As Disney prepares to fold Hulu entirely into Disney+ by 2026, marking the end of nearly two decades of standalone streaming excellence, there’s never been a better time to celebrate what made this platform so special. The transition, set to begin as early as this month, will close the chapter on a service that launched in 2007 and fundamentally changed how we consume television.
This list stands as both tribute and testament to Hulu’s remarkable legacy. The platform didn’t just survive the streaming wars—it defined them, carving out a unique and powerful niche that not many other services could replicate.
It wasn’t just a home for acclaimed originals; it became a treasure trove of next-day network hits, international exclusives, and the entire prestige lineup from its partnership with FX. This diversity is what made Hulu’s library one of the richest available, and what makes its impending integration all the more poignant.
Before we bid farewell to the green logo and the familiar interface, let’s honor the shows that proved Hulu’s creative vision. These sixteen series represent the best of this collection, ranked by critical acclaim, audience ratings, cultural influence, and binge-worthy storytelling.
16. Casual (2015-2018)
Rotten Tomatoes: 94% Critics Rating, 4.25/5 Audience Rating | IMDb: 7.5/10
Genre: Comedy-Drama
Michaela Watkins and Tommy Dewey’s sibling dysfunction gets dissected through dating app swipes and therapy sessions in this underrated gem. Set against LA’s sun-bleached backdrop, the series follows recently divorced Valerie and her commitment-phobic brother Alex as they navigate modern romance, with teenage Laura caught in the crossfire. Four seasons of millennial malaise disguised as family comedy – think Transparent without the awards campaign.
15. Devs (2020)
Rotten Tomatoes: 82% Critics Rating, 3.9/5 Audience Rating | IMDb: 7.6/10
Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi, and Techno-thriller
From the mind of Alex Garland (Ex Machina, 2014), this visually stunning miniseries stars his frequent collaborator, Sonoya Mizuno, as a software engineer who uncovers a reality-altering conspiracy after her boyfriend vanishes. Her search puts her on a collision course with the company’s reclusive CEO (a haunting Nick Offerman) in a cerebral, mind-bending thriller that explores the nature of free will and determinism.
14. Normal People (2020)
Rotten Tomatoes: 91% Critics Rating, 4.6/5 Audience Rating | IMDb: 8.4/10
Genre: Psychological Drama and Romance
Sally Rooney’s intimate novel becomes television alchemy through Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal’s career-making performances as Connell and Marianne. Director Lenny Abrahamson turns whispered conversations and furtive glances into visceral emotional exchanges, while the Irish countryside becomes a character in this devastating portrait of first love. Warning: May cause sudden interest in Connell Waldron-approved silver chains and Connemara marble jewelry.
13. PEN15 (2019–2021)
Rotten Tomatoes: Overall 97% Critics Rating, 4.35/5 Audience Rating | IMDb: 8.1/10
Genre: Cringe Comedy
Comedians Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle play Y2K-era middle school versions of themselves in this hilariously awkward coming-of-age comedy. By blending absurdity with emotional resonance, PEN15 perfectly captures the formative years of adolescence when AIM chat disasters and stolen kisses were the highlights of the week. But what hits hardest is the exploration of fractured families through its two leads.
12. High Fidelity (2020)
Rotten Tomatoes: 86% Critics Rating, 3.95/5 Audience Rating | IMDb: 7.7/10
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Rob Brooks (played by Zoë Kravitz, following the footsteps of her mother, Lisa Bonet’s cinematic legacy) owns a record store in this gender-flipped reimagining of Nick Hornby’s romance novel. The vinyl shop in Crown Heights becomes a millennial’s therapy couch as Rob dissects exes through mixtape metaphysics and Y2K nostalgia.
Although canceled after one season, despite positive ratings from critics and a killer soundtrack, this Hulu original perfectly captures the breakup playlist dramedy. A bittersweet banger that makes you wish Hulu had pressed play on Season 2.
11. Castle Rock (2018-2019)
Rotten Tomatoes: 88% Critics Rating, 3.9/5 Audience Rating | IMDb: 7.5/10
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Psychological Thriller
Produced by J.J. Abrams and Stephen King himself, this Maine-set anthology series transforms the master of horror’s fictional town into a character study of American decay.
With Bill Skarsgård’s mysterious Kid, Melanie Lynskey as a psychic realtor haunted by the town’s history, and Sissy Spacek’s Ruth Deaver anchoring Season 1’s psychological maze, this Hulu original proves King adaptations work best when they breathe in the spaces between his stories. Two seasons of interconnected nightmares that make you question whether evil is born or bred in small-town America.
10. Atlanta (2016-2022)
Rotten Tomatoes: Overall 98% Critics Rating, 4.25/5 Audience Rating | IMDb: 8.6/10
Genre: Comedy Drama, Surrealism, Hip Hop
Donald Glover’s genre-defying masterpiece uses the story of a Princeton dropout, Earnest “Earn” Marks (Donald Glover), managing his cousin Alfred “Paper Boi” Miles’ (Brian Tyree Henry) rap career as a launchpad for some of television’s most inventive episodes. One week it’s a slice-of-life comedy, the next it’s a chilling work of standalone horror or a sharp satire on race and commerce. A work of pure Afro-surrealist genius, Atlanta operated on a creative plane all its own, forever changing what a half-hour “comedy” could be.
9. Reservation Dogs (2021–2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: 99% Critics Rating, 4.55/5 Audience Rating | IMDb: 8.3/10
Genre: Teen Drama and Comedy Drama
Co-created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, Reservation Dogs centers on four Indigenous teens dreaming of escaping their Oklahoma reservation for California. With its authentic representation of Native culture and a pitch-perfect blend of humor and heartache, this groundbreaking series stands out as Hulu’s crowning achievement.
