The Best Hulu Original Series

In the streaming realm, Hulu often plays third fiddle to Netflix and Amazon—but it shouldn’t. Hulu is home to a number of fantastic library film and TV titles, but also a robust library of ambitious original series of its own. While few Hulu original series have broken out in the way that Stranger Things or Fleabag have, they run the gamut from critically acclaimed dramas to sci-fi comedies to twisty Stephen King adaptations. There’s a lot that’s worth your time, which is why we’ve assembled a list of the best Hulu original series you can watch right now.

And for a longer list of recommendations, check out our rundown of all the best TV shows available on Hulu.

Castle Rock

Created by: Sam Shaw and Dustin Thompson

Cast: Andre Holland, Melanie Lynskey, Bill Skarsgard, Sissy Spacek, Lizzy Caplan, Paul Sparks, Barkhad Abdi, Elsie Fisher, and Tim Robbins

Castle Rock is a quasi-anthology show that takes place in the universe of Stephen King’s novels, specifically focusing on the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine and all of the supernatural-as-balls things that seem to happen there on a regular basis. I say “quasi-anthology” because while the two seasons that have aired tell completely separate stories with entirely new casts (including a particularly excellent performance by Lizzy Caplan in Season 2), the stories wind up connecting in a few surprisingly major ways. Castle Rock isn’t a direct adaptation of any of King’s work, but if you’re a King fan, or just a fan of weird fiction and cosmic horror in general, you need to order several pizzas and binge both seasons in their entirety ASAP. Plus, there’s an added bonus layer of Easter eggs for well-read King fans that’s just icing on the cake. The only negative thing I can say is that Season 2 just ended and we still don't know if there will be a Season 3. – Tom Reimann

PEN15

Creators: Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Sam Zvibleman

Cast: Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Melora Walters, Taylor Nichols, Mutsuko Erskine Dallas Liu, Dylan Gage, Taj Cross, Anna Pniowsky, Sami Rappoport

It’s hard to imagine a coming-of-age comedy set in the early ‘00s following two 7th grade girls (played by adult series co-creators and stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle) could be both hilariously raunchy and supremely heartwarming. But, alas, if you think that’s true, then you haven’t seen Hulu’s incredible original series PEN15 yet — and it’s imperative you watch it ASAP if that’s the case.

Beginning on the first day of school in the year 2000, we follow childhood besties Maya Ishii-Peters (Erskine) and Anna Kone (Konkle) as they embark on what they hope will be a life-changing year in middle school. Over the course of 10 extremely bingeable episodes, PEN15 shows the very funny, very honest, and very uncomfortable ways in which Maya and Anna grow up together and apart. Whether it’s discovering the joys of masturbation or trying to navigate the tricky waters of passive-aggressive racism while putting together a group project for school, Maya and Anna come up against it all. Plotlines are drawn from Konkle and Erskine’s own experiences, making their performances as fictionalized preteen versions of themselves even richer. PEN15 also benefits greatly from the fact that Konkle and Erskine are actual friends. Watching them work off one another onscreen and knowing this tidbit makes for an more rewarding, more emotionally-compelling viewing experience.

PEN15 shouldn’t work if only because Erskine and Konkle are grown-ups playing twelve-year-olds but, the gambit pays off and after a few minutes, you forget all about it and end up cheering for them by Episode 2. The stellar writing combined with Erskine and Konkle as an unbeatable pair and the specificity of the pop culture references (aimed squarely at elder Millennial audiences) should equal you pausing your entire life, heading to your couch, and pressing “Play” on PEN15 immediately. – Allie Gemmill

Veronica Mars

Creator: Rob Thomas

Cast: Kristen Bell, Enrico Colantoni, Jason Dohring, Max Greenfield, Ken Marino, J.K. Simmons, Patton‌ Oswalt

Controversy! Outrage! Sorry, but I loved it! More than a decade after Veronica Mars ended with a cliffhanger that left fans in crisis, about five years after the Kickstarter-funded feel-good movies that answered all your leftover questions, but didn’t quite feel like the old series we loved, Veronica Mars returned for Season 4 as a Hulu original series and it was quite an experience. What comes after the happy ever after of the Veronica Mars movie?? Well if you know your noir, you know it’s probably pretty dark.

