25 Best Hulu Originals You Need to Binge Right Now

While we may have gotten our start as the go-to destination for next day TV catch-up sessions, Hulu has grown into a platform ripe with exclusive shows, movies, and documentaries just waiting for you to sink your teeth into. In fact, Hulu was the first ever streaming platform to win an Emmy Award® for Best Drama (we’re looking at you, The Handmaid’s Tale). 

Our library of Hulu Originals is growing every month, which probably makes you thrilled and overwhelmed simultaneously. We get it, committing to a movie or new show is kind of a big deal. That’s why we’re breaking down the best Hulu Originals to help you decide on your next binge with no regrets.

Let’s get started. 

New & Upcoming Hulu Originals

The Kardashians

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CvEzCkdgnWk

While the epic TV series Keeping Up with the Kardashians has come to its bittersweet end, you haven’t seen the last of Kim K and her iconic family. On April 14, 2022, you’ll be able to add Kris, Kim, Kourtney, Khloé, Kendall, and Kylie back into your reality TV lineup with fresh content and new stories about navigating business, love, and life in the spotlight.

Watch: The Kardashians

The Dropout

Not many can say they dropped out of Stanford and became founder and CEO of a billion-dollar company, but Elizabeth Holmes can. Theranos—the idea was simple: what if you could run a blood test with a single drop of blood, rather than an entire vial? With that, Elizabeth Holmes (Amanda Seyfried) set out to disrupt the entire healthcare industry. But, how far can a good idea get you if your product doesn’t quite deliver?

Watch: The Dropout

The Girl From Plainville

In the age of constant communication, it’s nearly impossible to know who kids are talking to and what they’re talking about at all times. For Conrad Roy III, a battle was raging inside his head and he only confided in one person about it: Michelle Carter. When Conrad (Colton Ryan) decided it was time to end his life, his girlfriend, Michelle (Elle Fanning), urged him to go through with it via text message. But—the thing about texts—you can’t take them back.  

Watch: The Girl From Plainville

Life and Beth

Beth (Amy Schumer) has a great life—on paper. She has a good job and is in a long-term relationship with a man she loves. But, when a sudden incident throws her back to her teenage years, she’s forced to face the events that turned her into the person she is. 

In this deeply healing tale with a touch of Amy Schumer humor, you’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll feel inspired. Season 1 of Life and Beth is streaming now, and the series has officially been renewed for a second season.

Watch: Life and Beth

Deep Water

Based on the novel by famed mystery writer Patricia Highsmith, Deep Water looks into the unconventional romance between Vic (Ben Affleck) and Melinda (Ana de Armas) Allen. In a version of an open marriage, Melinda can cheat on her husband in order to avoid divorce. What could possibly go wrong, right? 

When one of Melinda’s lovers ends up dead, Vic claims responsibility and the pair enters into a dangerous game that will test their limits and the limits of those who get caught up in it.

Watch: Deep Water

Best Hulu Original Series

The Handmaid’s Tale

 

The 15-time Emmy Award® Winning drama series dives deep into an eerily realistic dystopian future in the new nation of Gilead, where women are stripped of all power in society. Some women are even forced to become “handmaids,” a form of sexual servitude where they serve elite families and are used to produce children. One such handmaid, June (Elisabeth Moss), decides to fight back. 

Watch: The Handmaid’s Tale

Only Murders in the Building

For true crime aficionados, being able to solve a case before the police is the ultimate dream. For three New York City dwellers in a fancy apartment building, they get that chance and pounce on it. 

Charles-Haden (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) band together (kind of) to try to solve a murder in their building. This hilarious and thrilling murder mystery keeps audiences on their toes and will keep you guessing until the very end.    

Watch: Only Murders in the Building

The Great

Catherine the Great went from a virtually penniless Prussian Princess, to the longest-reigning Empress of Russia. When she was married off to Russian Emperor Peter III (Nicholas Hoult), Catherine (Elle Fanning) found that the life of a royal was dangerous and morally corrupt—something she resolved to change. 

