Top Movies and Shows on Hulu in 2022

Hulu is a unique streaming service. It’s one of the oldest streaming services, having launched back in 2007, and was the first streamer to earn the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series, which The Handmaid’s Tale won in 2017. It has one of the best ratios of good original shows to bad ones of any streaming service. For a long time it was the only place to stream in-season broadcast and cable shows for free, and it’s still the best option for that. And yet, it doesn’t get as much media attention as streaming services like Apple TV+ or HBO Max or even Amazon Prime Video, mostly because it’s only available in America, which limits its growth potential, and it can’t spend money on enormous shows like Netflix or HBO. But as you’ll see, in terms of quality, Hulu is in no way a lesser service than its larger competitors. 

TV Guide has rounded up the best shows and movies on Hulu right now, making it easy for you to skip the filler and get right to the good stuff, no matter your tastes. Our latest recommendations include the buzzy new ABC comedy series Abbott Elementary, a new season of the cult favorite Canadian comedy Letterkenny, and the excellent Nicolas Cage-led indie drama Pig.

Curious how this list was made? Our selections are focused on new releases, original shows and movies from Hulu and FX, and critical hits you can’t stream anywhere else, as well as a handful of underrated favorites you might not find on other lists. Big titles like Ramy and The Handmaid’s Tale will be back on the list when they return, so you can pass that time by finding something new to enjoy. These are the best shows and movies to watch on Hulu right now. 

Looking for more recommendations of what to watch next? We have a ton of them! We also have hand-picked selections based on shows you already love.

Last updated Jan. 5, 2021; newer additions are at the top

For fans of: Teachers, optimism, mockumentaries
Number of seasons: 1

This brand-new ABC comedy is one of the best new broadcast shows of the season, and Hulu is its streaming home. It’s a mockumentary in the vein of The Office or Parks and Recreation about an underfunded public elementary school in Philadelphia, where the teachers try to provide for their students as best they can without getting burnt out by the lack of resources, respect, administrative support, and difficulty of the job itself. The main character is Janine Teagues (series creator Quinta Brunson), an idealistic second-grade teacher in her second year on the job. Every episode, she tries to go above and beyond the call of duty, with alternately triumphant or humbling results. The show has a sweet-and-salty sense of humor and a cast of characters who feel like people who could actually exist in real life. We’ve all relied on commiseration with competent coworkers to help us endure bad bosses like Ava Coleman, the preening and vindictive principal hilariously played by Janelle James. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

For fans of: Canadians eh, wordplay, fighting, beer, hockey, catchphrases
Number of seasons: 10

Canada’s well known for its feel-good comedies like Schitt’s Creek and Kim’s Convenience, in which characters grow and learn lessons about life through their experiences with each other. Letterkenny is not that. The cult comedy about a small Canadian town full of hicks, tweakers, hockey players, burly natives, and not much else is mostly conversations about genitalia, drinking, fighting, and whatever else goes on inside the minds of these Canucks, but don’t let the subject matter fool you. Letterkenny is one of the smartest shows around, with rapid-fire dialogue and wordplay that’s essentially Shakespeare on speedballs. You’ll be quoting this show nonstop to your friends after one episode. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Political satire, late R&B singer Nate Dogg 

Chris Rock wrote, directed, and starred in this political comedy that predated and predicted both Obama and Trump. He plays Mays Gilliam, a Washington D.C. alderman who gets selected to be the 2004 Democratic candidate for President, running against a repugnant and sure-to-win Republican candidate. But once he stops being a DNC puppet and starts speaking from the heart about the things that matter to him and other Black Americans, he starts rising in the polls. And once he picks his bail bondsman brother Mitch (Bernie Mac, one of the funniest people to ever live) as his running mate, he has a real shot at winning. It’s a goofy, endlessly quotable PG-13 comedy of the type Hollywood sadly doesn’t make anymore. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

For fans of: The Last Man on Earth
Number of seasons: 1

This quirky comedy series from New Zealand takes place in a near-future where a virus has wiped out all of the world’s men, except one. But the show isn’t about him. It’s about the three women who take him in, Alex (Ally Xue), Jamie (JJ Fong), and Pip (Perlina Lau), who are all dealing with the strange world they’re living in in different ways. It’s a very funny, six-episode hidden gem that people who liked Y: The Last Man but wished it was funny should check out.  -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

