A decade and a half ago now — on October 29, 2007, specifically — Hulu launched as a joint venture between NBC and Fox, with ad-supported streams of 90-odd TV shows and 10 movies. And skepticism in Hollywood and Silicon Valley ran high at the time.
To honor the streaming service turning 15, we’re sharing our picks for the 10 best Hulu shows.
The Handmaid’s Tale
Premiering in the age of #MeToo and lasting through the stripping of Roe v. Wade, this Margaret Atwood adaptation — a dystopian story of women trying to upend a society of reproductive slavery — has only gotten more relevant, unfortunately. That timeliness aside, the show is an Emmy darling: Television Academy voters have lavished trophies on Elisabeth Moss, Alexis Bledel, Samira Wiley. Ann Dowd, Cherry Jones, Bradley Whitford, and the show itself.
Only Murders in the Building
Comedy legends Steve Martin and Martin Short play showbiz has-beens who team up with a young artist who shares their true-crime obsession (played by Selena Gomez) to solve the murder of a neighbor in their Upper West Side apartment building. As you might imagine, hilarity ensues, as does additional bloodshed.
Ramy
Starring Ramy Youssef as a 20-something with a lot of growing up to do, this comedy-drama frequently gives the spotlight to his character’s family members, who are trying to chase that mythical American Dream while contending with anti-Muslim prejudices.
Little Fires Everywhere
If you didn’t know what racial microaggressions were before watching this drama (an adaptation of the Celeste Ng novel of the same name), you certainly do now. The series starred Kerry Washington and Reese Witherspoon as the mothers of two families who intermingle and clash with fiery results.
Normal People
Screen adaptations of literary gems are hit or miss, but luckily, this romance drama had Sally Rooney, the author of the bestselling source material, on the writing staff. Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal played two students in a tenuous, years-long relationship complicated by family trauma.
Mrs America
With an all-star cast led by Cate Blanchett — and featuring Rose Byrne, Uzo Aduba, and Margo Martindale — this timely miniseries tracked the 1970s-era opposition to and support for the still-unratified Equal Rights Amendment. With Phyllis Schlafly and Gloria Steinem galvanizing activists on both sides.
High Fidelity
As a Brooklyn record store owner revisiting her playlist of past romances, Zoë Kravitz got a long-overdue starring role. But the music ended too soon: Hulu only gave the show. An adaptation of the same Nick Hornby novel that inspired the 2000 film, a solitary season.
The Act
With an Emmy-winning performance by Patricia Arquette, this arresting true-crime series dramatizes the story of Dee Dee Blanchard, a mother who allegedly faked her daughter’s illness and disability and was then murdered by that daughter, played in the miniseries by Joey King.
Love, Victor
Like its predecessor, Love, Simon, this sweet teen rom-com follows a gay Creekwood student (played by Michael Cimino) on his journey to self-acceptance and romance. But the series has more time than the movie did to focus on the joys and hardships of his friends and family.
The Great
This “almost entirely untrue story” about Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning) and Peter III of Russia (Nicholas Hoult) lives up to its title, giving historical figures a royally funny spin.
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Chiara
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