As the competition between video streaming services intensifies, Hulu continues to offer a strong library of shows and movies, as well as a robust live TV option. That said, Hulu’s original series are hit-or-miss and while offline downloads were recently added, they’re currently only available for premium subscribers. In addition, the price of Hulu’s live TV service has increased. Hulu (barely) keeps its Editors’ Choice distinction in part for its unique combination of on-demand and live content.
What Can You Watch on Hulu?
Hulu’s on-demand library has always been about TV shows and that emphasis remains. The service offers hundreds of seasons and thousands of episodes from major networks. However, the rise of network-specific streaming services, like CBS All Access and NBC’s upcoming video streaming service, called Peacock, might cut into this vast content library. That said, Disney’s purchase of Hulu may infuse new life into its catalogs. Note that Disney+ generally aims for more family-friendly content than Hulu. There’s some talk that the Lizzie McGuire reboot, which may be too adult for Disney+, might instead find a home on Hulu.
Hulu offers many cable TV shows. For fans of animation, there’s Archer, Adventure Time, Bob’s Burgers, and Futurama. Drama shows include Bones, The Good Wife, Killing Eve, The Orville, and The X-Files. Comedy fans can watch 30 Rock, Broad City, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Letterkenny, Malcolm in the Middle, Parks and Recreation, Scrubs, Seinfeld, and The Good Place. Note that Parks and Recreation is leaving Hulu for NBC’s Peacock in 2020 and Seinfeld is going to Netflix in 2021. The good news is that Hulu’s FX hub is now live. Shows such as A Teacher and The Old Man, Devs, and Mrs. America will premier here after they air. Full seasons of past FX shows, including Archer, Atlanta, Better Things, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Justified, and Snowfall live there, too.
Like Netflix and Amazon, Hulu also creates original content. While its offerings have typically been a mixed bag and many shows don’t get renewed, its track record is trending upward. Some of Hulu’s best original releases include Castle Rock, Harlots, High Fidelity, Marvel’s Runaways, The Handmaid’s Tale, and Veronica Mars. Ramy and The Act both won Golden Globe awards this year, too. Hulu also has more Marvel series in the works, including Hellstrom, which is notable since Netflix has lost most of its Marvel content.
Hulu’s library of movies is respectable with movies such as Aquaman, A Quiet Place, Annihilation, Crazy Rich Asians, Den Of Thieves, Food Inc., I Kill Giants, Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Pacific Rim: Uprising, and Tomb Raider at the time of publishing. Kid-friendly animated movies such as Chicken Run, Frozen, Horton Hears A Who, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, and Surf’s Up also make an appearance. Hulu even produces some documentaries, such as Batman and Bill, Becoming Bond, and Fyre Fraud, though its other movies seem to mostly be of the R-Rated horror variety. Foreign films on the platform include Shoplifters and A Breath Away. Despite Hulu’s efforts, Netflix currently offers the best movie library of any of the video streaming services.
Hulu has hundreds of anime titles, such as My Hero Academia, Himouto! Umaru-chan, and One-Punch Man. Older classics, such as Cowboy Bebop, FLCL, Ghost in the Shell, Naruto Shippuden, Ranma 1/2, Rurouni Kenshin, Slayers, and Trigun are also present. Hulu only falls short of Crunchyroll in this category, with the latter hosting a much larger library of content. Crunchyroll also has the upper hand on Hulu and Netflix in terms of simulcast shows.
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