For fans of: Cringe comedy, Y2K nostalgia
Number of seasons: 2

When the just-concluded PEN15 premiered in 2019, it got a lot of attention for its big gimmick: Co-creators Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle, adult women in their 30s, star as middle school-aged versions of themselves, surrounded by a cast of actual 13-year-olds. But that gimmick is only one of the reasons to keep watching. To be in middle school is to exist in a waking nightmare, and it’s clear in everything — from their caved-in posture to the awkward expressions on their faces — that Erskine and Konkle remember that. PEN15 has put Maya and Anna through the trials and tribulations of sleepovers, pool parties, and first kisses. They practice witchcraft. They play team sports. They join the school play, resulting in two of the series’ best episodes so far. They — and their friends — break your heart in the quietest, most recognizably real ways. When Maya is called ugly, or the girls’ new friend Maura (Ashlee Grubbs) is called out for lying about her own popularity, it feels like the end of the world because to them, in that moment, it is. Every TV show wants to make you feel something, but PEN15 burrows down inside you, sticks to your bones, and makes sure you never forget the things it shows you, much like adolescence. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: The worst people you’ve ever met in your life
Number of seasons: 15 (renewed through Season 18)

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia is the highest form of escapist humor on TV, like if the average person’s id was in control of a long-running cable comedy. Following the daily lives of a morally bankrupt, self-absorbed, clinically insane, often irredeemable foursome who own and operate a bar in Philadelphia, Sunny is the kind of series that delights in refusing to let its characters grow as people. As a unit, the gang has only succeeded in becoming more narcissistic and clueless to the world around them as the seasons have stretched on. They continue to behave terribly and never learn from their mistakes… but in a really funny way, thanks to the beauty of the 30-minute sitcom format, which allows the show to blow itself up every week and reset the clock in the next episode. Once you accept that the Paddy’s Pub crew are not people you would ever want to interact with in real life, you’ll have a great time. The most recent season, the show’s fifteenth, includes a trip to Ireland, where the gang learns about their heritage in the most Sunny way possible. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Mafia history
Number of seasons: 1

Forest Whitaker stars as the titular crime boss Bumpy Johnson in this thrilling historical crime drama based on real people. The violent series from Narcos creator Chris Brancato follows Johnson as he returns home from a long prison sentence and finds that his Harlem kingdom has been overtaken by the Genovese family. So Bumpy has to go to war with the Italians to take back what he feels is his. To do so, he allies with Malcolm X (Nigel Thatch), whose ascent to a place of political and social influence Bumpy assists and complicates. The show plays fast and loose with the historical record, but that creates room for Bumpy to interact with historical figures played by great character actors like Vincent “The Chin” Gigante (Vincent D’Onofrio), Joe Bonanno (Chazz Palminteri), and Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (Giancarlo Esposito). Godfather of Harlem runs first on the lesser-known streaming service Epix – Season 1 premiered in 2019 and Season 2 streamed in 2021; both are available on Epix – but Disney-owned studio ABC Signature produces it, which may be why Season 1 is now available on Disney-owned Hulu. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

For fans of: Nicolas Cage as a great actor, deep sadness 

“We don’t get a lot of things to really care about.” If that line resonates with you, you’ll want to see the indie drama-thriller Pig. Nicolas Cage stars as a former prominent chef who left society to go live in the Oregon woods with his beloved truffle-hunting pig. When his pig is stolen, he has to return to the city to look for one of the few things he really cares about. It’s John Wick as a tragicomic character study with a disheveled hermit instead of a slick assassin. It’s a top-tier Nicolas Cage performance, and probably his most subtle in at least 20 years. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]  

For fans of: Palace intrigue, beautiful costumes, satire 
Number of seasons: 2

The Great is Hulu’s most visually exquisite comedy series, and if you like admiring period costumes and production design, that should get you in the door. But you’ll stay for the witty writing from creator Tony McNamara — an Oscar nominee for co-writing the screenplay for The Favourite, a movie The Great is very much like — and for the charismatic performances from stars Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult. The recently released Season 2 finds Catherine the Great (Fanning), now the ruler of Russia after deposing her husband Peter III (Hoult), trying to remake the country in her image, which is a lot more difficult than she expected. Gillian Anderson guest stars as Catherine’s mother Joanna Elisabeth. The Great knowingly and openly plays fast and loose with the historical record, which allows for maximum drama and delightfully anachronistic humor. –Liam Mathews [Trailer]