8. The Handmaid’s Tale (2017-2025)
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% Critics Rating, 2.8/5 Audience Rating | IMDb: 8.3/10
Genre: Tragedy and Dystopia
Margaret Atwood’s dystopian masterpiece, The Handmaid’s Tale, imagines a chilling future where women are subjugated under a totalitarian regime. Elisabeth Moss’s June Osborne became the face of resistance and survival, her close-ups more explosive than any action sequence.
While later seasons courted controversy, the first three years remain landmark TV – Aunt Lydia’s cattle prods, the Jezebels episode, and that season 2 finale birth scene still haunt viewers. A chilling reminder that Gilead is always closer than we think.
7. Dopesick (2021)
Rotten Tomatoes: 89% Critics Rating, 4.7/5 Audience Rating | IMDb: 8.6/10
Genre: Drama
Michael Keaton’s Emmy-winning turn as a pill-addicted Appalachian Dr. Samuel Finnix anchors this harrowing dissection of the opioid crisis through multiple perspectives—patients, doctors, and pharmaceutical executives.
The eight-episode miniseries switches timelines like a thriller, showing Purdue Pharma’s OxyContin push alongside DEA agents and mining families caught in the crosshairs — more terrifying than any horror series on Hulu.
6. The Great (2020-2023)
Rotten Tomatoes: Overall 96% Critics Rating, 4.2/5 Audience Rating | IMDb: 8.1/10
Genre: Comedy Drama, Dark Comedy, Historical Fiction, Satire, and Absurdist Humor
“Mostly fiction” disclaimers can’t dull Elle Fanning’s comet-like performance as Catherine the Great in Tony McNamara’s anarchic, satirical historical comedy. Nicholas Hoult’s himbo Peter III and the show’s casual anachronisms (“Huzzah!” meets F-bombs) make this the anti-Bridgerton.
The show’s sharp humor, stunning costumes, and retro charm offer a wildly entertaining take on history. The Great received critical acclaim for its performances and writing, earning several Emmy nominations. Three seasons of palace intrigue never looked so chic – or so bloody funny.
5. Abbott Elementary (2021-Present)
Rotten Tomatoes: Overall 99% Critics Rating, 4.5/5 Audience Rating | IMDb: 8.2/10
Genre: Mockumentary, Workplace Comedy, and Sitcom
Quinta Brunson’s mockumentary-style sitcom follows a group of dedicated teachers at a Philadelphia public school as they navigate the challenges of underfunding and bureaucracy.
Between Sheryl Lee Ralph’s veteran teacher Barbara Howard, schooling everyone in Emmy-winning side-eye, Tyler James Williams’ crush-struck Gregory Eddie, and Janelle James’ Principal Ava Coleman meme-ing her way into becoming TV’s most hilariously unqualified administrator, this ABC/Hulu hybrid proves broadcast comedy isn’t dead. It’s just getting sharper with whiteboard markers.
4. What We Do in the Shadows (2019-2024)
Rotten Tomatoes: Overall 96% Critics Rating, 4.6/5 Audience Rating | IMDb: 8.5/10
Genre: Mockumentary, Horror Comedy
Expanding on Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s cult film that goes by the same name, this series brilliantly relocates vampiric absurdity to Staten Island. The show’s genius lies in juxtaposing supernatural lore with mundane roommate squabbles, featuring standout performances from Matt Berry as the lascivious Laszlo and Harvey Guillén as the long-suffering familiar, Guillermo. Colin Robinson, the office-drone energy vampire, is perhaps the most relatable monster ever conceived.
3. Shōgun (2024-Present)
Rotten Tomatoes: 99% Critics Rating, 4.2/5 Audience Rating | IMDb: 8.6/10
Genre: Historical Drama
FX’s $250M samurai epic rewrote the rules – 90% Japanese dialogue and feudal politics sharper than a katana. Hiroyuki Sanada’s Lord Toranaga and Anna Sawai’s conflicted translator Mariko anchor this adaptation of James Clavell’s novel, serving Game of Thrones-level intrigue with authentic Edo-period detail. The Emmys’ most decorated drama debut ever.
2. Only Murders in the Building (2021–Present)
Rotten Tomatoes: 96% Critics Rating, 4.55/5 Audience Rating | IMDb: 8.1/10
Genre: Comedy Drama, Mystery
Steve Martin and Martin Short’s comedy chemistry gets turbocharged by Selena Gomez’s deadpan millennial in this Upper West Side whodunit.
The Arconia apartment building becomes New York’s most luxurious crime scene across four seasons (and counting), with Meryl Streep’s Broadway diva turn in Season 3 proving the show’s guest-star game remains unmatched. With its clever twists and charming chemistry among the leads, this series is unsurprisingly a fan favorite.
1. The Bear (2022-Present)
Rotten Tomatoes: 93% Critics Rating, 3.8/5 Audience Rating | IMDb: 8.5/10
Genre: Psychological Drama and Comedy Drama
This dramedy follows Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a fine-dining chef who returns to Chicago to run his family’s sandwich shop after his brother’s death. But it is Ayo Edebiri’s sous chef Sydney and Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s “Cousin” Richie who steal this Chicago kitchen drama.
The infamous “Review” episode (shot in one anxiety-inducing take) redefines cinematic intensity in television. With its frenetic pacing and deeply human storytelling, The Bear has quickly become one of Hulu’s most acclaimed shows.