In the streaming wars, Max (formerly known as HBO Max) seems to be leading the race when it comes to limited series. Their original content, at least in drama, is noticeably better produced and scripts are infinitely more interesting than those of Netflix shows getting released on an obscure schedule that has little to no marketing. But this doesn’t mean Max should win all the time.
If there’s a service that could give them a run for its money, it could be Hulu. Perhaps, their original content isn’t vast, but their distribution rights allow them to stream very good shows that sometimes, we don’t even know are available. That’s how we put together a list of these shows that put Hulu alongside its most powerful competitors.
15 Little Fires Everywhere
Little Fires Everywhere tells the stories of two families with radically different social statuses in late ’90s Ohio. At one point, their clash becomes inevitable, and the show gets tense enough to turn the drama elements into a subtle thriller. It stars the excellent Reese Witherspoon and Kerry Washington as the two mothers leading opposite sides in a suburbs-styled war that gets more relevant in each episode.
14 National Treasure
The British drama National Treasure consists of only four episodes. Luckily, they’re enough to portray the anguish a family’s forced to go through when its leader is accused of the unspeakable. He’s a former comedian who’s now in the TV biz, but suddenly countless accusations of rape throw the family into a spiral. It stars three icons of acting: Robbie Coltrane, Andrea Riseborough, and Julie Walters. Trust us when we say you don’t want to miss this one.
13 11.22.63
Based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, 11.22.63 tells the story of a teacher who’s presented with the opportunity to go back in time and prevent John F. Kennedy’s assassination. It appears to be an easy mission until Jake Epping starts falling in love with a girl from the past. The miniseries is based on a script that doesn’t focus so much on the thrilling part of the story but on Jake’s dilemma to prevent, escape, leave, or stay. Of course, the plot’s dark twist is shocking: We should be certain of messing with events from the past.
12 The Act
The Act is based on the true life story of Dee Dee Blanchard and her daughter Gypsy Rose. The case is notoriously known for being the most important case of Munchausen syndrome by proxy in recent history. The performance by Joey King as Gypsy is the best of her career and one of the best in modern television. If you know nothing about what happened, and documentaries aren’t exactly your thing, check this one out. It goes by in a flash.
11 Candy
This is another true crime entry. Candy is Hulu’s version (Max has one as well titled Love & Death) of the true case of Candy Montgomery. Montgomery was the religious housewife who got herself tangled in a weird relationship with a man whose wife found out about the affair at some point. What happened after she found out? Let’s just say Montgomery used an ax to solve the whole thing. Jessica Biel in the starring role is amazing.
10 Children of the Snow
The documentary miniseries Children of the Snow tells the story of a baffling case in which four children were kidnapped and murdered in a Detroit suburb almost four decades ago, and police still haven’t been able to solve the case. You know the phrase often told to children, “Don’t talk to strangers”? It most likely started being used after this case.
9 Under the Banner of Heaven
Andrew Garfield’s exceptional performance in Under the Banner of Heaven is only one of many things good with the show. It tells the story of a detective trying to solve a mystery in a Mormon-based community of which he’s also part of. This was based on Jon Krakauer’s book of the same name, and it’s a great true crime adaptation you shouldn’t miss. The supporting cast is fantastic as well.
8 Devs
The science fiction thriller Devs was overseen by some because some people simply didn’t get it. And that’s okay. Quantum computing is complex. The show tells the story of an engineer who starts digging deep into the company that may be responsible for the death of her significant other. What she finds is a project that will make her, and the audience, question things on a philosophical level. All episodes are written and directed by Alex Garland, and if you know who he is, then you probably know what this is all about.
7 Storm of the Century
Storm of the Century is probably the only material Stephen King has written exclusively for television. In fact, if you see this book in a bookstore, you will be surprised at what you’ll read. It tells the story of a small town that’s terrorized by an evil man during a destructive blizzard. The agenda behind this man’s acts is something you will never guess. Colm Feore has never been better in anything.
6 Catch-22
Catch-22 is an adaptation of Joseph Heller’s book of the same name. It’s about a WWII bombardier who’s tired of his enemies wanting to kill him and of missions being assigned to him over and over. The cast is one of the best in Hulu’s catalog of original content, with names like Christopher Abbott, Kyle Chandler, Hugh Laurie, and George Clooney.
5 Dopesick
The limited series Dopesick snatched every award it deserved a couple of years ago, and it’s one of the best shows you can catch on Hulu today. The thrilling drama tells the story of different families going through and facing the opioid crisis that Purdue Pharma started when they began selling OxyContin and the government didn’t exactly care for the effects. Will Poulter’s performance as Billy Cutler proves he should be in more shows and movies.
4 The Dropout
Hulu’s The Dropout tells the story of Elizabeth Holmes’ scam as she started her company Theranos, and promised to change medicine forever. This one is solely based on Holmes’ motivation for doing what she did and the consequences of her ambitions. It stars Amanda Seyfried in an eerily faithful performance. After this one, you will probably run to listen to the podcast that inspired it.
3 The First
In The First, a group of astronauts decides to tackle the challenging mission of stepping foot on Mars, after the first attempt resulted in a tragedy that ended the lives of the first astronauts. Starring Sean Penn in a very underrated performance, The First wasn’t originally planned as a miniseries because it was canceled after the first season. However, it totally works as a limited-run series because of its open, but also very poetic, ending.
2 The Looming Tower
2018’s The Looming Tower is a fascinating show. The story is about counter-terrorism operations in the United States that couldn’t do anything to prevent the terrorist attacks that changed the course of history in 2001. The conflicts between the FBI and the CIA are exposed in this miniseries starring Jeff Daniels, Michael Stuhlbarg, Wrenn Schmidt, Bill Camp, and Peter Sarsgaard. Yeah, a cast doesn’t get any better than that.
1 The Clearing
The Clearing is an Australian production about the real-life case of a cult with a female leader that went beyond anything imaginable to execute her plan. It stars Teresa Palmer in one of the best performances of her career. This one is still airing at the time of writing, so you better catch up as the psychological thriller gets better (and creepier) with each episode.