For fans of: True crime, the year 2003
Number of seasons: 1

The energetic three-part docuseries The Curse of Von Dutch tells the story of the bitterly disputed origins, deliriously excessive peak, and violent downfall of the clothing brand Von Dutch, which was ubiquitous during that period in the 2000s when Paris Hilton was the most famous person in the world. The main characters — and they are all characters — are the various guys who each claim to be the true creator of the Von Dutch brand. They all tell their side of the story with the tall-tale charisma of a guy holding court at a bar where he gets free drinks. And they have a ton of crazy stories, involving murder, betrayal, and Tommy Lee. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

For fans of: The Farrelly Brothers, French comedy, absurdity

If you’ve ever wondered what a silly stoner comedy would be like en français, wonder no more. Mandibles, from bugged out writer-director Quentin Dupieux, is about two dumb slacker pals who find themselves in possession of a gigantic housefly. They initially plan to train the fly to rob people for them, but instead they just end up meandering around the South of France with their bristly companion having moronic misadventures. It’s a flyweight buddy comedy with a refreshing sense of creativity — you never know what’s going to happen next — that generated a lot of buzz on the film festival circuit. All right, that’s enough bug puns. Just watch it. -Liam Mathews [Trailer]

For fans of: Food shows, travel shows, having a political conscience 
Number of seasons: 2

Top Chef‘s Padma Lakshmi is a trustworthy successor to Anthony Bourdain in her travel docuseries about cuisine across the United States, which is now back for a second season focused on holiday meals. This show is so much more than a chance to watch in abject jealousy as Lakshmi eats delicious-looking food; its edge lies in its celebration of the cultures that have helped define American food. In Season 2, Lakshmi highlights Hanukkah traditions in New York, deconstructs Thanksgiving with the Wampanoag Nation in Massachusetts, enjoys a Cuban Christmas in Miami, and celebrates the Korean New Year in Los Angeles. This is the kind of show that examines all the ways food brings us together, but also looks at the ways food has been weaponized against the people who brought it here in the first place. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Girls5eva, ’90s hip-hop
Number of seasons: 1

One of the better fall 2021 new broadcast shows, Queens can best be described as “Girls5eva, but make it slightly more dramatic.” The show focuses on four women, played by Eve, Brandy, Naturi Naughton, and Nadine Velazquez, who once made up a very famous ’90s hip-hop group known as the Nasty Bitches. After a series of events, they broke up and went their separate ways, all going on to live unsatisfying lives. Fast-forward to the present day, where they’re given the chance to reunite and show the world they’ve still got it. “It” being talent, but also a host of personal problems that have the potential to hold them back from a second chance at the limelight. The best thing about this show is the fact that three out of four of the leads are played by actual musicians, who are able to show off the fact that they’re all still really good at rapping, and Queens shines brightest when it lets Eve, Brandy, and Naughton do their thing when their characters have to perform. It’s a fun show! –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

The Next Thing You Eat

For fans of: Eating, making sustainable choices, robots
Number of seasons: 1

They told us the food of the future would all look like Dippin’ Dots. Not so fast. In this six-episode docuseries, chef David Chang explores the food science that could change the way we eat — and the ways it’s being driven by a changing planet. That sounds hard to stomach, but Chang makes it fun and kind of hopeful, with episodes that go deep on issues like the environmental impact of beef and the future of food delivery. Celebrity guests like Danny Trejo and Anderson .Paak also sweeten the deal. [Trailer]

For fans of: True stories, hating Big Pharma, acting
Number of seasons: 1

Michael Keaton, Rosario Dawson, and Kaitlyn Dever star in this devastating miniseries adaptation of Beth Macy’s Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America, which looks at the beginning of the opioid crisis in America from the push of OxyContin by one company to its spread through the working class, to the DEA’s pursuit of the truth. Is it a feel-good story? Not really, but it’s a fascinating look at the audacity of Big Pharma to put profits over life. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Painful but important documentaries, stories of addictions, mother and daughter bonds