Indeed, Season 4 catches up with Veronica as an adult, trapped back in Neptune, working with her dad on the ol’ PI beat, when a terrorist comes to town and starts bombing the spring breakers. That puts Mars Investigations on the case and puts Veronica in one of the scariest mysteries of her very scary life, all the while dealing with an unexpected downturn in her dad’s health, her ongoing and always complicated romance with Logan (Jason Dohring), and a general identity crisis as she comes to terms with who she’s become rather than who she thought she’d be.

While the new season, particularly its devastating finale, alienated much of the fanbase, I was a huge fan of the bold swings the series took towards a much more adult, tragic tone. Plus, that includes an incredible dynamic between Enrico Colantoni and newcomer J.K. Simmons, one of the series’ best-ever “Veronica and Keith in peril” scenes during a breathless late-season shootout that had me literally screaming at the TV, and all the snappy banter we’ve come to know and love from Veronica Mars. – Haleigh Foutch

11.22.63

Created by: Bridget Carpenter

Cast: James Franco, Sarah Gadon, Lucy Fry, George McKay, T.R. Knight, Daniel Webber, Josh Duhamel, and Chris Cooper

If you’re looking for a relatively easy binge with a beginning, middle, and end, the limited series 11.22.63 is a solid choice. Based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, the J.J. Abrams-produced series stars James Franco as an English teacher who is given the chance to travel back in time to 1960 in order to prevent the assassination of John F. Kennedy, which in turn is supposed to fix all the world’s problems that occurred after that event. It’s got a great sci-fi premise, but the story itself is very much a period piece and Franco anchors this thing well. At eight episodes it’s not a massive investment, and it’s absolutely compelling throughout. For history buffs who are also fans of time travel, with a Mad Men-esque spin, this one is lots of fun.– Adam Chitwood

High Fidelity

Created by: Veronica West and Sarah Kucserka

Cast: Zoe Kravtiz, Jake Lacy, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph

Inspired by the film of the same name (out in 2000), which itself is based on the 1995 British novel by Nick Hornby, High Fidelity (developed by writers Veronica West and Sarah Kucserka) centers on Rob Brooks (Zoë Kravitz, who’s also an executive producer), a female record store owner in the gentrified neighborhood of Crown Heights, Brooklyn. As Rob revisits past relationships through music and pop culture, in the hopes of understanding why her relationships continue to fail, she realizes that she may have to eventually face some harsh realities, if she’s ever going to truly sort out her life.

Zoë Kravitz stepping into the lead role in this story is an inspired choice, especially fresh off of her great run on two seasons of Big Little Lies and before we get to see her take on Catwoman in The Batman, as a female take on the character played in the movie by John Cusack. And if that’s not enough of a draw, on its own, the show also has a kick-ass soundtrack with a huge range of genres that create even more of a mood to illustrate the story being told. – Christina Radish

Shrill

Creators: Aidy Bryant, Alexandra Rushfield, Lindy West

Cast: Aidy Bryant, John Cameron Mitchell, Lolly Adefope, Luka Jones, Ian Owens

A straight shot of pure feel-good vibes, Hulu’s Shrill is all about self-acceptance, self-love, and most importantly, turning those things into self-empowerment. Saturday Night Live scene-stealer Aidy Bryant gets to take the lead here as Annie, an aspiring writer with a bright spirit, big ambitions, and a lifetime of self-loathing as a plus-sized girl, until a run-ins with online trolls, body positivity communities, and the opportunity to tap into her sensuality leads her to a pivotal moment of self-empowerment. Shrill is all about the hilarious, messy journey to getting there; from the sloppy but sexy relationship with her oaf-with-a-heart-of-gold boyfriend (a transformative moment of how plus-size sexuality has been depicted on screen) to her evolving friendships, and a season 1 pool party that is one of the most outright celebratory, free, and fearless acts of revolutionary body positivity on TV.

It’s funny, breezy, and Bryant is charming to boot (not to mention Lolly Adefope as Annie’s BFF and John Cameron Mitchell as Annie’s boss, both of which deserve their own spinoffs), but it’s also a powerful assertion that all bodies and all people deserve the right to claim their space and the right to a happy life, no matter how you, or society, feels about their body type. – Haleigh Foutch

Devs

Creator: Alex Garland

Cast: Sonoya Mizuno, Nick Offerman, Alison Pill, Jin Ha, Cailee Spaeny, Zach Grendier, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Karl Glusman

The newest show on this list and the first show to launch the FX on Hulu mantle, Devs is only half-way through its run of episodes, but having seen all eight hours ahead of writing my review, I‌ can confirm what you probably already know: Devs is an exceptional piece of sci-fi storytelling. Written and directed by Ex Machina and Annihilation filmmaker Alex Garland, the series furthers his track record of dense, character-driven sci-fi with just enough WTFery to keep you guessing – not to mention, all the rich existential themes to keep you questioning the nature of your reality the whole way through.

