Everyone has different tastes in TV shows, but one common niche that everyone seems to agree on is music. Even if each individual’s taste in music is even more diverse and eclectic than their taste in television, they can still relate to the love of music as a whole, and that’s why music reality shows are consistently some of the best and most successful series on TV.
Hulu is filled with some of the very best music reality shows, including and especially game shows and music competitions. Some of these have been around for years, and some new shows to discover. Each one is filled with songs that people love and are sure to have their viewers singing along.
Songland
Songland is a very different type of music show than the usual game show or competition because it focuses on the songwriting aspect of the music industry. The show’s winner has their own original song released worldwide for renowned music artists.
The three start artist producers in this show, Ryan Tedder, Ester Dean, and Shane McAnally, pick three rookie songwriters each and challenge them to write and adapt songs to a specific musician. While they prove they know how to create amazing songs and write beautiful lyrics, they must also prove they can fit the song to an artist, which can be anyone from Julia Michaels to Usher.
Alter Ego
Alter Ego is a musical competition rid of all biased and visual assumptions, where the judges must criticize based on talent and voice alone. Contestants perform songs backstage as their digital avatars appear live for the audience.
In this unique music competition, contestants get to appear as their favorite avatar, a figure with any appearance they desire. They are judged purely on their talent as they use motion capture technology to dance and sing backstage, allowing their avatar to represent them live for the audience. Judges Alanis Morissette, will.i.am, Nick Lachey, and Grimes decide who gave the best performance and moves on in the competition.
American Idol
American Idol is one of the most popular musical competitions ever, running for 20 seasons. Fans have seen some of the most memorable contestants, musical performances, and biggest artists come out of this show.
Contestants audition across the country for a chance to compete on the show competition, working through multiple challenges and rounds to see who will become the next star. Some big-name artists have appeared as judges over the years — the current judges are Lionel Richie, Katy Perry, and Luke Bryan — and they decide each week who has the talent to continue in the competition. After that, the vote shifts to the audience. The show is filled with tons of musical talent. Some of the best acts to come from American Idol include Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Fantasia, and Adam Lambert.
The Voice
The Voice is another big-name music competition with many great artists appearing and arising from it. Contestants work together in teams with the four judges and go head-to-head to see who will become the next big star.
Contestants take place in blind auditions for which the judges have their backs turned as the contestants perform. The judges then can choose to turn around and convince the artists to work with them throughout the competition. The four artist judges on The Voice work as mentors to the contestants in their team and help the singers prepare arrangements to go against the others in battling duets, solo performances, and more until one singer is chosen as the winner.
Name That Tune
Name That Tune is a musical game show in which contestants can win up to $100,000 by successfully guessing the song being played by the orchestra or simply by a note played on the piano.
Name That Tune has been around in various iterations for decades, revived most recently in 2021 with Jane Krakowski as the host and Randy Jackson as the bandleader. Two contestants must go head-to-head, making bets on how well they can identify a song in as few notes as possible when played on the piano or by the orchestra. The players earn more points for identifying songs in fewer notes, and the one with the most points has a chance to win the $100,000 prize.
Beat Shazam
Beat Shazam is a game show centered around the music reader app Shazam. Three teams of duos compete to see who can quickly identify songs from all genres for a chance to win up to $1 million.
Hosted by Jamie Foxx and his daughter Corinne, Beast Shazam is filled with music from different decades and genres that allow players to win big money. If the contestants can beat Shazam by naming the song before the timer ends, they rack up their bankroll and continue for a chance to win the big prize. Players have to know a vast array of music and have quick reaction times to beat out their opponents and earn money.
The Masked Singer
The Masked Singer is a singing competition featuring some of the biggest stars performing undercover in bizarre and eccentric outfits to win simply by their talent alone.
Since its contestants are already big stars, The Masked Singer features some of the highest level of singing competition yet, although famous people from all aspects of celebrity — sports, acting, comedy, and music — have competed on The Masked Singer, not just singers and pop stars. The judges, Jenny McCarthy, Ken Jeong, Nicole Scherzinger, and Robin Thicke, try to deduce from given clues and singing voice behind the mask. The celebrities continue through the competition solely based on their talent, and eliminated contestants are unmasked.
I Can See Your Voice
I Can See Your Voice is a new music game show hosted by Ken Jeong, in which contestants must decide who is really a singer and who is faking it by interpreting clues and seeing the singer perform a lipsync battle.
The players in this show can win up to $100,000 by correctly identifying which people are true singers and not, without even hearing them sing. The contestants get a group of celebrity guests to assist them in their choices, but it’s entirely up to their own judgment. With great lipsync battles and detailed clue packages, this mind-blowing game proves people can’t judge a book by its cover.
That’s My Jam
For many, Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon is among the best TV talk show hosts, and he’s well-known for the fun games and silly segments he introduced to that long-running show. The segments are so popular that one of them was spun off in 2021 into its own proper game show: That’s My Jam.
In That’s My Jam celebrities complete in musical minigames such as Musical Impressions, Launch the Mic and more, earning money for their chosen charities. With amazing and hilarious music performances and friendly competition between some of the biggest stars, That’s My Jam has quickly earned its place among the most entertaining music reality shows on TV right now.
