5 Perfect Miniseries Streaming On Hulu
by Nina Starner · /FilmIt's sort of magical (at least to me) when a successful limited series resists the temptation to churn out another season, especially if the first one performs well. We've seen this happen with "Big Little Lies" and "The White Lotus," just to name the few, and the results are ... decidedly mixed. I've got good news, though. Hulu has a bunch of very good original limited-run shows, and as of this writing, not a single entry on this list has gotten a follow-up season.
The likelihood of any of the shows we've chosen for this particular list continuing on is also, incidentally, wildly unlikely. Three out of five of these picks are based on books and two are based on real-life experiences that have very firm beginnings, middles, and ends. As much as I might love the characters in these shows and wish that I could spend more time with them, this is a good thing; These five miniseries get to stand on their own and stand the test of time.
So which shows did we pick for this list? Keep reading to find out. From a series based on a searing nonfiction novel to a woman's harrowing but fulfilling journey through illness to the story of a shocking murder in the heart of Texas, here are five limited series on Hulu that are well worth your time ... and perhaps even a weekend binge-watch.
Fleishman Is in Trouble
Based on the hit 2019 novel by culture writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner, the 2022 FX and Hulu collaboration "Fleishman Is in Trouble" centers around Toby Fleishman (Jesse Eisenberg) ... but he may or may not be the Fleishman who's experiencing some troubles. When we first meet Toby, he's recently divorced from his wife Rachel (Claire Danes) and sharing custody of their children with her while he also tries to explore the dating scene in Manhattan. One morning, Rachel drops their daughter Hannah and son Solly (Meara Mahoney Gross and Maxim Swinton) off at Toby's apartment a full day early before simply disappearing into thin air. Left to care for his two kids on his own and concerned about where Rachel even went, Toby starts to spiral, seeking help from his longtime friends Libby Epstein (Lizzy Caplan) and Seth Morris (Adam Brody).
As Toby starts to suspect that Rachel has been having an affair with her friend's husband and tries to juggle his active social life with parenting his understandably confused children, we learn more about what's going on with Rachel ... and the show's scope also expands to Libby, a disaffected suburban housewife who desperately misses her career as a successful writer. (Libby, at the end of the day, is sort of the show's central character. Watch it for yourself and you'll see what I mean.) "Fleishman Is in Trouble" features genuinely astonishing performances from Eisenberg, Danes, and Caplan in particular, is a stunning look at mental health, and is a gut-wrenching, darkly funny, and ultimately wholly satisfying story about finding yourself under strange circumstances.
Normal People
Another adaptation that made waves on Hulu when it released on the platform, the 2020 miniseries "Normal People" is based on Irish novelist Sally Rooney's 2018 novel of the same name and set in Rooney's home country. The story begins while our protagonists Marianne Sheridan (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell Waldron (then-newcomer Paul Mescal) attend secondary school in Ireland's County Sligo; though the two strike up a surprising romantic relationship, it's fraught thanks to their very different lives. Connell is a popular figure at school, but his family isn't wealthy and his mother works as a cleaning woman. In fact, his mother Lorraine (Sarah Greene) works as a cleaning woman for Marianne's extremely wealthy family, and despite coming from a family with money, Marianne, a painfully introverted young woman, is a social outcast.
Marianne and Connell's twisted and often devastating love story spans years throughout 12 episodes of "Normal People," bringing the couple from secondary school (for Americans, that's the equivalent of high school) to college when they both end up attending Trinity College in Dublin and beyond. Connell and Marianne constantly find themselves drawn back together despite big life changes and distance, and you'll find yourself rooting for their relationship even at its lowest points. If you're willing to experience some heartbreak alongside Marianne and Connell, definitely check out "Normal People" — but have some tissues handy.
Candy
There are actually two completely independent shows about real-life Texas woman Candy Montgomery, who may or may not have murdered her friend and neighbor Betty Gore. One is "Love & Death," which came out in 2023, but for my money, the better option is "Candy," which dropped on Hulu in 2022. Jessica Biel — an underrated dramatic performer who also blew me away in the anthology series "The Sinner" — plays the lead role of Candy, a housewife living in Wylie, Texas with her husband Pat ("Veep" standout Timothy Simons) and their children. When Candy spots her neighbor Allan Gore (Pablo Schreiber) one day, she decides she might like to have an affair with him, and Allan, though resistant at first, succumbs to her advances.
Allan and Candy's affair leaves Pat and Allan's wife — and Candy's friend — Betty Gore (the incomparable Melanie Lynskey) out in the cold, and when there's an altercation between Candy and Betty, the latter ends up grievously injured with an axe ... though Candy claims it was all in self-defense. Whether or not Candy killed Betty is largely left up to your interpretation, so add this to your watchlist, enjoy two excellent turns from Biel and Lynskey, and decide for yourself whether Candy is innocent or a vicious killer.
Say Nothing
Based on Patrick Radden Keefe's powerful nonfiction book "Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland," the Hulu original series "Say Nothing" is a total kick in the teeth — but it's a tough watch that's well worth your time. Set during the tumultuous period in Northern Ireland known as "the Troubles," the series centers around Jean McConville, a woman who was infamously kidnapped and ultimately murdered by the Irish Republican Army, or the IRA. We see most of the events of the Troubles unfold through the eyes of sisters Mariam and Dolours Price (Hazel Doupe and Lola Petticrew as young women and Helen Behan and Maxine Peake as older women), who, in real life, staged a hunger strike after the bombing of the Old Bailey courthouse in London in 1973.
Again, these nine episodes are a gut-wrenching and often difficult watch, but it's also vital — because too few people know much about the Troubles in-depth. "Say Nothing" is a searing, necessary, and brutal experience, and it's one of the best miniseries on Hulu by a mile.
Dying for Sex
Created by Liz Meriwether, the showrunner behind "New Girl" and "The Dropout," alongside playwright Kim Rosenstock, the deeply affecting and darkly funny Hulu series "Dying for Sex" stars Michelle Williams as Molly Kochan, a real woman upon whose life the show is based. Stuck in an unfulfilling marriage to a guy named Steve (Jay Duplass), Molly's entire world is turned upside down one day when she gets devastating news: She has stage IV metastatic breast cancer, and the cancer has spread across her body to her bones, liver, and brain. Knowing this is a death sentence, Molly decides to take total control of the time she has left, and she starts by ending her marriage to Steve.
Alongside her best friend Nikki Boyer (an absolutely astonishing Jenny Slate), Molly explores her sexuality, pushes her personal boundaries, and finds a strange freedom knowing that she only has a little bit of time left in the world. Molly's sexcapades are as hilarious as they are wild, and Williams sells this role beautifully, letting us experiences every ounce of joy, pleasure, and devastation along with Molly. Definitely watch "Dying for Sex," but also, be prepared: This show is going to make you cry a lot before all is said and done.
All of these shows are streaming on Hulu now.