15 Hidden Gems on Hulu Right Now

The streamer has something for everyone, from fans of Jane Austen to Stephen King fanatics to Paul McCartney maniacs

Thom Geier,

AARP

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En español

Published September 11, 2023

andrew garfield wearing a suit with a police badge on his belt has his hands in his pants pockets in a scene from the fx series under the banner of heaven keegan michael key calum worthy judy greer and johnny knoxville pose for a portrait in an episode of reboot and paul mccartney smiles in mccartney 3,2,1

(Left to right) Andrew Garfield in "Under the Banner of Heaven"; Keegan-Michael Key, Calum Worthy, Judy Greer and Johnny Knoxville in "Reboot"; Paul McCartney in "McCartney 3, 2, 1."

Michelle Faye/FX; Michael Desmond/Hulu; Hulu

The Disney-owned streamer Hulu is best known for Emmy-winning hits like The Handmaid’s Tale and Only Murders in the Building — but there’s a lot more to explore (and enjoy) if you dig deeper than the welcome screen. The iconic 1995 miniseries based on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice includes Colin Firth’s memorable turn as Mr. Darcy, while Handmaid’s Tale star Elisabeth Moss shines as an insecure police detective in the murder mystery series Top of the Lake. There are compelling docs, too, about everything from volcanoes to Paul McCartney, and the original U.K. version of The Office offers a star-making performance by Ricky Gervais as the worst boss ever.

Here are some of our picks for some movies and series that are worth clicking the search button.

11.22.63 (2016)

Who doesn’t like a what-if look at history? In this eight-part miniseries, based on a Stephen King novel, James Franco plays a high school teacher who’s given the chance to go back in time with a plan to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. He quickly learns two important things — he goes back to the same day of the year three years before the murder and, more importantly, the past doesn’t want to be changed. This is a twisty and entertaining alternate history.

Watch it: 11.22.63

Attack the Block (2011)

This low-budget horror film, about a group of fast-talking teenagers who fight off an alien invasion in the projects of South London, has justly become a cult classic for its sharp wit, well-paced suspense and thrifty special effects. Plus, it helped launch the careers of John Boyega (Star Wars), Jodie Whittaker (the first female Doctor Who) and director Joe Cornish (Ant-Man).

Watch it: Attack the Block

Fire of Love (2022)

Part nature documentary, part tragic love story, this Oscar-nominated feature explores the lives of the French volcanologists Maurice and Katia Krafft. The couple, who died together on Japan’s Mount Unzen in 1991, spent decades exploring the depths of volcanoes around the world to better understand their fiery power — recording silent footage of their expeditions that’s been lovingly restored here.

Watch it: Fire of Love

Hell or High Water (2016)

Facing foreclosure on the family ranch, two Texas brothers (Chris Pine and Ben Foster) decide to rob some of the banks they feel have done them wrong. The heists make them local heroes, but a Texas Ranger nearing retirement (Jeff Bridges, now 73) is hot on their trail. This is a modern spin on classic Western tropes that feels utterly grounded in the real world.

Watch it: Hell or High Water

McCartney 3, 2, 1 (2021)

The same year that Hulu teamed with Searchlight to release Questlove’s Oscar-winning music doc Summer of Soul, the streamer also debuted this fascinating six-episode docuseries in which uber-producer and Def Jam cofounder Rick Rubin, 60, interviews Paul McCartney, 81, about his pioneering work with the Beatles, the ‘70s arena-rock band Wings and beyond.

Watch it: McCartney 3, 2, 1

The Office (U.K. Original, 2001-03)

Are you havin’ a laugh? Insufferable David Brent (Ricky Gervais, 62) is the prototypical boss from hell, middle-mismanaging a nondescript paper company in England in this influential comedy series. The mockumentary-style show, which Gervais cocreated with Stephen Merchant, lasted just 14 episodes in the U.K., but it spawned adaptations in 15 countries — including a long-running American hit starring Steve Carell, 61, as the Brent-like Michael Scott.

Watch it: The Office

Palm Springs (2020)

Fans of Groundhog Day will love this modern-day update, in which two perpetual singletons (played with spiky chemistry by Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti) find themselves on a perpetual time loop, reliving the same day over and over, while attending a wedding in Palm Springs. But this delightful, fast-paced rom-com has surprises up its sleeve, which is also where it wears its heart.

