Hulu is bigger than you might realize. Even if you think you've seen all of the best shows on Hulu, you might have missed some hidden gems from the archives that need to be seen.
Why do I say 'need?' Because we're in this weird era of streaming where permanence is a myth, and shows that don't get enough love get kicked off. And they fall into uncertain futures. So, for every The Bear and Only Murders in the Building, there's a classic or recently-released Hulu series that deserves love, too.
So I've dived into the Hulu TV shows library to pull seven of my favorites, including a recently released drama with A-list stars, a criminally under-seen crime show that deserved more time and much more. But even if you've seen one of these shows (I'm guessing some have tried Veronica Mars), I bet you haven't seen three or more.
Check out this list and get streaming!
The Venture Bros.
Adult animated series The Venture Bros. may have lasted seven seasons on Adult Swim, with a movie coming this year, but it's still a top under-appreciated show in this era of Rick and Morty. A satire of the classic Johnny Quest TV series — and many other adventure and superhero IP — The Venture Bros. focuses on Hank (Michael Sinterniklaas) and Dean (Christopher McCulloch), the titular teens who are constantly getting into dangerous situations.
Of course, there's one easy person to blame for this chaos, their father Dr. Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture (James Urbaniak), a former child adventurer who aspires to be a super-scientist today. Rusty is a target for weirdos who want to be super-villains. Fortunately, the family bodyguard Brock Sampson (Patrick Warburton) is as deadly as he is soft-spoken.
Genre: Comedy / adventure
Seasons: 7
Rotten Tomatoes score: 92%
Watch now on Hulu
Veronica Mars
A long time ago, the cool kids of Neptune High in Southern California used to include Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell). The sarcastic and witty teen was also the daughter of beloved police chief Keith Mars (Enrico Colantoni). However, that fell apart before this show even began, as the unsolved murder case of Veronica's best friend — the daughter of a local tech magnate — leads to the community shunning father and daughter.
And therein lies the setup, Veronica's still trying to solve the case of Lily's death, and she's doing so as a wannabe-private investigator after school. The constantly warring social class structure of Neptune also constantly generates cases for Veronica to crack. Plus, the brooding teenage boys of the neighborhood make for great love interests ... and suspects.
Genre: Crime/mystery
Seasons: 4
Rotten Tomatoes score: 91%
Watch now on Hulu
Party Down
Aspiring actors have to make money somewhere else, and after they take auditions, some make do as cater-waiters on Party Down. The best seasons of this comedy series, which recently got a third-season revival on Starz, can be streamed on Hulu.
Each episode covers the work of the titular catering company at a different party, as bungling boss Ron Donald (Ken Marino) tries and often fails to get his employees to follow the rules. All the while he dreams of opening a Soup 'R Crackers (say that three times fast to realize why that's a bad idea) restaurant franchise.
Adam Scott, though, best known for Parks and Recreation and Severance, is the true star of the show as failed actor Henry — whose biggest break is a beer commercial that's often quoted at him. Fortunately, he meets a similarly dry soul in comedian Casey (Lizzy Caplan), who helps make working with their other colleagues (Ryan Hansen, Martin Starr, Jane Lynch, Jennifer Coolidge and Megan Mullally) more tolerable.
Genre: Comedy
Seasons: 2 (20 episodes)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 94%
Watch now on Hulu
Skins
The UK's Skins garnered a ton of buzz when it arrived, scaring parents with visions of high schoolers engaging in pre-marital sex and consuming drugs. By today's standards, those themes are more normalized than ever, but Skins' actual substance means it's one to find if you haven't already.
Filled with actors who would go onto huge roles, Skins' first season stars Nicholas Hoult as Tony Stonem, the casually popular guy whose always plotting something, such as getting all of his friends into the rich kids' party. Soon, though, you'll watch Skins tackle a slew of important topics including eating disorders, faith, estranged families and being a closeted teen. All with respect for the characters.
Genre: Teen drama
Seasons: 7
Rotten Tomatoes score: n/a
Watch now on Hulu
Terriers
This one's annoying. One of the true under-the-radar shows, probably damned by a title that's misleading, Terriers is one of the best mystery shows of the last couple decades. The FX series follows former cop Hank (Donal Logue) and his friend Britt (Michael Raymond-James), as they work as unlicensed private investigators in San Diego.
Hank's a recovering alcoholic, and Britt is a former criminal, so they make a perfect pair. Terriers' excellent first (and only) season revolves around the murder of one of Hank's old friends while he and Britt are trying to get their lives together. Brilliantly twisty drama with crackling dialogue, don't let Terriers just sit there unloved on Hulu.
Genre: Comedic detective show
Seasons: 1 (13 episodes)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 93%
Watch now on Hulu
Fleishman Is in Trouble
Sometimes, the best shows are both difficult and rewarding. Taffy Brodesser-Akner's Fleishman Is In Trouble is exactly one of these shows, as it revolves around the awkward and newly-divorced Toby Fleishman (Jesse Eisenberg), who is supposed to be having the best summer ever on dating apps. His kids jump back into the picture, though, when his ex-wife Rachel (Claire Danes) disappears. Don't look this one up on Wikipedia, as the twists will be spoiled for you quickly.
As Toby tries to multitask as dad and dater, he is soon forced to think about how his marriage went wrong. That's thanks in part to his friends (played by Lizzy Caplan and Adam Brody), who are going through their own traumas.
Genre: Drama/comedy
Seasons: 1 (8 episodes)
Rotten Tomatoes score: 87%
Watch now on Hulu
You're the Worst
The world's most diabolical matchmaker would feel clever if they set up Jimmy (Chris Gere) and Gretchen (Aya Cash) on a date. Neither of this new couple is ready for a relationship yet, as they meet at a chaotic wedding and quickly jump to the handsy stage of courtship. Yet, the two have a hard time leaving each other's orbit, due in part to the trainwrecks they're friends with, Gretchen's best friend Lindsay (Kether Donohue) and Jimmy's roomate Edgar (Desmin Borges), an Iraq War veteran.
Over five strong seasons, You're The Worst tackled a lot of tricky subjects, including depression and self-sabotage. You'll have to watch it all to see if these kids can make it work.
Genre: Comedy
Seasons: 5
Rotten Tomatoes score: 95%
Watch now on Hulu
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