The best TV shows to watch on Hulu

Streaming services have everything these days. That’s not really the case – in fact, the average streaming library is considerably smaller than you think – but it certainly could be feeling fun when wading through lists of shows. These are not decisions to be taken lightly; When you commit to a show, you invite him into your home, heart and mind for at least a few hours.

Of the streamers out there, Hulu is arguably the most TV-literate, thanks to its roots as the original streaming platform for many network shows at the time. Today, the collection feels more in line with the medley of influences we’ve come to expect from streaming: an ever-changing collection of TV and movies, with shows inherited in complicated licensing deals (Hulu is owned by Disney, which made Hulu the site for FX and and FXX shows, which is different from FX on Hulu shows). Hulu doesn’t have that everythingbut it has enough that it can feel overwhelming to scroll through the service looking for the next big hit.

So if you’re looking for something certain, how can you narrow it down and find the best thing to watch tonight (and, if you’re lucky, the night after, and the night after, and the night after)? Here are some of the best TV shows to choose from on Hulu.

The Americans

Posing as the perfect American family, Russian spies make their way through the government and gain access to top state secrets. In the 2010s, this notion was a bit too tame for the kind of espionage facing the American political system — a throwback to Cold War paranoia that was strange fiction in the face of real-life consequences. But The Americans makes this story feel genuine at every turn (maybe even more than the actually couple it was based on, not to mention, the other Cold War spies implanted on opposite sides of the Pacific).

Following in the footsteps of Elizabeth (Keri Russell, who continued with high-stakes government work in The diplomat) and Phillip Jennings (Perry Masonfrom Matthew Rhys), The Americans deftly marries their relationship with their spy work. The show’s masterstroke is its patience: letting the work — about their relationship, their mission, or beyond — build methodically, until it finally explodes. That could be a major blow, but the brilliance of the show is how the stakes feel instantly, no matter how big or small they are in the classic sense. The Americans is a slow boil in the best sense of the word, the kind of exquisite foundation that indicates everything grounded and blessed feels remarkably real. —Zosha Millman

Reservation dogs

Image: Hulu

There are few better versions of TV than Hangout TV, and no one does it better than it right now Reservation dogs. The show follows four misfit teens living on an Oklahoma reservation, whose close bond was strengthened by the death of one of their best friends. Award-winning filmmaker Sterlin Harjo and a brilliant team of writers and creatives have created one of the funniest, most moving shows on television, enhanced by a fantastic cast of lead characters and high profile guests, such as Amber Midthunder as the talkative influencer and Gary Farmer as an old stoner .

The heart of the show lies in the core four. Devery Jacobs, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Paulina Alexis and Lane Factor are amazing as the Rez Dogs, bringing life, heart and a whole lot of humor to a group just trying to find their place in a world that’s against them. If you like coming-of-age comedies, hangout mood television, or just keeping up with the best the medium has to offer, Reservation dogs is an absolute must watch. —Piet Volk

Hannibal

Image: NBC

How on earth did this show get on network television?

One of the great mysteries of 2010s television (both in the “how the hell did this happen” and “that’s a riveting mystery” kind of way), Hannibal is a shockingly violent and explicitly sensual performance about cannibalism and forensic psychology Push daisies And Dead like me creator Bryan Fuller.

The show follows Will Graham (Hugh Dancy), a criminal profiler who specializes in serial killers. Graham struggles with his emotions and becomes overly involved in his investigation as he tries to catch killers by putting himself in their mindset. His opponent is Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen), a genius who is also a serial killer and cannibal. The two of course become absolutely obsessed with each other.

The show only lasted three seasons, but it’s three glorious television seasons unlike anything else on TV (especially network TV). Watch it and be amazed at what an NBC show could get away with. —PV

Claws

Photo: Patti Perret/Warner Media

The 2010s are littered with shows about accidental criminals. Claws follows in the same steps as shows like Weeds or Break bad, ordinary people who, through circumstance (and, sure, a little choice), fall into a life of crime. Desna (Niecy Nash) owns a nail salon in Florida, where she launders money for a local crime family in hopes of coming out with a better nail salon one day. By the end of the pilot, those odds are all but shot, and Claws unfolds from there.

