedy is never easy to get through, and Pen15 has heaps of it. We’re talking full-body shudders. Created by Erskine and Konkle, the two play 13-year-old versions of themselves, as they try to survive eighth grade and all the issues that come with it: first crushes, AIM chats (remember those?), pool parties, and early stages of friendships. Pen15 is definitely wince-worthy, but damn if it doesn’t remain endearing from start to finish.

Pose (FX: 2018-2021)

Stars: MJ Rodriguez, Indya Moore, Billy Porter, Dominique Jackson, Hailie Sahar, Ryan Jamal Swain, Angel Bismark Curiel, Angelica Ross

Number of seasons: 3

There isn’t another show quite like Pose. Set in the 1980s, it dives into New York City’s ball-culture scene, assembling a history-making cast with multiple trans actors, led by Rodriguez. She plays Blanca, the mother of House of Evangelista, who takes in a number of struggling young folks. While it features the hardships that LGBTQ+ and people of color went through during the time, Pose is still effervescent and joyous as it celebrates their existence.

Ramy (Hulu: 2019-)

Stars: Ramy Youssef, Hiam Abbass, May Calamawy, Mohammed Amir, Amr Waked, Steve Way, Laith Nakli, Mahershala Ali

Number of seasons: 3

Created by and starring Youssef, this show follows Ramy Hassan, a first-generation Egyptian American living in New Jersey with his family who goes on a spiritual quest to explore facets of his community by volunteering at and spending time in a Sufi mosque. He’s caught up between both of his identities and strives to make sense of the world while believing life is just a morality test.

Reservation Dogs (FX on Hulu: 2021-2023)

Stars: Devery Jacobs, Paulina Alexis, D’Pharaoh-Woon-A-Tai, Lane Factor, Zahn McClarnon, Sarah Podemski, Dallas Goldtooth, Gary Farmer, Elva Guerra

Number of seasons: 3

Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi’s sublime, heartwarming comedy tells the coming-of-age story of four Indigenous teens from rural Oklahoma who are mourning the death of their friend and trying to honor his wishes by going to California. The show’s fantastic third and final season wrapped up in 2023.

Schitt’s Creek (CBC/Pop: 2015-2020)

Stars: Catherine O’Hara, Eugene Levy, Dan Levy, Annie Murphy, Emily Hampshire, Noah Reid, Dustin Milligan, Jennifer Robertson, Chris Elliott, Sarah Levy

Number of seasons on Hulu: 6

Schitt’s Creek’s ascension into a mainstream pop-culture favorite is highly deserved. Eugene and Dan Levy’s show about the Rose family—who move from lavish mansions to the rundown titular town after losing their wealth—fleshes out its seemingly unlikable characters with detailed, heartfelt humor. It also lays down a roadmap for normalizing LGBTQ+ relationships with David and Patrick’s romance. There’s a reason it swept the Emmys in 2020, after all.

Shōgun (FX: 2024-)

Stars: Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawai, Cosmo Jarvis, Tadanobu Asano, Takehiro Hira, Fumi Nikaido, Moeka Hoshi

Number of seasons: 1

Shōgun, FX’s adaptation of James Clavell’s sweeping Japan-set novel, weaves thrilling, action-packed drama with moving, character-driven stories. The 10-episode series also finally gives Hiroyuki Sanada the leading role he deserves, and it boasts breakout performances by Anna Sawai, Tadanobu Asani, and Moeka Hoshi. Expect stunning visuals, plenty of fight scenes, heartbreak, and jaw-dropping political chess games. The show has been renewed for two more seasons.

Snowfall (FX: 2017-2023)

Stars: Damson Idris, Emily Rios, Carter Hudson, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Amin Joseph, Michael Hyatt,

Number of seasons: 6

Created by John Singleton, Eric Amadio, and Dave Andron, Snowfall is a gripping tale that kicks off in 1983 during the early days of L.A.’s crack epidemic. Idris plays Franklin, a street entrepreneur on a quest for power who is on a collision course with Lucia, the daughter of a Mexican crime lord.