Watch it: Palm Springs

Pride and Prejudice (1995)

Here’s a truth universally acknowledged: Jane Austen fans have been swooning over this six-part miniseries for nearly 30 years — mostly because of the definitive portrayal of the slow-to-warm-up Mr. Darcy (Colin Firth, now 62, memorably spied in a soaking-wet shirt at one point). But don’t forget the sparkly-eyed turn of Jennifer Ehle, now 53, as the prototypical Austen heroine, Elizabeth Bennet. Her expressive face betrays her love for the cold-fish Darcy long before her intellect concedes to the romance.

Watch it: Pride and Prejudice

Reboot (2022)

Modern Family creator Steven Levitan, 61, hatched an ingeniously meta idea for this sitcom: The dysfunctional cast of a goofy family sitcom from the early 2000s reunites for the inevitable reboot — but nothing goes smoothly for either the actors (including Keegan-Michael Key, now 52, Judy Greer and Johnny Knoxville, now 52) or the fractious father-daughter duo overseeing the project (played by Paul Reiser, now 67, and Rachel Bloom). This spot-on satire sadly never garnered the buzz it deserved and was canceled after just one season.

Watch it: Reboot

Reservation Dogs (2021 - )

This offbeat coming-of-age comedy follows four Indigenous teens who yearn to escape their boring lives in rural Oklahoma for the far-off paradise of California (as they imagine it). Over three seasons (so far), the show has broken the mold both on screen and off — with authenticity from creators Sterlin Harjo, a citizen of the Seminole nation, and New Zealand-born Thor director Taika Waititi, whose father is Maori. But this isn’t homework. The series offers belly laughs as well as sharp depictions of modern life on the reservation.

Watch it: Reservation Dogs

Shrill (2019-21)

There are laughs — and insights — to be found in this three-season comedy starring SNL veteran Aidy Bryant as an aspiring writer whose low self-esteem begins with her own mother (SNL's Julia Sweeney, now 63) badgering her about dieting and sharing embarrassing stories about her to her friends. You can’t help but warm to her relatably awkward adventures.

Watch it: Shrill

Top of the Lake (2013-17)

Men are mostly stinkers in director Jane Campion’s two-season mystery series, where Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men, The Handmaid’s Tale) plays a gutsy but (initially) inexperienced police detective who must endure the skepticism and advances of her male colleagues while cracking complicated cases. The first season, which involves the disappearance of a pregnant 12-year-old in a small New Zealand town where Moss’s detective has a fraught history, is spectacular.

Watch it: Top of the Lake

Under the Banner of Heaven (2022)

Andrew Garfield is the heart and soul of this true-crime drama series, which follows a detective investigating a double murder in a suburb of Salt Lake City. This is less of a whodunit than a whydunit, with the true culprit emerging in a radical fundamentalist branch of the Mormon Church.

Watch it: Under the Banner of Heaven

Triangle of Sadness (2022)

This Oscar-nominated dark comedy has more twists than a Chubby Checker dance marathon, continually upending our expectations over class and gender roles. We first meet a male model (Harris Dickinson) bristling that his higher-paid fiancée (Charlbi Dean) only got engaged for the social media cred. Soon, we meet a yacht full of other snooty one-percenters and a drunken captain played by Woody Harrelson, now 62 — who find that their status of no use when they wash up on a deserted island. Satiric and smart, director Ruben Östlund’s film unfolds like a postmodern Lord of the Flies.

Watch it: Triangle of Sadness

Waking Ned Devine (1998)

This feel-good indie celebrates the pluck of the Irish — and what happens when a reclusive old codger wins the national lottery and promptly dies of shock, his ticket in hand. The village of Tulaigh Mhór decides to keep Ned “alive” long enough to claim (and share) the prize, fooling a lottery inspector with ever-more-elaborate ruses.

Watch it: Waking Ned Devine

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Thom Geier is an AARP contributor and the award-winning former executive editor of TheWrap, senior editor at Entertainment Weekly, film reporter at The Hollywood Reporter and associate editor at U.S. News & World Report.