The best TV shows on Hulu, from True Detective to Attack on Titan
Looking for the best TV shows on Hulu? Then you’re in luck, because we’ve got all the finest series from the streaming service right here.
Don’t get us wrong: choice is great. But when there’s so much to watch on a streaming service that you’re struggling to make a decision, that isn’t so great. You might end up turning off the TV and pulling out your phone instead. Not good at all.
That’s why we’ve scoured through the listings to find the very best Hulu series available. While it’s far from exhaustive, we suggest you look at this article as your guide to Hulu’s top TV shows – the ones you truly shouldn’t miss.
True Detective (S1-4)
It’s testament to elevated stature of modern TV that it can now attract movie stars such as Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. The pair light up the small screen in True Detective’s first (and best) season as mismatched Louisiana cops tasked with cracking a ritualistic murder case.
While the plot is gripping, the cinematography masterful and the Southern Gothic vibe creepily evocative, it’s the characters – McConaughey’s existentialist philosophiser and Harrelson’s booze-addled womaniser – and their tense relationship that provide True Detective’s biggest pull. Don’t be surprised if that’s what drives you to tear through all of its eight episodes in short order.
There are three further seasons of the show to enjoy, each being its own separate story with an entirely new cast. The second season, which stars Colin Farrell, Rachel McAdams and Vince Vaughn, isn’t particularly well regarded, but the third (with Mahershala Ali) and fourth (starring Jodie Foster) are much better. Even if neither can come close to capturing the bottled lightning of that first season.
Watch True Detective on Hulu
Atlanta (S1-3)
If a comedy-drama about the life of an aspiring rapper and his manager sounds a little too similar to something like Entourage, never fear. Thankfully, Atlanta is a decidedly different, far more interesting kettle of fish.
Produced by and starring Donald Glover (who, alongside Brian Tyree Henry and Lakeith Stanfield, forms one point of the show’s central triangle of characters) it’s a disarming, slick, offbeat, observant and effortlessly charming series about, to paraphrase Glover, “what it’s like to be black in America”.
As funny as Atlanta is, it shies away from very little in its quest for veracity, going to some very dark places at times. But it would be a crime if we revealed too much about this weird and wonderful show – better just to watch it and find out for yourself.
Watch Atlanta on Hulu
Shogun (S1)
Based on James Clavell’s acclaimed novel, this historical epic brings 17th-century Japan to life. Our perspective comes partly through the eyes of stranded sailor John Blackthorne – the first Englishman to set foot in the country. He’s been sent to Asia to interfere with Spanish and Portuguese plans to colonise the region by converting its rulers to Catholicism, but ends up being taken under the wing of a powerful lord as the country teeters on the brink of civil war.
Shogun is one of the most highly rated shows of 2024 so far; it’s easy to see why. It’s not just a technically brilliant and beautifully shot series that conjures up a gorgeous vision of feudal Japan, but a gripping political drama populated by compelling characters – from Hiroyuki Sanada’s cunning Lord Toronaga to Cosmo Jarvis’ prickly, uncompromising Blackthorne. If we’re talking about the best Hulu series yet, this has to be in the conversation.
Watch Shogun on Hulu
The Bear (S1-2)
A restaurant kitchen is the most stress-inducing place to work on Earth. At least if you believe films and TV. This exceptional comedy-drama does a fantastic job of conveying the chaos, danger and, yes, joy that comes from running an eatery. Fast-paced, intense and comic, it may make you treasure your dull and boring nine to five. But that intensity, and its brilliantly drawn characters, make it impossible to turn away from the screen for a second.
Following award-winning stints at some of America’s most celebrated restaurants, young chef Carmy returns to his native Chicago to take over his deceased brother’s Italian sandwich shop. The food’s middling, the accounts are a mess and the staff are either agitated, lazy or set in their ways. Even so, Carmy is determined to transform the spot’s fortunes. He may have to sort out his own myriad issues first, though.
