Photo Credit: Netflix/Media Rights Capital
In terms of original series output, Hulu lags way behind Netflix. But considering that Hulu gets most of its content from NBC, Fox, ABC, and other outlets days after they air means that Hulu doesn’t have to be as aggressive as its competitors. But that doesn’t mean that Hulu hasn’t been getting bolder with its original series. And in contrast to Netflix and Amazon, Hulu has embraced the traditional weekly release of new episodes from its originals.
The Best Hulu Original Series: 11.22.63
11.22.63 is Hulu’s most ambitious original series to date. 11.22.63 is based on the book of the same name by Stephen King that follows James Franco’s Jake Epping, an ordinary man who gets the extraordinary chance to travel back in time to prevent the assassination of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
While a second season doesn’t appear to be likely, the story stands complete at eight episodes and it’s among the best King adaptations.
The Best Hulu Original Series: Casual
Casual is one of Hulu’s more daring originals, and an occasionally edgy comedy about modern dating from Zander Lehmann and Jason Reitman. The core relationships in the series revolve around a divorced mother named Valerie (Michaela Watkins); her daughter, Laura (Tara Lynne Barr); and Valerie’s brother, Alex (Tommy Dewey) the owner of his own dating site.
At times, Casual plays more like an indie film than a television series. And it will be back for a second season.
The Best Hulu Original Series: Deadbeat
When compared to Casual, Deadbeat is a more conventional comedy. It just happens to feature Tyler Labine as a very lazy man who can talk to ghosts. Deadbeat also feels like the spiritual (no pun intended)follow-up to Labine’s previous supernatural comedy series, Reaper.
The third season of Deadbeat is hitting Hulu on 4/20, and that pun was definitely intended.
The Best Hulu Original Series: The Hotwives
The Hotwives flies beneath the radar of most streaming originals, but it’s a brutally funny takedown of the toxic personalities in reality television. The first season of The Hotwives was particularly hilarious, with Casey Wilson leading a cast that included Danielle Schneider, Tymberlee Hill, Andrea Savage, Angela Kinsey, and Kristen Schaal.
The Best Hulu Original Series: The Path
The Path is Hulu’s newest drama series, and its first season is currently unfolding Wednesdays. The Path features former Breaking Bad star Aaron Paul as Eddie Lane, a member of a religious cult called the Meyerist Movement, as Eddie begins to question the tenets of his belief.
True Detective season 1 star Michelle Monaghan also headlines The Path as Eddie’s wife, Sarah, with Hannibal standout Hugh Dancy as Cal Roberts, a man attempting to take control of the Meyerist Movement. We’ve only seen four episodes to date, but The Path has us intrigued to see where it goes.
Head over to the third page for the best original series on Amazon Prime!