For those who’ve read our Hulu review, there’s no doubt that you’ll want to give the service a try. Since the service boasts of such an impressive content lineup and budget-friendly packages, it could be well worth the investment for your streaming needs. And if you want the live TV experience, you can check out our Hulu channels list to find out exactly which channels you can get with your Hulu + Live TV subscription. And learn more about the plans it offers in our packages and pricing overview.
But before you decide to commit to the service, you’ll want a rundown of the best movies and shows list so you know what you can watch on Hulu during your free trial. Or if you already have the service, you might want to find out which of the 3000+ on-demand titles are worth your time. Keep in mind that these on-demand titles are still accessible even if you have the Hulu + Live TV subscription, as highlighted in our Hulu Live TV review.
In this post, we give you the top Hulu movie list along with the best Hulu shows list, so you know exactly what to watch with your subscription.
How we rate Hulu movies and shows
We considered several crucial factors to narrow down the best movies and shows on Hulu. First, we picked titles available on Hulu’s default on-demand content library, so they’re accessible for all types of Hulu subscriptions and bundles. That means besides a regular Hulu subscription, you can also watch these with all the Hulu bundle plans, including Disney Plus + ESPN Plus + Hulu, Hulu + Spotify Premium, and Hulu + Sprint.
If you’d like to learn more about these bundles, you can check out our individual reviews for each of them. For families with kids, read our review of the Disney Plus + ESPN Plus + Hulu bundle. If you regularly listen to music, check out our Hulu + Spotify Premium bundle review to see if it’s right for you. You could even get Hulu for free with a Sprint Unlimited phone plan, so check out this option in our Hulu + Sprint bundle review.
Next, we measured audience reception and critic reviews using Rotten Tomatoes scores so we can figure out which ones would be the best hit among Hulu viewers. In some cases, we even factored in overall bingeability to bring you the most addictive shows and help you figure out exactly what you can watch on Hulu.
Best Hulu movies
Honeyland (2019)
- Average Tomatometer: 100%
- Average Audience Score: 86%
- Notable cast members: Hatidže Muratova
A documentary film set in North Macedonia, Honeyland tells a devastating tale of environmental destruction and consumerism through the story of Hatidže Muratova. Hatidže cultivates honey using ancient beekeeping traditions and makes a living from it. Things start to change when a new family moves in next door, and the father takes up beekeeping himself.
While Hatidže guides her neighbor on how to maintain his colony, greed compels him to eventually disregard her advice. This sets off a drastic chain of events that ends up destroying Hatidže’s colony.
I am Not Your Negro (2017)
- Average Tomatometer: 99%
- Average Audience Score: 83%
- Notable cast members: James Baldwin, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King
In his unfinished novel Remember This House, James Baldwin tells a riveting and revolutionary story about race in America. The film brings to life his personal accounts of the lives and subsequent assassinations of his close friends Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, and Medgar Evers, who each played a critical role in the fight for Black civil rights.
Minding the Gap (2018)
- Average Tomatometer: 100%
- Average Audience Score: 92%
- Notable cast members: Bing Liu, Kiere Johnson, and Zack Mulligan
In this gripping documentary, filmmaker Bing Liu compiles over 12 years of footage to tell the story of three friends and their search for an escape from their turbulent upbringings. Set in their Rust-Belt hometown, the film explores the individual struggles of Bing and his friends as they bond over skateboarding. It touches on topics of late-adolescent masculinity and generational forgiveness while they struggle with adult responsibilities, racial identity, and relationships.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire (Portrait De La Jeune Fille En Feu) (2019)
- Average Tomatometer: 98%
- Average Audience Score: 92%
- Notable cast members: Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami, and Noémie Merlant
Set on an isolated island in 18th Century France, Portrait of a Lady on Fire follows a young painter named Marianne as she receives a commission to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse. With Héloïse being reluctant about her impending marriage, Marianne first acts as a companion and secretly paints her at night. The two women begin to experience a growing attraction for one another and grow more intimate the longer they spend time together.
Shoplifters (2018)
- Average Tomatometer: 99%
- Average Audience Score: 91%
- Notable cast members: Kirin Kiki, Lily Franky, and Sakura Ando
Shoplifters tells the story of a makeshift family as they form a bond over their penchant for petty theft and their shared experiences. The family comes across a young girl from the neighborhood called Yuri and decides to take her in after learning that her parents have been abusing her.
As the family deals with this new addition, things start to unravel when the young son gets arrested for shoplifting. This exposes shocking secrets and shameful pasts that upend the family’s below-the-radar existence.
Best Hulu shows
Love, Victor (2020)
- # of seasons: 1
- Average Tomatometer: 93%
- Average Audience Score: 94%
Set in the same world as the 2018 hit movie, Love, Simon, this series follows Victor as he begins life as a new student at Creekwood High School while embarking on a challenging journey to self-discovery. As he tries to get adjusted to life in a new city, Victor faces many challenges at home while also struggling with his sexual orientation. This all gets too much for Victor until he finally finds support and guidance in the form of Simon, who then helps him navigate through high school life.
Normal People (2020)
- # of seasons: 1
- Average Tomatometer: 90%
- Average Audience Score: 93%
Based on the New York Times best-selling novel by Sally Rooney, this series focuses on the complicated yet intimate relationship between Marianne and Connell. It follows the couple’s relationship and how it changes over the course of several years – from a budding teenage romance that transforms and continues through college. The series gives an exquisite take on a love story that evolves as the 2 people explore different versions of themselves over the years.
As with some of the other titles on this list, Normal People is part of the Hulu 4K content library, so you should be able to enjoy it in ultra-high-definition. And if you want to enjoy these shows without network interruptions, check out our guide on how to download Hulu content to watch offline.
PEN15 (2019)
- # of seasons: 2
- Average Tomatometer: 93%
- Average Audience Score: 88%
In this cringe comedy series, Anna Konkle and Maya Erskine play as 13-year-old versions of themselves as they navigate through the challenges of being middle-school outcasts in the year 2000. The series takes you on a nostalgic trip and showcases the realistic experiences of anyone who had to deal with the awkwardness of being a teenager in that era.
PEN15 is also among the on-demand titles available in 4K on Hulu, so you can get an up-close and ultra-high-definition replay of the most awkward years of your life.
Ramy (2019)
- # of seasons: 2
- Average Tomatometer: 97%
- Average Audience Score: 89%
Set in a politically-divided New Jersey neighborhood, Ramy follows the story of a first-generation Egyptian-American as he begins a challenging spiritual journey. The show brings a comical perspective into the internal conflicts and personal struggles that Ramy experiences as he gets torn between God, his carefree millennial friends, and his conservative Muslim community.
Ramy is among the handful of 4K content on Hulu’s on-demand library, so you should be able to watch it in ultra-high-definition with the right device. Check out the full list of 4K titles on Hulu to see what else you can watch. And don’t forget to check our guide for device compatibility to see if you have everything necessary to stream these titles in 4K.
This Way Up (2019)
- # of seasons: 1
- Average Tomatometer: 91%
- Average Audience Score: 100%
After suffering from a nervous breakdown, Aine, an English-as-a-foreign-language tutor, tries to pull her life back together. Although Aine is deeply passionate about her job and truly cares for her students, she still finds it difficult to escape the struggles of living with mental health issues.
Meanwhile, her fretful sister, Sharon, constantly worries about her as well as her own life choices and relationship. This Way Up deftly deals with topics of sibling relationships and mental health, with a focus on the daily challenges on the journey to recovery.
*Current as of August 2020