Streaming Guide
Best Hulu Shows of 2026: Top Originals
By Jordan A. · · 4 min read
Hulu has quietly become home to some of the best television being made right now. The streamer is balancing prestige drama with entertaining comedies and thrillers that keep you coming back episode after episode. If you haven't been paying attention to Hulu's original lineup, 2026 is the year to start. These are the shows that prove the platform deserves way more credit.
From the intense chaos of restaurant kitchens to prestige dramas about complex characters, Hulu's originals in 2026 are some of the best television you can watch anywhere.
Prestige Drama
The Bear Season 5 - FX on Hulu dropped all eight episodes of the fifth and final season on June 25, 2026, closing out Carmy's attempt to transform his restaurant. Jeremy Allen White's performance is career-defining, and the supporting cast is phenomenal. This show makes you sweat with stress, which is exactly why it works.
Only Murders in the Building Season 5 - Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez wrapped their fifth case, and Hulu has renewed the show for a sixth season that moves the trio to London. The banter between the leads is comedy gold, and the mysteries are genuinely engaging.
Shogun Season 2 - FX has ordered a second season of its epic samurai saga, though it had not been dated as of this writing. Season 1 is the one to watch right now, and the cinematography is absolutely gorgeous.
The Handmaid's Tale Season 6 - Hulu's adaptation of Margaret Atwood's dystopia ended with its sixth and final season, so the full run is there to watch straight through. Elisabeth Moss anchors the show beautifully, and the world-building remains richly detailed to the end.
Crime & Thriller
The Dropout - Amanda Seyfried's turn as Elizabeth Holmes is the best thing Hulu has done in the scam-artist genre, and it won her an Emmy. It's compelling television that explores complicity and delusion in a system designed to reward ambition.
Dopesick - Michael Keaton anchors Hulu's limited series on the opioid crisis, and it turns a policy story into something that actually lands emotionally. It's angry television, and it earns the anger.
Comedy
Abbott Elementary - ABC's mockumentary about underfunded Philadelphia teachers lands on Hulu right after it airs, which makes Hulu the easiest place to catch up. ABC renewed it for a sixth season in March 2026. The ensemble timing is as good as network comedy gets.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 18 - FXX brings the gang back on August 17, 2026 for an expanded season, and it lands on Hulu the same way every other FX show does. The cast has been doing this for nearly two decades and still finds ways to make you laugh.
The Mindy Project - Mindy Kaling's sitcom ran six seasons on Fox and then Hulu, ending in 2017 with no reunion special since. It's warm, it's funny, and the whole run is sitting on the platform.
Prestige Limited Series
Under the Bridge - This true crime limited series explores a real murder case with empathy and rigor. It's dark material handled respectfully, and the performances from Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone are uniformly strong.
Nine Perfect Strangers - Nicole Kidman running a wellness retreat that is obviously a bad idea, across two seasons of increasingly unhinged group therapy. It's pulpy in the most watchable way.
Reality & Documentary
The Kardashians - Hulu's flagship reality franchise keeps rolling out new seasons and remains the platform's most reliable unscripted draw. It's guilty pleasure television at its finest.
FX and National Geographic documentaries - Because Disney owns both, Hulu is where the FX docuseries and the National Geographic library land. That's a deep and genuinely good documentary bench that most subscribers never scroll far enough to find.
Hulu has become a destination for prestige television and guilty pleasure reality. Find your next favorite show on the platform.
Explore all our streaming guide and discover what to watch next
Whether you're looking for intense prestige drama or light comedy, Hulu has something for you. These shows represent the best of what the platform has to offer right now. Start with any of these and you'll understand why Hulu deserves to be in the conversation with the bigger streamers.
If you want a shortlist tailored to your taste, try BingeNext's TV recommendation engine. Tell it a few shows you love and it does the rest in about thirty seconds.
Topics covered: hulu, streaming, best-of, 2026, must-watch, platform-guide
About the author
Jordan A., Founder, BingeNext
Jordan A. is the founder of BingeNext and writes every guide on this site. He built the recommendation engine after one too many nights lost to the streaming menu, and he still tests every pick the hard way: by watching it.