Watch The Bear on Hulu
Fargo (S1-5)
Loosely inspired by the Oscar-winning Coen brothers’ movie of the same name, this series is a blackly comic cavalcade of small-town crime, extreme violence, incompetence, kindness, quirky characters and (we’ve just realised this while writing) some truly criminal haircuts. It’s what’s known as an anthology series, meaning each season is a self-contained story about a different group of people. So there’s no need to watch them in order – although there are certain characters and locations that re-appear throughout.
With a star-studded cast that includes Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Patrick Wilson, Kirsten Dunst, Chris Rock and Ewan McGregor, this is television at its best: weird, wonderful, witty and totally engrossing.
Watch Fargo on Hulu
Justified (S1-6)
Inspired by the character from an Elmore Leonard short story, this long-running series stars Timothy Olyphant as Raylan Givens. He’s a modern-day US Marshal who brings an Old West mentality to his job – and that goes beyond wearing a Stetson.
After displeasing his superiors, Givens is shipped back to his hometown in rural Kentucky. It’s effectively a demotion and a punishment, and to top it off Givens finds himself dragged into a feud with an old friend turned new enemy.
Justified manages to successfully mix long-running plotlines with ‘monster-of-the-week’ style self-contained episodes. That makes it prime binge-fodder. And it’s still highly regarded today, hence 2023’s reboot Justified: City Primeval – an all-new series bringing Olyphant back to his career-defining role. That’s also available to stream on Hulu, by the way.
Watch Justified on Hulu
Welcome to Wrexham (S1-3)
Two Hollywood stars take over a struggling soccer team in a deprived Welsh town. The rest, as they say, is history – and it’s all skilfully retold in this inspirational, funny and emotional fly-on-the-wall show. Will Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds’ megabucks investment in little Wrexham A.F.C. pay off, waking this sleeping giant of a football club? Or is it a vanity project doomed to failure?
You’d have to be a cynic (or a Chester fan) not to find Wrexham’s underdog story charming, but can this Emmy-winning documentary series following the football club’s trials and tribulations under Hollywood star ownership sustain its momentum for the new third season? Rob and Ryan undoubtedly have some tricks up their sleeves.
Watch Welcome to Wrexham on Hulu
Attack on Titan (S1-4)
Set in a Europe-inspired fantasy universe where flesh-eating (and very nude) giants stalk the land while humanity’s remnant cower behind tall city walls, Attack on Titan is a cracking anime based on the manga comics of the same name. When a devastating attack on his city leaves young Eren Yeager orphaned and bereft, he joins an elite military unit and vows to take revenge on the shambling titan hordes.
In a common anime trope, there’s a coming-of-age story running parallel to this epic tale of heroism and sacrifice, with Eren and his companions learning about themselves as they uncover the mystery of the titan threat.
Watch Attack on Titan on Hulu
Mr Inbetween (S1-3)
This superb black comedy-drama follows the struggles of Ray Shoesmith (played by show creator and writer Scott Ryan). He’s just a normal Aussie bloke – who happens to be a criminal-for-hire. Ray’s services range from extorting protection money to full-on murder, but this dark side sits alongside a kinder, thoughtful and moralistic aspect.
It’s this dichotomy, alongside some typically deadpan antipodean humour, that makes this three-season series so engaging. Mr Inbetween is a fine example of under-the-radar brilliance that shouldn’t be missed.
Watch Mr Inbetween on Hulu
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (S1-16)
Narcissistic. Sociopathic. Sexist. Elitist. Delusional. Possessing an ego as big as a bull elephant. All descriptions that adequately fit every single staff member at Philadelphia’s Paddy’s Bar. From kidnapping cats and poisoning rivals to stalking love interests and getting drunk at every opportunity, you’re unlikely to ever find a bunch of people that you hate to love more.
The misanthropy and cynicism at the dark little heart of this sitcom is what makes it so treasured and so successful. It’s also incredibly funny, of course – which is why it’s still going strong 16 seasons and 19 years since its debut episode.
Watch It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia on Hulu
