The 10 best shows on Hulu to binge-watch right now

Hulu has come a long way since its initial launch in 2007 and is now one of the premier streaming services. Its current lineup of films is impressive, including the 2020 Academy Award Best Picture winner Parasite, but let’s not forget that the service also has Emmy and Golden Globe–winning original television shows and a massive library of content from networks. 

Now that the service’s interface has been updated to make it easier to use, here are some of the best original and non-original shows on Hulu — without needing to buy any of its add-on services like Hulu with Showtime, Hulu with HBO, or Hulu with Starz.

1. The Great

For history nerds with a sense of humor…

Does The Great faithfully follow the true story of Catherine the Great’s infamous coup against her husband Tsar Peter III? No. Is it a hilarious, wacky interpretation of Catherine’s story, complete with frog guns, the invention of bowling, slapfights aplenty and an imperial ton of vodka? Yes, absolutely yes. 

The Great is a fantastic Hulu Original comedy series draped with all the trappings of a big budget period story, and it’s well worth a watch for fans of writer Tony McNamara’s Oscar-winning The Favourite. -Alexis Nedd, senior entertainment reporter

Where to Watch: Watch The Great on Hulu

2. Love, Victor

For rom-com lovers who need a new romance to root for…

Image: Gilles Mingasson/Hulu

This TV spinoff from 2018’s queer romantic comedy Love, Simon stars Michael Cimino as Victor, a new student at Simon’s high school. He’s a star athlete, a model son, a great friend…and he’s beginning to think he might be gay. 

Love, Victor is pitch perfect high school drama with all the sweeping musical cues and whispered secrets that entails, and its connection to the original movie is incredibly sweet — Victor reaches out to Simon (now graduated) on Instagram for advice, and the franchise’s OG romantic hero periodically offers him advice on how to deal with life at Creekwood High. -AN

Where to Watch: Watch Love, Victor on Hulu 

3. What We Do in the Shadows

For vampires, their victims, and their fans…

Season 1 of What We Do in the Shadows proved the show had what it took to live up to its screamingly funny predecessor; Season 2 left those comparisons behind altogether by expanding its universe and deepening its characters. For ten glorious weeks this spring, it was our pleasure to be invited into the day-to-day lives of these hopelessly clueless vampires as they tangled with ghosts and trolls, navigated chain emails and “superb owl” parties, and, in one glorious instance, ran off to small-town Pennsylvania to reinvent themselves as a “human bartender” named Jackie Daytona to avoid paying back rent. (Okay, that last one was just Laszlo.) 

But for all the vampires’ quirky charms, the series’ true secret weapon has turned out to be Guillermo, a put-upon familiar who is still, to his undying regret, still very human. Empowered with the discovery that he’s actually a vampire hunter by heritage, Guillermo realizes he doesn’t have to take this crap anymore…but also maybe that he still kind of wants to. It’s hard to blame him: hanging with Nandor, Laszlo, Nadja, and Colin Robinson makes for a devilishly good time. – Angie Han, Deputy Entertainment Editor

Where to Watch: Watch What We Do in the Shadows on Hulu

4. Pen15

For folks who weren’t cool in any school…

Image: Alex Lombardi/Hulu

Pen15 is hard to watch, in a good way. It nails the awkwardness of middle school by having series creators Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle play fictionalized versions of themselves in 7th grade,  surrounded by a cast of actors who are actually young enough to play their peers. 

The inherent disconnect in watching made-up adults act like preteens heightens the comedy of its funnier moments, but also serves as a reminder that the drama of mid-puberty isn’t any less important because it’s experienced by children. Pen15 is cringey, sweet, hilarious, and wholly original comedy. -AN

Where to Watch: Watch Pen15 on Hulu

5. Ramy

For connoisseurs of dramedy…

Image: Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu

Ramy Youssef’s self-titled TV debut is captivating, contemplative, and often uncomfortable. 