This documentary isn’t an easy watch, but it is an essential watch. Director Jessica Earnshaw trains her cameras on three generations of a family, with the focus on young mother Jacinta, a heroin addict who is in and out of jail and desperate to reconnect with her young daughter. But Jacinta’s addiction, born from her mother’s behavior, might be too powerful for her to ever have a normal relationship with her child. There’s a lot of pain on screen here (as well as lessons to be learned), but a bittersweet ending at least avoids the worst possible scenario. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Unlikely partnerships, mystery authors, Nathan Fillion’s whole deal
Number of seasons: 8

You can finally cozy up with a lighthearted procedural again now that Castle is back on streaming. The ABC series stars Nathan Fillion as mystery novelist Richard Castle, who begins following NYPD detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) for research and winds up consulting on colorful cases. Castle and Beckett’s relationship, especially in the early seasons, is built on an entertaining blend of trust and tension, and although the murders they solve sometimes get serious, the show’s overall vibe is playful enough for a breezy weekend marathon. When Castle is fun, it’s really fun. [Trailer]

For fans of: Murder podcasts, making fun of murder podcasts
Number of seasons: 1 (renewed for Season 2)

Only Murders in the Building is at the center of a strange and wonderful Venn Diagram. It’s got sleuthing, Steve Martin and Martin Short, Selena Gomez, jokes about podcasts, fake Broadway musical flops, and Sting. The comedy-crime-farce hybrid follows a trio of neighbors — an egotistical actor with one TV hit (Martin), a washed-up Broadway director (Short), and an enigmatic artist (Gomez) — who come together to investigate a murder in their building. It’s a cozy, old-school mystery about three lonely people with secrets that gets both sadder and sillier as it goes. [Trailer]

For fans of: Troublemaking teens, raps about frybread
Number of seasons: 1 (renewed for Season 2)

Reservation Dogs is the ideal show to kick back with: a chill hangout comedy about friends getting into scrapes. The new FX on Hulu series centers on four Native American teens (played by D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Devery Jacobs, Paulina Alexis, and Lane Factor) looking for a way out of their rural Oklahoma reservation after the death of their friend. To fund an escape to California, they steal trucks and cause trouble, landing themselves in a turf war with a much more intimidating gang. Created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, Reservation Dogs is brought to the screen by an all-Indigenous lineup of writers, directors, and stars, who’ve built an authentic world that feels loved and lived-in from the start. It’s also a riot. [Trailer]

For fans of: What We Do in the Shadows (the movie), Jackie Daytona, the Superb Owl
Number of seasons: 3 (renewed for Season 4)

Think about some of the greatest hangout comedies of all time, with roommates and their disparate personalities clashing in close quarters. Now make them vampires. That sounds like a doomed concept that will run out of jokes before the first virgin can be sucked dry, but it’s working for the best comedy on TV right now, What We Do in the Shadows. The mockumentary follows three bloodsuckers, their human familiar, and a being so boring that he drains the life out of others as they cope with a technologically advanced world that fears them and is fascinated by them. It’s like a goth kid’s Seinfeld. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: TikTok teens, feeling bad about the concept of fame
Number of seasons: 1

Have you ever watched Charli and Dixie D’Amelio’s TikToks on your phone and thought, “I want this, but bigger and longer”? I have great news for you! The Gen Z-beloved sisters now have their own reality show, all about their struggle to be normal young people amid their rise to fame. It might make you sad for them. And to everyone who just read all of this and thought, “I have no idea what any of these words mean,” to you I say: Don’t even worry about it, buddy. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: The best musical acts of the ’60s, reclaiming history

The same year Woodstock was held and grabbed all the headlines as the only thing that happened in music in 1969, the Harlem Cultural Festival took place, with performances by Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Sly and the Family Stone, and more. Footage of the festival never saw the light of day until the release of this film, which marks the directorial debut of musician Questlove. If you need more reason to watch it, Summer of Soul (…Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised) has been universally acclaimed and won the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award in the documentary category at Sundance. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Fleabag, but with Irish accents
Number of seasons: 2

