The best British shows on Hulu right now

Before there was Euphoria or even a U.S. version of Skins, there was the British version of the show. It followed a group of teenagers dealing with some of life’s toughest challenges in a way that felt inventive and controversial at the time it aired. Topics such as gender, sexuality, and mental illness were explored in ways that felt important without feeling exploitative. It helped that a number of prominent actors passed through the show at some point, including Nicholas Hoult, Hannah Murray, Joe Dempsie, and Dev Patel.

Even in its darkest moments, history can be quite funny. That’s the genesis for Horrible Histories, a series based upon the children’s books that take a comedic (and yet historically accurate) approach to some of the shared moments of humanity’s past. Comedians Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard, Sarah Hadland, and Ben Willbond were largely faithful to the tone set by the books while starring in sketches that can be enjoyed by all ages.

In the Flesh offers a new take on zombies by depicting a post-zombie world in which the undead have been partially restored to living status and reintegrated into society. Kieren Walker (Luke Newberry) is one of the sufferers of Partially Deceased Syndrome who encounters rampant bigotry from the living. Even Kieren’s sister, Jemima “Jem” Walke (Harriet Cains), is devoted to hunting down the PDS. Simon Monroe (Emmett J Scanlan) and the Undead Liberation Army have a militant approach to anti-PDS activities. Kieren and Simon even develop a relationship with each other as their respective lives threaten to descend into greater violence and heartbreak.

Often compared favorably to Simon Pegg and Jessica Stevenson’s sitcom Spaced, the later series Wasted stars Danny Kirrane as Morpheus — no, not Neo’s Matrix mentor, but the owner of Neston Berry’s Stoned Henge souvenir shop/tattoo parlor. The series opens when Kent (Dylan Edwards) returns to the small town after crashing and burning as a DJ in Bristol. Together, Kent, Morpheus, Kent’s ex-girlfriend Sarah (Rose Reynolds), and tattoo artist Allison (Gwyneth Keyworth), do their best the mitigate the boredom of the small town. For the most part, dealing with the banality involves ingesting mind-altering substances: legal and otherwise. Sean Bean, dressed as Ned Stark from Game of Thrones, is delightful as he appears as himself or, more accurately, as the Sean Bean spirit guide who occasionally manifests to speak to Morpheus. It’s weird and wonderful.

What would young offenders do with superpowers? One possible answer can be found in the British sci-fi dramedy Misfits. In the middle of doing community service, five delinquents — including Umbrella Academy‘s Robert Sheehan and Iwan Rheon of Game of Thrones — encounter a bizarre electrical storm. After lightning strikes that should leave them dead, they instead find they’ve been given superhuman abilities that match their personalities or situations. For example, the regretful Curtis (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett), desperate to make up for past mistakes, can manipulate the flow of time. Meanwhile, Simon (Rheon), who feels unseen, can soon literally become invisible. Misfits offers a perfect blend of drama and comedy while exploring how superpowers could truly change someone’s life.

It’s impossible to escape comparisons between the U.S. version of The Office and the British sitcom that was its inspiration, and any fan of the former owes it to themselves to give the latter a watch. Instead of Steve Carell’s Michael Scott, Ricky Gervais invented the role of David Brent, a manager even more inappropriate and inept than his stateside echo, while Mackenzie Crook plays his righthand man Gareth who is obsessed with the authority he doesn’t really have. While the American answer to The Office quickly changed course from the original in order to make characters like Michael Scott and Dwight more likable, the original keeps the laughter while not shying away from the utter jerks Brent and Gareth prove to be.