The series tells the story of an Egyptian-American family — the father, mother, and sister as much as the eponymous son. For so much of it, Ramy focuses his energy on how to be a good Muslim, but it takes along time and a series of missteps with drugs and women for him to realize that he should learn to be a good person, too. 

Though the best episodes almost barely involve Ramy (with Youssef himself behind the camera and script), there is a self-assured DNA throughout its two seasons, a voice that we hope to hear from much more. – Proma Khosla, entertainment reporter

Where to Watch: Watch Ramy on Hulu

6. House Hunters

For those who know that everyone makes the same joke about the master closet…

House Hunters is a joy to watch on several different levels. There’s the voyeuristic glee in looking at other people’s occasionally bizarre architectural choices, the thrill of watching yet another couple go for the house that nobody watching would pick in a million years, the confusion over how a couple consisting of an apprentice candlemaker and a dog therapist have a 1.3 million dollar budget, and the repetitive comfort of watching real estate agents make the same dang jokes about bathroom size and potential nurseries in almost every episode. 

There are currently 11 seasons of House Hunters on Hulu, so this ultimate comfort binge is ideal for those times when its winning combination of repetition and fantasy sounds like a perfect night in. -AN

Where to Watch: Watch House Hunters on Hulu

7. Normal People 

For people who just need a hug…

There’s a reason that Normal People — based on Sally Rooney’s novel of the same name — left viewers so emotionally saturated (or perhaps bereft). The story of school sweethearts Marianne and Connell and their years of noncommittally orbiting each other is just what the title says: Normal. Whether it’s a few months, two years, or close to the decade that these two characters experience, most viewers will recall some sort of sustained romantic turmoil in their own lives that mirrors this. The show explores intimacy as it manifests in romance, sex, conversation, and friendship and leaves us as beautifully heartbroken as if it were real. -PK

Where to Watch: Watch Normal People on Hulu

8. Devs

For sci-fi aficionados looking for their new obsession…

Devs is what happens when you give filmmaker Alex Garland, the director of Sunshine and Ex Machina, the freedom to tell a story across eight hours. It’s a massive mindfuck of a sci-fi tale, following Lily Chan (Sonoya Mizuno) as she’s drawn into a world of high-tech corporate espionage and international intrigue. It all starts when her boyfriend Sergei (Karl Glusman) joins a mysterious research unit at the tech company where they both work. Something strange is going on with the company’s CEO and founder, Forest (Nick Offerman), and after Sergei disappears one day into his new job Lily finds herself on an increasingly perilous journey to uncover some answers. –Adam Rosenberg, senior entertainment reporter

Where to Watch: Watch Devs on Hulu

8. Atlanta

For people who know what’s cool before it’s cool…

Image: Quantrell D. Colbert/FX

How does one describe Atlanta? It’s not like your modern serial sitcoms that follow a single narrative thread from episode to episode. The series starts with Earn (Donald Glover), who is broke and has no home or job, stepping up to help his cousin Alfred (Brian Tyree Henry) manage his rap career. But that basic description – which doesn’t even mention stars Lakeith Stanfield and Zazie Beets – barely captures what Atlanta is actually about. Each vignette-ish episode presents a slice of life from the streets of the Georgia city, focusing on Earn and his friends, and often tackling social issues in intelligent and nuanced ways. – AR

Where to Watch: Watch Atlanta on Hulu

10. Rick and Morty

And for those who were about to DM the author of this list because they noticed there are two number eights…

This wildly popular animated comedy may draw attention for its Szechuan sauce–loving fans, but fans of Rick and Morty know that the show is way more than it seems. Its mile-a-minute jokes and irreverent…everything make it one of the funniest animated shows on TV, all the while delving into issues of loneliness, family, the validity of space various forms of space politics, and what happens when one asshole genius decides he’s above the social contract. -AN

Where to Watch: Watch Rick and Morty on Hulu