When it comes to Hulu original series, the streaming service has held its own against Netflix and other bigger services. The smaller streaming service has enjoyed success in various genres, and the service has seen recognition at the Primetime Emmy Awards, Golden Globes Awards, and more. Hulu released its first original series in 2011 with The Morning After, a news show, but then it ended up airing its first-ever Hulu original scripted series in 2012 called Battleground, a mockumentary about a political campaign in Wisconsin.
Since that time, Hulu has dipped its toes in drama, comedy, animation, science fiction, and everything in between. The streaming service has teamed up with J.J. Abrams, Stephen King, Margaret Atwood, Justin Roiland, Taika Waititi, and more while bringing in actors like Michael Keaton, James Franco, Steve Martin, and Nicole Kidman. What has resulted was an output of original content by Hulu that is equal, and in some cases, superior to that put out by the higher profile Netflix, and the critical acclaim, mainstream praise, and award recognition have followed.
10 Solar Opposites (2020- )
After helping co-create Rick & Morty, Justin Roiland co-created the Hulu original animated series Solar Opposites. Both shows are based in the world of sci-fi, but Solar Opposites takes it one step further by actually making the show about aliens living on Earth. While Roiland was fired from the series after the third season, the show continued with a fourth, and a fifth season of Solar Opposites is still to come.
The show hasn’t reached the same level of critical acclaim as Rick & Morty, but it remains a Hulu original hit and reached new levels in season 4 when Dan Stevens (Legion) replaced Roiland in the voice cast. The series has picked up honors at the Clio Awards and BMI Film & TV Awards, winning Best Streaming Series at the BMIs and taking a Bronze and Gold award at the Clios.
9 11.22.63 (2016)
There has been more than one Hulu original series based on the work of Stephen King. However, the best of these came in 2016 with the adaptation of 11.22.63. Unlike many King adaptations, this is not a horror story but is instead a time travel tale. James Franco stars as Jake Epping, a recently divorced teacher from Maine who finds a way to travel back in time where he always ends up in a specific time in the past. He then decides to try to stop the Kennedy assassination.
J.J. Abrams and Stephen King teamed up to executive produce the series, and it arrived on Hulu to critical acclaim. It only took home one award, which was not unusual for streaming services like Hulu at that time. However, that win was the Best Television Presentation at the Saturn Awards, which was a big deal for genre entertainment.
8 The Great (2020-2023)
The Great is a Hulu original series that is formatted like a historical show about the life of Catherine the Great. However, it is actually only loosely based on her rise to power and is mostly a fictional series that takes a humorous look at her time in Russia and her rise to power in the nation. Elle Fanning stars as Catherine the Great while Nicholas Hoult stars as Emperor Peter III in a series that tries hard never to take itself seriously.
The Great ended in 2023 after three seasons and the death of Emperor Peter III, which solidified Catherine as the new ruler of Russia. The series was also critically acclaimed, picking up several Primetime Emmy nominations, including acting nominations for both Fanning and Hoult. Its only win was in the costume category. However, it also earned an award for Best Episodic Comedy at the Writers Guild of America Awards.
7 Love, Victor (2020-2022)
Love, Victor was a Hulu original series that is set in the same world as the 2018 movie Love, Simon. That original movie was about a closeted gay high school boy named Simon who struggled to balance his friends and family while a blackmailer threatened to out him to the school. It was the first major Hollywood studio movie to be based on a gay teenage romance. The Hulu original series was based on the same general ideas.
In this series, Victor is a new student at a high school in Atlanta who is struggling with his sexual orientation. He then reaches out to Simon (Nick Robinson reprising his role from the movie) to ask for advice and help. Robinson also narrates the series. Love, Victor had three seasons and picked up awards from the Imagen Awards, and was nominated for GLAAD Media Awards for its representation.
6 Pen15 (2019-2021)
Pen15 was an early Hulu original comedy series and one that was very unique in how it was presented. The show is based on the middle school lives of the creators, Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle. The two women, both 31 years old when they made the series, played themselves in the series – as 13-year-old girls. However, all the other cast members in the middle school were played by actual teenagers, making for an interesting premise and an instant hit for Hulu.