In a perfect world, someday we’ll talk about This Way Up with as much reverence as we talk about Fleabag. Created by and starring Aisling Bea, the dark comedy begins in the aftermath of a depressive episode; when we meet Áine (Bea) at the beginning of Season 1, she’s recently out of rehab for “a teeny little nervous breakdown.” The comedy and the tragedy of the show comes out of Áine’s interactions with the people in her life — the ways she tries to keep the depths of her suffering from her protective older sister, Shona (Sharon Horgan); her fledgling, potentially romantic connection with Richard (Tobias Menzies); and her tragic friendship with Tom (Ricky Grover). It’s a snapshot of a life in the process of being rebuilt, of what it’s like to not simply ignore but actually live with mental illness. It’s messy and chaotic and hilarious in all the best ways. You will also absolutely walk away with “Zombie” by the Cranberries stuck in your head, but that’s part of the charm. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Secrets and lies, ’90s fashion
Number of seasons: 1 (renewed for Season 2)

Cruel Summer is the best kind of summer beach read in TV form. Told across three years in the early to mid ’90s, the “she said, she said” drama jumps between the perspectives of two teens who know more than they’re saying: Kate (Olivia Holt), the kidnap victim, and Jeanette (Chiara Aurelia), the wannabe popular girl who took over her life. As their secrets spill out, the series reveals its own agenda: to tear apart every teen show’s worst “hot for teacher” storyline while still being, in every other way, exactly the type of juicy teen show that might have one. For all the trauma it’s unpacking, Cruel Summer knows the soapy mystery is what keeps its audience coming back. Cool and smart: every teen’s dream. [Trailer]

For fans of: Dick jokes, but also the artistic process, man
Number of seasons: 2

If you’re like me, you watched a couple of episodes of Dave and got turned off by all the sophomoric dick jokes and gave up. But then you heard it got better, so you watched a bit more, and sure enough, it did. By the first season finale, you thought to yourself, “Damn, this IS a good show.” And it only got better in Season 2. Dave and Dave — the show and the neurotic rapper who is simultaneously self-shaming and extremely cocky — both grow on you, even with all the bumps along the road. Few shows cover the artistic process and its frequent collision with being a likable human like Dave, because it knows that the two are at odds with each other. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Not sugarcoating motherhood, being alive
Number of seasons: 4 (renewed for Season 5)

At this point, I talk so much about everything I adore about Pamela Adlon’s bittersweet comedy that everyone I know is probably tired of hearing about it, but it’s not my fault it keeps growing more extraordinary with every season. Better Things celebrates the mundanity of existence like nothing else. It’s about the little moments that make us who we are and make life worth living, from its lovingly shot cooking scenes to the casual way it examines the daily sacrifices parents, especially single mothers, make for their kids. It’s the most human show on TV by a mile. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Philosophical debates, Alex Garland’s sci-fi, San Francisco
Number of seasons: 1

After movies like Ex Machina and Annihilation, Alex Garland is proving to be one of sci-fi’s most exciting creators, and his TV debut features all his trademarks. Devs is packed with philosophy and intellectual discussions about existence, technology’s place in society’s advancement, and the dire consequences of tinkering with fate, almost to the point that it’s too cerebral. But take it slow and you’ll find a beautifully filmed single-season series that has big points to make about the dangerous precipice advanced computing has us inching toward. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Trans rights, emotional sports stories

One of the most talked about issues in sports today is the role of transgender athletes in athletics. The award-winning documentary Changing the Game takes a humane, honest look at the subject from the point of view of three transgender teen athletes fighting for their right to compete. The centerpiece is trans man Mack Beggs, who was given two options by his home state of Texas: wrestle as his assigned sex (female) or quit. He chose to wrestle. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Love, Simon, coming out stories
Number of seasons: 2 (renewed for Season 3)

This Is Us executive producers Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger dive back into the world of Love, Simon — the 2018 film starring Nick Robinson that they also wrote together — with a charming sequel series, Love, Victor. Michael Cimino leads the series as the eponymous teenager, Victor, who moves with his family to Atlanta and finds himself at Simon’s old high school, living in the shadow of what seems like the most romantic coming-out story of all time. Season 1 focused on Victor trying to navigate a social life at a new high school while also trying to figure out his sexuality despite pressure from his very Catholic family, with Simon acting as his coming-out guide via email. The sophomore season allows Victor more room to explore his confirmed identity and to carve out his own space in the LGBTQIA+ community after coming out to his family. As Victor grows more comfortable with himself, we also get to spend more time with the characters who surround him and help make this show the charming delight that it is. –Megan Vick [Trailer]

For fans of: Eric Andre, surreal talk shows, shameless male nudity
Number of seasons: 5