Set on a tech campus where a genius billionaire (Nick‌ Offerman) is developing a mysterious project that could change our understanding of the world, Devs makes room for murder mystery, romance, mind-bending science-fiction, gorgeous visual artistry, disarming score work, and a flourish of avant-garde existentialism. It’s another win for FX, another win for Garland (who takes to the serialized format with relish), and boasts one of the most relentlessly fascinating characters of the year in Alison Pill’s mysterious Katie. Spooky, meditative, and utterly unpredictable, Devs is easily one of the best Hulu exclusives to date and almost certain to endure as one of the best TV‌ shows of 2020. – Haleigh Foutch

The Awesomes

Created by: Seth Meyers and Mike Shoemaker

Cast: Seth Meyers, Ike Barinholtz, Emily Spivey, Taran Killam, Kenan Thompson, Paula Pell, Bill Hader, and Josh Meyers

Did you know that Seth Meyers co-created an original animated superhero series that ran for three seasons on Hulu? That's okay, not many people did either. But The Awesomes is well worth your time and attention if you're looking for an escape from the ordinary and a break from the same-old superhero story.

The Awesomes follows the title team of comic book-inspired superheroes led by the son of the greatest superhero of them all, Mr. Awesome, as they attempt to fill the sizable shoes of the heroes they're replacing. The voice cast alone is worth watching for, including ::deep breath:: Seth Meyers, Bill Hader, Kenan Thompson, Taran Killam, Bobby Moynihan, Rachel Dratch, Maya Rudolph, Will Forte, Amy Poehler, Kate McKinnon, Colin Quinn, Fred Armisen, Tina Fey, Andy Samberg, Chris Kattan, Cecily Strong, Vanessa Bayer, Noël Wells, Nasim Pedrad and Aidy Bryant as well as SNL writers Steve Higgins, Emily Spivey, Paula Pell, Tim Robinson, Alex Baze and John Lutz. The Awesomes also fills that niche between the squeaky-clean Disney-fied superhero stories of the Marvel Comics universe and the very-adult stop-motion animated adventures of SuperMansion, so while it's not exactly family-friendly, it's perfectly suited for teens and above. Check it out today if you missed out on the off-kilter adventures back in the halcyon days of the mid-2010s! - Dave Trumbore

The Handmaid's Tale

Created by: Bruce Miller

Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Alexis Bledel, Ann Dowd, Bradley Whitford, and Samira Wiley

Talk about a show arriving at the right time. The first season of this ambitious adaptation of the Margaret Atwood novel of the same name arrived in the wake of the 2016 presidential election, and The Handmaid’s Tale’s themes of misogyny, male-dominated power structures, and abuse resonated deeply. The show became the first streaming series to ever win the Emmy award for Best Drama Series, and has continued to expand on Atwood’s source material to build out a full-on Handmaid’s Tale world. – Adam Chitwood

Future Man

Created by: Kyle Hunter, Ariel Shaffir, and Howard Overman

Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Eliza Coupe, Derek Wilson, Ed Begley Jr., Glenne Headly, Keith David, and Haley Joel Osment

Future Man is a comedy series with the hard sci-fi antics of Rick and Morty, R-rated humor of films like Neighbors and This Is the End, and serialization of something like Stranger Things. Executive produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the series stars Josh Hutcherson as a lonely janitor at a scientific research facility who beats an unbeatable video game, only to be visited by two warriors from the future played by Eliza Coupe (Happy Endings) and Derek Wilson (Preacher). The game was sent back in time to find the savior that can change the course of history and prevent a terrifying dystopia, but the warriors are surprised to find that their “savior” is just a lazy dude who’s good at video games and very bad at fighting. The show has a lot of fun with its sci-fi premise and really digs deep into time-travel to hilarious and compelling results, but the relationships between the characters also blossom in surprisingly emotional ways. Future Man is incredibly funny, chock-full of movie references, and super duper nerdy.– Adam Chitwood