Both Erskine and Konkly picked up Primetime Emmy Awards nominations for writing in both of the Hulu original series’ seasons, and the show itself also picked up an Outstanding Comedy Series nomination in its second season.
5 The Bear (2022- )
The Bear ended up as a surprising critical hit as a Hulu original series when it premiered in 2022. This is a black comedy-drama series that features Jeremy Allen White as a classically trained chef who ends up returning home to Chicago to help run his family’s restaurant. What really helps drive this story are the characters, as the mostly disinterested chefs in the restaurant and the overly driven Carmy Berzatto are often clashing in brilliant and always entertaining ways.
The second season premiered in 2023, following a first season that picked up 13 Emmy Awards nominations, including Outstanding Comedy Series. The cast itself picked up a plethora of nominations, including White, Oliver Platt, Jon Bernthal, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Ayo Edebiri. The series also won the Independent Spirit Awards honor for Best New Scripted Series and Best Supporting Performance in a New Series for Edebiri.
4 Reservation Dogs (2021-2023)
Reservation Dogs is a Hulu original comedy drama series by Oklahoma indigenous filmmaker Sterlin Harjo and Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi. The series follows four indigenous teenagers who live in rural Oklahoma and want to find a way out of their small town. They remain mostly bored, spending their days committing minor crimes, while also fighting crime in their spare time. Their one dream was to go to California to honor their friend, who died the year before the events of the series.
This Hulu original series ended after three seasons, despite universal critical praise. On top of the critical accolades, which included 100% fresh Rotten Tomatoes ratings for the second and third seasons, it was also recognized during awards season. In 2022, it won the Independent Spirit Awards for Best New Scripted Series and Best Ensemble Cast in a New Scripted Series. It also won the Peabody Awards honor for Entertainment in 2022.
3 Only Murders In The Building (2021- )
With three seasons completed and another ordered, Only Murders in the Building has become one of the best Hulu original series on the streaming service. The cast is top-notch, with Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez starring as three true crime podcasters who have taken it upon themselves to solve real murders that start happening around them. Season 3 of Only Murders in the Building ended with a twist that brings things even closer as someone near and dear to the three ended up murdered.
The first three seasons of this Hulu original series were critically acclaimed, with a 100% fresh rating for season 1 and the next two checking in at 98% and 96%, barely missing a beat. It also picked up seven Golden Globes nominations, although it didn’t win one, and 29 Emmy nominations, winning three of them. The fourth season hopes to add to those totals.
2 Dopesick (2021)
Released in 2021, Dopesick was a Hulu original miniseries that starred Michael Keaton. Based on a true story, Dopesick focused on America’s battle with opioid addiction and its effect on families and individuals affected by it. While based on the true story, the characters in the series are fictional, although some are composite characters of people involved in the crisis. Only the Sackler family were based on real people – the family who owned Purdue Pharma and faced lawsuits over overprescription of drugs like OxyContin.
Keaton in the lead role was based on several doctors, including Dr. Stephen Loyd, who himself was addicted. It was a huge success for Hulu original series, picking up 13 Primetime Emmy nominations. Keaton won for Best Lead Actor, and it also won for cinematography. Will Poulter, Peter Sarasgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg, Kaitlyn Dever, and Mare Winningham also picked up nominations for the acting as well.
1 The Handmaid’s Tale (2017- )
The best Hulu original series, and the show that really put the streaming service on the map, is The Handmaid’s Tale. Based on the novel by Margeret Atwood, the Hulu series is a post-apocalyptic series that takes place after a second American Civil War that leads to a dystopia where men are the ruling class. On the other hand, women are controlled, and they are used mostly for breeding to ensure the male dominated controlling class.
The series has become one of the most successful original shows for any streaming service, especially when it concerns awards season. Through the show’s first five seasons, The Handmaid’s Tale has won eight Primetime Emmy Awards in 13 nominations. Those are the most for any Hulu original series, and it was also the first series by the streaming service to ever win a major award. It also picked up a Golden Glove Award for Best Television Series – Drama.
