The best Hulu original series right now

Steve Martin and his longtime collaborator, Martin Short, are enjoying a late-career resurgence thanks to the success of Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building. Martin co-created the series and headlines the show as Charles, Short as his neighbor and newfound friend Oliver. Their friendship is fueled by a mutual love of true crime stories, which is something they also have in common with their much younger neighbor, Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez). When an actual murder takes place in their high-end apartment building, this unlikely trio starts their own true crime podcast as they try to figure out who the killer is. But by stepping into the spotlight, they get deeper and deeper into the building’s increasingly dangerous intrigue. With three seasons, Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep joining the cast for the third, and a new puzzling murder each time, it’s a fun, entertaining whodunit that keeps you at the edge of your seat.

Paige’s (Kerry Washington) life is going fairly well as a single mother and marriage therapist. But when her estranged father Edwin (Delroy Lindo) is released from prison after 17 years and comes to live with her and her son, Paige’s entire life becomes upended.

A heartwarming comedy, Unprisoned has been positively received by critics and viewers, alike, for being heartfelt and tackling tough subject matter with a healthy dose of comedy. Both Washington and Lindo are praised for their genuine and wonderful performances, and the show itself for providing an intimate look into the Black experience.

Everybody’s heard of Catherine the Great, the Russian Empress who presided over one of imperial Russia’s greatest periods of prosperity. But not so many know about her husband and second cousin, Peter III, who was so incompetent that she overthrew him in a practically bloodless coup d’état.

History is dramatic and tragic, but it’s also comical, and The Great finds wicked pleasure in pitting Elle Fanning’s cunning and witty Catherine against Nicholas Hoult’s dull, naïve Peter. Catherine’s rise is, of course, inevitable, but it’s a lot of fun to watch play out in this satirical drama.

2021 was Andrew Garfield’s year, and 2022 is also shaping up nicely for the actor as he headlines Under the Banner of Heaven. Garfield stars as Detective Jeb Pyre, a devout Mormon whose faith is shaken by the murder of Brenda Lafferty (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and her infant daughter. Although suspicion initially falls on Brenda’s husband, Allen Lafferty (Billy Howle), the focus soon shifts to the rest of the Lafferty family, which is very connected in the Mormon community. The deeper that Jeb probes the case, the more he is horrified by the crimes and the extreme religious views that fueled the murderous actions.

Elizabeth Holmes captivated the health tech world with her company Theranos, which made a blood analysis product that could revolutionize the industry. Only, the product didn’t work, had never worked, and by all accounts, appeared to be completely fake. Yet, Holmes still raked in millions in investments while putting patients at risk. Amanda Seyfreid stars as Holmes in this limited series about Silicon Valley hubris.

FX on Hulu scored a home run with Devs, a miniseries created, written, and directed by noted filmmaker Alex Garland (Ex Machina, Annihilation, The Beach). The series stars Sonoya Mizuno as Lily Chan, a software engineer for the quantum computing company Amaya. Lily’s boyfriend and fellow engineer, Sergei Pavlov (Karl Glusman), is recruited by Amaya’s enigmatic CEO, Forest (Nick Offerman), to work on the secretive Devs project. Shortly thereafter, Segei turns up dead under very suspicious circumstances. To find answers, Lily joins the Devs team as well. But she may not like what she discovers as she unravels the mystery.

Based on Celeste Ng’s novel of the same name, Little Fires Everywhere stars Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington as two mothers in the same wealthy neighborhood with polar-opposite experiences. Witherspoon plays Elena, the matriarch of the picture-perfect Richardson family, devoted more to maintaining her family’s image than actually connecting with her children. When her youngest daughter gravitates towards Mia (Washington), an artist who is new in town, Elena can’t keep from meddling. But as she digs into Mia’s life behind her back, she sets off a series of events she couldn’t foresee that will change her family forever.