It’s hard to describe The Eric Andre Show in a way that makes any kind of sense. Presented in the style of low-budget public access TV, it could technically be called a talk show, though if you’re expecting to see a standard glib celebrity interview conducted by a guy named Jimmy, you’ll be very disappointed. As the name suggests, the show is instead hosted by noted purveyor of chaos Eric Andre, who plays a hyper-fictionalized version of himself, and he’s joined by his detached co-host/straight man, Hannibal Burress. Every episode begins with Andre violently destroying his set, and his eventual monologue usually spirals into a series of dark musings dragged out from the depths of his mind. He invites celebrities, who are sometimes intentionally bad impersonators and sometimes very real, into the mess, and the guests typically come in blissfully unaware of what is about to happen to them, which is clear from their often shocked, furious, and terrified faces. Andre’s host spares no one and never acknowledges that anything is out of the ordinary, even as things get progressively more bizarre, like the time live rats were released on Stacey Dash’s feet. Though this show is definitely not for everyone, the only thing I can really guarantee is that it’s not like anything else you’ll ever watch. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Struggling artists, really great TV
Number of seasons: 2 (renewed through Season 4)

If you’re looking for a character-driven show and you’re willing to try out something that relishes being super weird, make Atlanta your next watch. Donald Glover, who also created the series, stars as Earn, an aimless, cynical college-dropout-turned-music-manager working overtime to get his cousin’s (Brian Tyree Henry) rap career off the ground, despite not really being qualified to manage anyone. At any given moment, the tone of the series alternates between goofy comedy, acidic satire, and surrealist horror, not to mention the very real, very human dramatic beats. You pretty much just have to watch it to get it. The long-awaited third season is coming March 24. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Groundhog Day, wedding shenanigans

The less you know about Palm Springs going into it, the better, but it’s probably no secret at this point that this delightful comedy features Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti as a pair of wedding goers who find themselves trapped in a time loop. Their performances are at once goofy and grounded, and there are plenty of surprises packed into every precious minute of this wild, incredibly fun rom-com with touches of sci-fi. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Breaking glass ceilings, the inner workings of a Minneapolis news station, jokes!
Number of seasons: 7

One of the greatest sitcoms of all time, The Mary Tyler Moore Show is so packed with first-rate funny people that it launched three spin-offs: Valerie Harper’s Rhoda, Cloris Leachman’s Phyllis, and Ed Asner’s Lou Grant. But the heart of the classic comedy series is Mary Tyler Moore’s Mary Richards, who’s “making it after all” as a producer at a low-rated Minneapolis news station. As an unmarried woman focused on her career, Mary was a rarity on television, opening doors for women who came after. Still, being groundbreaking was never the only thing that made The Mary Tyler Moore Show — or Mary Richards — great. The show has endured because it’s laugh-out-loud hilarious, the story of coworkers who unexpectedly begin to cherish each other. [Trailer]

For fans of: Skateboarding, the bittersweet passage of time

If you like your documentaries with a side of a punch in the gut, Minding the Gap will suffice! The Oscar-nominated film, from first-time director Bing Liu, follows Liu as he reconnects with two of his old skateboarding buddies while the twentysomething young men all deal with the struggles of growing up after childhoods of abuse and neglect. Archival footage is both exuberant and emotional as the trio escapes troubles through skateboarding and details the problems at home, while new footage shows how their lives have changed (or not changed) through unplanned fatherhood, new family issues, and more all-too-common obstacles. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: French affairs, the way Saoirse Ronan says “Women” in Little Women

The most romantic movie of 2019, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a simmering love story designed to devastate and delight. Céline Sciamma directs the film, which is set in 18th century France and revolves around the affair that develops between an artist and her subject, a young aristocratic woman who is about to be married off. The chemistry between the leads, Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel, is a pleasure to watch in action, made all the more upsetting because of the pervasive knowledge that there’s a hard expiration date on their relationship. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: The last day of school, unrealistically cool teen parties

Olivia Wilde’s directorial debut is a good one, one of those comedies that comes out of nowhere to approach cult status and a future spot on cable TV’s weekend movie rotation. The teen comedy follows two seniors and best friends who are regarded by classmates as downers but are determined to cram four years of fun into the night before graduation so they don’t head off to college unfulfilled. It’s an R-rated teen comedy — the best kind — with the type of bawdy language that teens actually use, cameos from Jason Sudeikis, Will Forte, and Lisa Kudrow, and two fantastic performances from its leads, Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Snappy dialogue, Westerns, swooning over Timothy Olyphant
Number of seasons: 6