Runaways

Created by: Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage

Cast: Rhenzy Feliz, Lyrica Okano, Virginia Gardner, Ariela Barer, Gregg Sulkin, James Marsters, and Julian McMahon

While it was cut short before the opportunity to properly finish its story, Marvel’s Runaways is worth a watch, for its terrific young cast, relatable teen storylines, exciting action, and don’t forget that pet dinosaur. Throughout its run, the six Runaways at its center – Alex Wilder (Rhenzy Feliz), Chase Stein (Gregg Sulkin), Karolina Dean (Virginia Gardner), Nico Minoru (Lyrica Okano), Gert Yorkes (Ariela Barer) and Molly Hernandez (Allegra Acosta) – had to deal with corrupt parents, powerful aliens and the world’s most nefarious sorceress (played by Elizabeth Hurley), all while trying to navigate friendships and romance, and save each other.

It’s a series that did a great job of staying true to the comic while also doing its own thing and giving fans new and unexpected surprises. And even though its sad that they weren’t able to continue telling their story, at least they finally got to crossover with Cloak and Dagger and see what Tandy (Olivia Holt) and Tyrone (Aubrey Joseph) could bring to the table. – Christina Radish

Behind the Mask

Here's a docu-series that should have gotten way more attention than it did, and many more seasons to boot. Maybe it was the title, maybe it was the marketing, I don't know, but Behind the Mask deserves another look. It explores the real lives of sports mascots at the high school, college, minor league, and major league levels, including a look at what it's like to freelance as a mascot. The series, delightfully quirky and full of larger-than-life characters you can't help but root for, earned Hulu's first ever Sports Emmy nomination for Outstanding New Approaches in Sports Programming. And it was cancelled well before its time.

There are two seasons of Behind the Mask to enjoy. You'll see anthropomorphic trees, exuberant penguins, quick-shooting rebels, and high-flying bucks. You'll see the lives of these characters both inside and out of the suit, offering surprising insight into just how different those lives really are: Shy introverts come alive when they perform as mascots while adrenaline-seeking stunt performers struggle to balance their personal and professional lives, weighing risk of injury against a rare chance at the big leagues. Every one of them has an impressive will and a drive to achieve their ambition: to succeed at not just their current level but the next step up. Behind the Mask is not just a human-interest story, it's a reminder that, while anyone can wear a mask, it's only the truly dedicated that can thrive as a mascot. - Dave Trumbore

The Path

Created by: Jessica Goldberg and Jason Katims

Cast: Hugh Dancy, Michelle Monaghan, and Aaron Paul

From show creator Jessica Goldberg and executive producer Jason Katims (Parenthood), The Path is a twisted tale of how religion and vulnerability can be used to prey on those suffering a crisis of faith. The story follows the Meyerist Movement as it struggles to make sense of Doctor Meyer’s mysterious departure, with Cal (Hugh Dancy) stepping into the void left behind. Once in that leadership position, Cal finds himself doing some dark things in the name of the Movement, drawing Sarah (Michelle Monaghan) away from her husband Eddie (Aaron Paul) and deep into his inner circle.

Throughout its three seasons, it’s a roller coaster, pushing all of its characters to the edge and forcing them to face past demons and question their beliefs. There are twists and bold revelations, but it never does so in favor of sacrificing character development. – Christina Radish

The Act

Created by: Michelle Dean and Nick Antosca

Cast: Patricia Arquette, Joey King, AnnaSophia Robb, and Chloe Sevigny

From co-creators Michelle Dean and Nick Antosca (Channel Zero), the first season of the true-crime anthology series The Act tells the shocking story of Gypsy Blanchard (Joey King), a girl who’s desperate to escape the toxic relationship she has with her overprotective and overbearing mother, Dee Dee (Patricia Arquette). As the sweet, naive and lonely Gypsy becomes more and more aware of the outside world, her quest for independence turns dangerous, threatening to reveal a never-ending list of secrets that ultimately lead to the drastic act of murder.

Born out of a Buzzfeed article, the series explores this sad and twisted tale of tragedy that is truly a story of life being far stranger than fiction could ever be, and the incredible performances from both Joey King and Patricia Arquette really hammer the heartbreak home. – Christina Radish