In a coup d’é·tat heard around the world, Catherine dethroned her husband and took over the throne for herself. The Great is the comedic and sort of true period drama that tells the story of Catherine the Great’s rise to power. 

Watch: The Great

The Act

Based on the true story of Gypsy Rose Blanchard and her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard, The Act chronicles a story of motherly love, betrayal, and mental illness. Gypsy Rose (Joey King) has always lived under the care of her overprotective mother, Dee Dee (Patricia Arquette)—but when she uncovers the dark truths Dee Dee has been hiding from her, Gypsy sets off on a journey of self-discovery that ends with deadly consequences. 

Watch: The Act

Best Hulu Original Movies

Run

As Hulu’s most-watched movie of 2020, Run explores wheelchair-bound Chloe’s close relationship with her mother, Diane (Sarah Paulson). When Chloe (Kiera Allen), raised in isolation by her mother, finds alarming documents, she becomes suspicious of Diane and her intentions. Suspecting her mom of something sinister, Chloe tries to run away in an attempt to learn the truth about herself and her life.    

Watch: Run

Palm Springs

At a wedding in Palm Springs, Nyles (Andy Samberg) and Sarah (Cristin Miliotti) happen upon a magical cave that throws them into an infinite time loop, where they’re forced to relive the wedding day over and over again. Knowing that nothing they do will make any difference, the pair decides to have fun with it—maybe a little too much fun. 

With Palm Springs, you’ll come for the laughs, but stay for the romance.   

Watch: Palm Springs

The United States vs. Billie Holiday

In 1940s America, the country was on the precipice of a heroin epidemic that the FBI was determined to prevent. At the same time, a jazz singer named Billie Holiday was becoming a star, with her soulful voice and haunting song, “Strange Fruit,” that depicted violent lynchings of black Americans in the South. Holiday, who was addicted to heroin herself, became the face of the war on drugs when the FBI attempted to racialize the issue and use her as the scapegoat.

Watch: The United States vs. Billie Holiday

Fresh

In the modern world of dating, meeting someone organically at the grocery store seems unheard of. However, after a string of bad dates and endlessly swiping on dating apps, Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) finds it refreshing. 

Unfortunately, just because Daisy didn’t find her new boyfriend, Steve (Sebastian Stan), on a dating app, doesn’t mean she won’t be subjected to the horrors of the dating world.   

Check out Fresh and more Hulu Original horror movies streaming now.

Watch: Fresh

Best Hulu Original Limited Series

Pam and Tommy

In the internet’s earliest days, streaming video was non-existent and e-commerce was just a pipe dream. However, when a disgruntled contractor found an “intimate” video tape made by Tommy Lee (Sebastian Stan) and Pamela Anderson (Lily James), the internet became his best friend and cash cow. 

The biopic series Pam & Tommy explores the tape that got the whole country talking, and the lives it turned upside down.   

Watch: Pam & Tommy 

Little Fires Everywhere

Elena Richardson (Reese Witherspoon) and Mia Warren (Kerry Washington) are about as different as two people can get. Elena and her picture perfect family live in a nice house full of expensive things. Mia and her daughter, Pearl, live in an apartment owned by the Richardsons, and live a generally nomadic life. 

The limited series follows the mothers as their families collide and they’re forced to confront their differences. 

Watch: Little Fires Everywhere

Nine Perfect Strangers

Welcome to Tranquillum House: your home for the next ten days. 

Based on the best-selling book by Liane Moriarty, Nine Perfect Strangers follows nine guests at a health and wellness retreat, led by Masha (Nicole Kidman), who are desperately hoping to “fix” themselves and the issues they suffer from. 

Through unconventional and often intense methods, Masha is on a mission to help each of her guests reach peace in their minds and bodies. The question of the hour: “Is Masha batshit, or is she the real deal?” 