One of Elmore Leonard’s literary characters became television legend with FX’s Justified, arguably the best adaptation of Leonard’s work on any screen. U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens, brought sexily to life by the sexy Timothy Olyphant, watches over the backwoods of Harlan County in Kentucky, cutting down fugitives with firepower and insults, both of which bad guys never recover from. It has the best dialogue of any TV show ever (my opinion), with poetic prose Leonard himself would chuckle at, and a rotating cast of criminals with more personality than most shows’ main characters. Also, Walton Goggins! –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Saying, “I just watched this great show. You’ve probably never heard of it.”
Number of seasons: 4

Created, co-written, and occasionally directed by its star Josh Thomas, this Australian dramedy series follows Josh (played by Thomas), a listless twentysomething who, shortly after being dumped by his girlfriend and subsequently realizing he’s gay, moves back home to care for his depressed mother (Debra Lawrance). The show is most notable for its unique blend of comedy and tragedy, but it’s the rare series about unhappy people that will make you feel better rather than worse. Its spiky, self-involved characters are made more likable for their unlikability, and even the most tertiary players feel like fully realized people in a way that feels very special. If you enjoy Please Like Me, be sure to check out another Thomas-created series, Everything’s Gonna Be Okay, also available to stream on Hulu. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Historical horrors, Jared Harris
Number of seasons: 2

AMC’s The Terror is less about jump scares and gore as it is the methodical deconstruction of one’s sanity in the face of terror, which is to say, this is cerebral horror at its finest. Both seasons of the anthology series immerse themselves in history, with Season 1 on board an expedition to find the Northwest Passage in the 1840s while a man-eating polar bear hunts them and Season 2 set at a Japanese internment camp plagued by ghosts during World War II. If you’ve only got time for one, sail along with Season 1, which is a modern horror masterpiece with a final image that will never leave my mind. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Adult siblings, the misery of dating
Number of seasons: 4

Plenty of shows have a lot to say about “the times we live in,” but unlike many other shows trying to do exactly that, Casual does it with deft care. Tommy Dewey and Michaela Watkins star as siblings Alex and Valerie, who end up raising Valerie’s teenage daughter together, all while trying to navigate the dating world. At the start of the series, Valerie has recently divorced her husband, Alex has committed to life as a bachelor, and Tara Lynne Barr’s Laura is just trying to make it through high school in one piece. All three have romantic obstacles to overcome and various hang-ups to deal with, and the world of social media dating doesn’t make it any easier. It’s an excellent show that came onto the scene around the same time as other shows about people in California being sad, like You’re the Worst and Transparent, so it never really got the recognition it so deeply deserved, which is exactly why it deserves your attention now. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Devastating romance, wondering why a movie didn’t win more awards

Barry Jenkins’ 2018 follow-up to Moonlight is another stunner that cemented Jenkins as one of the most exciting directors in the biz today. His eye for color, lighting, and camera angles is poetic, and perfectly honors If Beale Street Could Talk‘s emotional source material, James Baldwin’s novel about a young couple who want to have a baby despite the father being behind bars for a crime he didn’t commit. If you missed If Beale Street Could Talk during awards season, fix that immediately now that it’s streaming on Hulu, and see for yourself why Regina King took home the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: The plight of the American working class, but make it funny
Number of seasons: 6

For six seasons, Superstore was one of network TV’s hidden treasures, a sweet, clever comedy with a surprising rebellious streak. The show uses its setting in a Middle American box store to dig into issues like unionizing, healthcare, and immigration that rarely get this kind of coverage on television, especially network sitcoms. These aren’t Very Special Episodes: They’re just facts of life for the show’s diverse array of characters, so the topical storylines feel as natural as the jokes. Superstore may be honest, but it’s never a drag; it’s also got cute workplace romances and a perfectly weird sense of humor. [Trailer]