What follows is comedy, drama and crime thriller, in which the women of the saloon are propulsively followed as their lives bordering on crime become a life of crime, with new threats to their livelihoods and their lives. That Claws balancing its genres so skillfully is never a miracle. As a result, the show feels completely detached from other TV shows in this subgenre; where they slowly fade the worlds of their protagonists, Claws uses the technicolor world of Florida to create a crime-free world that is always tantalizingly close. And thus Claws becomes a perfect marathon watch – each cliffhanger brings more problems, more promises, and (fortunately) more great episodes. —ZM

Legion

Image: FX

Missed good superhero stories? Legion‘s do you have back.

A trippy sci-fi van Fargo showrunner Noah Hawley, Legion stars the incredible Dan Stevens as a powerful mutant whose abilities are misdiagnosed as schizophrenia. The show follows his journey with his powers and the forces mounted against him, but what really makes the show shine is the willingness to let go of conventional storytelling techniques and just get weird with it.

When watching Legionyou can expect intoxicating images that occasionally break the rules of what even makes sense, an expansive multi-dimensional story that lives up to the complexities of multiversal comics, and a great ensemble cast. Stevens is perfect as the troubled David Haller, but Rachel Keller, Aubrey Plaza, Navid Negahban, Amber Midthunder, Bill Irwin, and Jean Smart are all fantastic as leads (not to mention Jemaine Clement and Hamish Linklater in minor roles).

Legion isn’t as consistent as some of the other shows on this list, but it always is went there. And in a genre that has become stale due to oversaturation, there’s a lot to be said for that. —PV

The bear

Image: FX Networks

If you haven’t looked The bearyou are probably misled.

Before I started watching I was told it was Extremely Stressful Television, about toxic workplace conditions and the hell that is the restaurant industry. While some of that is partially true, it doesn’t even say anything The bear is and what makes it so attractive.

Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) returns to Chicago after working at a world-famous New York diner and taking over his late brother’s run-down, dysfunctional Italian beef sandwich shop, The Beef. That conflict is enough to make the show interesting as Carmy tries to professionalize and scale up the establishment against the protests of some of the longtime employees. But what makes the show sing is how effectively it anchors you in the world of The Beef. Each character is fully realized and their relationships with each other evolve in a way that feels natural both for real human interactions and for the development of the show’s premise. The camerawork and editing also help you immerse yourself in the restaurant – without ever seeing an overhead shot or blueprint, I could now draw out the whole place just because of how effectively and subtly the camera guides you through the environment .

I left the best part for the end: the cast and their performances. You’ve probably heard the hype surrounding White’s award-winning performance as Carmy (and it’s well deserved), but Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas and the rest of the cast are all fantastic in their rich roles. I watched many seasons of TV this year. My two favorites so far are The bear season 1 and The bear season 2. –PV

Super store

Photo: Tyler Golden/NBC

On paper, Super store is just one of many Office wannabes: A jaded man gets a job at a place (in this case, a big superstore called Cloud 9 in St. Louis), quickly bonds with a woman he works with, and their antics become the center of the show as they work and work their way through a 9-to-5 (or sometimes a 6-to-3). But Super store does what the other does Office clones couldn’t do that, which was to create engaging characters that would follow you through any menial situation, break room meeting, or complicated workplace romance.

There are big things that make it Super store work – the ability to balance serialized storytelling with episodic glimpses into the lives of Cloud 9 employees; her willingness to tackle major labor issues with humor and heart; the elegant will-they-will-not-they who manages to stay poised regardless of status – but also, man, Super store is just funny! Episodes are interrupted by little interstitials of customers in the store doing weird things. The characters are so well drawn that they can hang and ping any combination. It’s hard to pick a favorite character amidst a slew of worthy contenders. Finally, Super store defied its origins and just became a legitimately well-done sitcom. It easily makes the list for the best shows on Hulu – if only purely because I’m constantly looking for one now Super store clone. —ZM