Watch: Nine Perfect Strangers

Dopesick

In the 1990s, Purdue Pharma released a new drug called OxyContin that was marketed as a pill that would virtually cure chronic pain. The opioid was said to be a game changer, boasting a “less than 1%” addiction rate. The Golden GlobeⓇ Award-Winning miniseries explores Purdue Pharma’s role in OxyContin’s journey from a “miracle drug” to becoming the leading cause of the opioid crisis in America.

Watch: Dopesick

Best Hulu Original Comedy Series

Letterkenny

Nestled in the rural farming country of Ontario, Canada, the town of Letterkenny has three groups: The Hicks (aka the farmers), The Skids (aka the town drug addicts), and The Hockey Players (no code here: Canadians love hockey). The zany comedy series focuses on siblings Wayne (Jared Keeso) and Katy (Michelle Mylett), who run a small farm and produce stand, as they try to navigate life in a small town. 

Watch: Letterkenny

Pen15

What would you do if you had a second chance at the middle school experience? It’s a hard pass for us, but that didn’t stop Pen15 creators Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle from bringing it to our TV screens. 

The hit comedy series tells the tales of two 7th grade girls (played by the fully adult creators) in the year 2000. With a cast made up of actual middle school students, Maya and Anna wander the halls as they try to make sense of life, love, and the complicated world of teen drama. 

Watch: Pen15

Shrill

With experiences pulled from Aidy Bryant’s own life, Shrill examines life through the lens of a fat woman in Portland, Oregon. While Annie (Bryant) is tired of living in the shadows and wants to change her life, that doesn’t mean she wants to change her body. The series subverts the typical journey of a fat woman on television and uses perfectly-timed humor and a large dose of humility to explore a young woman’s journey to find happiness, regardless of her size.    

Watch: Shrill

Dollface

We’ve all likely had a friend who gets into a relationship and basically drops off the face of the earth…then suddenly resurfaces when the relationship ends. Jules Wiley (Kat Dennings) is that friend. When she breaks up with her longtime boyfriend, Jules seeks out her old friendships in hopes of reconnecting. As if trying to rekindle past friendships isn’t hard enough, Jules also has to navigate the imaginary world (and giant cat grandma lady?) in her head, constantly second-guessing her choices.

Watch: Dollface

Hulu Original Documentaries

Summer of Soul

At the same time as the famed Woodstock festival, another festival was taking place in the center of New York City’s Harlem neighborhood: the 1969 Harlem Culture Festival. The festival, which featured black musicians, artists, and speakers was a six-week long celebration of Black pride and unity. The OscarⓇ-nominated documentary Summer of Soul televises one of the defining events in Black culture in New York City. 

Watch: Summer of Soul

Jacinta

For as long as she can remember, Jacinta has been enmeshed in her mother’s addiction and crime-littered world, and has been in and out of prison since her teens. Filmed over the course of three years, Jacinta follows a young inmate (Jacinta) and her mother, Rosemary, who are both imprisoned at the Maine Correctional Center on drug-related charges. 

When she’s released, Jacinta works toward staying sober and reconnecting with her 10-year-old daughter, Caylynn.

Watch: Jacinta

Changing the Game

For transgender athletes, sports can be both a sanctuary and a battle field. Changing the Game follows three transgender athletes competing at the top of their game. The Hulu Original documentary explores the daily experiences of the three young athletes as they face discrimination, accusations of an unfair advantage, and the trials and tribulations of being a teenager. 

Watch: Changing the Game

Kid 90

Soleil Moon Frye started her career as a child actor in the ‘80s, where she became known for her iconic lead role in Punky Brewster. Frye spent her teenage years with a video camera in her hand, recording her life and the lives of the rest of young Hollywood. With appearances by teenage versions of Leonardo DiCaprio, Adam Corolla, and Mario Lopez, this nostalgic documentary film looks at the lives of some of our favorite Hollywood stars in the ’90s.

Watch: Kid 90

Looking for the latest and greatest Hulu Original releases? Check out the new Hulu Originals streaming this month.

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