For fans of: Unlikely friendships, modern parenthood

I keep telling people to seek out this sweet indie, which had a theatrical release before movie theaters really opened up, and now everyone can watch it for free*! (*Well, with a Hulu subscription.) Ed Helms stars as a man who wants a baby, and Patti “I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson” Harrison plays the woman he’s chosen to be his surrogate, and it’s one of those movies where nothing really happens, but also everything happens. Helms and Harrison are great as two people who don’t really know what to do with or how to relate to each other, but who have been thrown together for the better part of a year due to their circumstances. It made me laugh, it made me cry, and I hope it does the same for you. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Chaos, emotional messes
Number of seasons: 1

“Absolute mayhem” is a good way to describe this variety show from visual artist David Choe, a Korean-American artist who rolls with the underground L.A. art scene. Choe spends episodes painting portraits of his guests while also cracking himself open emotionally about his life with animated interludes; it’s all part of a personal reckoning he engages in and encourages others to join him on. The Choe Show is a televised sweat lodge, basically, and totally unique to television. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: The secret lives of hitmen
Number of seasons: 3

It’s almost certain that a hitman lives a more interesting life than you, but FX’s dark comedy Mr Inbetween wants you to know that’s only true half the time. The Australian series follows hitman Ray, played by creator Scott Ryan, not just when he’s hitmanning, but when he’s living that other, less interesting part of his life — you know, with the ex-wife, kid, sick brother, etc. One moment he’s dropping a body in a shallow grave, the next he’s telling his young daughter about the birds and the bees. Going back and forth between Ray’s dual lives provides a tonal whiplash that’s more chiropractic than paralyzing; seeing both sides of Ray straightens out a seemingly disjointed character whose job is at odds with his family life. The result is a complete portrait of a complicated man who is just trying to get paid for killing… and to be the best dad he can be. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Family secrets, getting your damn mind blown

Every documentary that has used some variation of the selling point “a story so crazy it has to be true” needs to step aside. The truth in Three Identical Strangers is so bizarre and goes in so many directions you’d never expect that you’ll want to put a pillow on the floor for your jaw. The film follows the story of identical triplets — three gregarious New York boys — separated at birth who meet in their teenage years and become media sensations, but gets really insane when it dives into the circumstances of why they were separated. If I told you any more, I’d ruin it for you. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

For fans of: Altercations
Number of seasons: 6

Almost every installment in the Real Housewives universe is valuable in its own way, but in its explosive fifth season, Potomac solidified itself as the franchise MVP. The ladies of Potomac, from Gizelle “Word on the Street” Bryant to Grande Dame Karen Huger, have long been serving up their share of incredible moments (lest we ever forget the mime), so it wasn’t entirely surprising to see them beat themselves at their own game. What made Season 5 so singular was the headline-making physical altercation (not a fight — an altercation) between Monique Samuels and Candiace Dillard, which resulted in a fascinating plotline about, among other things, the intricacies of friendship and trust. The episodes were intense, shocking, and frequently hilarious (Samuels’ antics with her now-deceased parrot T’Challa will live in infamy), and by the end of the season, I was left wanting even more. RHOP is the crown jewel of reality programming, an example of what we could always have if casts were willing to commit to being as audaciously entertaining as this group of women always is. Raise a glass of champagne to them. –Allison Picurro [Trailer]

For fans of: Head trips…like seriously

I tend to stay away from movies with trailers that proclaim “from the visionary mind of [insert writer/director here],” because it’s like, get over yourself, dude, but Brandon “son of David” Cronenberg’s latest film is a doozy. The sci-fi film follows an assassin (Andrea Riseborough) who executes hits by taking control of other people’s bodies using implanted chip tech. Seems easy, right? It is, until she has trouble with her latest target (the always dying in a movie or show Sean Bean) when the body (Christopher Abbott) she takes over decides he’s not ready to give up total control. Like his dad, Brandon isn’t afraid to go cuckoo bananers with practical effects and hallucinatory montages. This is an art house freak-out film that deserves cult status. –Tim Surette [Trailer]

The Mole Agent

For fans of: Elderly spies, pure emotion

The charming Chilean documentary The Mole Agent was nominated for an Oscar in 2020, and it’s easy to see why. When a man in his 80s answers an ad from a family who believes their matriarch is being mistreated in a nursing home, he goes in undercover to report what he sees. But what he finds is a unique connection to its residents. Grab a hanky, this one will make your heart explode. –Tim Surette [Trailer]