Superstore (NBC: 2015-2021)

Stars: America Ferrera, Ben Feldman, Lauren Ash, Nico Santos, Nichole Sakura, Colton Dunn, Mark McKinney, Kaliko Kauahi

Number of seasons: 6

Everything about Superstore screams quintessential American workplace comedy. Hailing from Justin Spitzer (The Office), the talented and diverse cast plays employees of big-box retail chain store Cloud 9 in Minnesota. Through the lens of their working-class jobs, the show explores their friendships and livelihoods. While series star Ferrera exited before the last season, Superstore goes out with an emotionally charged last bow as it tackles the pandemic.

Taste The Nation With Padma Lakshmi (Hulu: 2020-)

Stars: Padma Lakshmi

Number of seasons: 2

No one knows food better than the Emmy-nominated (former) host of Top Chef, Padma Lakshmi. Taste The Nation is evidence of this. Her culinary travel docuseries doesn’t just celebrate delicacies across the globe; it takes a deep dive into various cuisines and how they impacted the food culture in the States.

Under The Banner Of Heaven (FX: 2022)

Stars: Andrew Garfield, Gil Birmingham, Wyatt Russell, Sam Worthington, Adelaide Clemens, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Billy Howle, Rory Culkin

Number of seasons: 1

Based on Jon Krakauer’s book of the same name, Under The Banner Of Heaven follows the real-life case of the murder of Brenda Lafferty and her toddler in the ’80s. The emotionally striking series is told through the eyes of Detective Jeb Pyre as he wrestles with his own faith while solving the case that shook his LDS Church community in Utah.

UnPrisoned (Hulu: 2023-2024)

Stars: Kerry Washington, Delroy Lindo, Faly Rakotohavana, Marque Richardson, Brenda Strong, Tim Daly

Number of seasons: 2

Tracy McMillan created UnPrisoned, a comedy inspired by her life that expertly tackles heavy issues like mass incarceration and intergenerational trauma. In the show, Washington plays Paige, a relationship therapist and single mom to a teen son. Her world is upended when her father, Lindo’s Edwin, is freed from prison after 17 years, attempting to make up for lost time with his family. UnPrisoned is part of Hulu’s Onyx Collective, which consists of projects by creators of color. The series’ second and sadly final season arrived in 2024.

Veronica Mars (UPN/The CW: 2004-2007, Hulu: 2019)

Stars: Kristen Bell, Enrico Colantoni, Percy Daggs III, Jason Dohring, Ryan Hansen, Kyle Gallner, Tina Majorino

Number of seasons: 4

There’s no teen drama quite like Veronica Mars. Bell embraced and made the role her own during the show’s three-season run and maintained that energy when it returned as a movie in 2014 and an eight-part season four in 2019. She plays the titular character, a young detective who can solve about any case in the fictional town of Neptune (except for her complicated love life, that is).

Vida (Starz: 2018-2020)

Stars: Melissa Barrera, Mishel Prada, Ser Anzoategui, Chelsea Rendon, Carlos Miranda, Roberta Colindrez

Number of seasons: 3

The powerful and poignant Vida follows two sisters, Lyn and Emma Hernandez, who return home to L.A. after their mother dies. They begin running the family bar, and in the process, have to contend with their mom’s true identity and reckon with their Mexican American community.

What We Do In The Shadows (FX: 2019-)

Stars: Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillén, Mark Proksch

Number of seasons: 6 (currently airing)

When this American TV adaptation of Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s hilarious 2014 mockumentary was announced, you’d have been forgiven for giving a skeptical shrug. How, exactly, would showrunners be able to capture the original’s offbeat magic and sustain our interests over several seasons? Somehow, they do just that—and the feat could have a lot to do with the chemistry between these Staten Island-dwelling vampires (and one doting familiar). The particularly strong performances by Demetriou, Proksch, and fan fave Guillén certainly don’t hurt, either. The sixth and final season airs through December.

You’re The Worst (FX/FXX: 2014-2019)

Stars: Aya Cash, Chris Geere, Kether Donohue, Desmin Borges, Allan McLeod, Brandon Mychal Smith, Janet Varney, Steve Agee

Number of seasons: 5

You’re The Worst is a brilliant anti-rom-com that tells the twisted, uncomfortably realistic love story of two people who shouldn’t be in relationships. Against all odds, of which there are many, Jimmy (Geere) and Gretchen (Cash) end up together. The show is hilarious and absurd, sure, but it also somehow fits in brutally emotional arcs about mental health, self-identity, and trust.