The 23 Best Shows on Hulu Right Now (November 2020)

Animaniacs (2020): The Wacky, Beloved Cartoon Classic Returns

Yakko, Wakko, and Dot return for more zany animated adventures when an all-new season of Animaniacs debuts on Hulu on Nov. 20. The beloved '90s cartoon was a variety show featuring a large cast of colorful characters who lampooned popular culture, history, mythology, and more in a way that had both kids and their parents laughing. It's responsible for a number of catchy musical numbers, as well as a successful animated spinoff Pinky & The Brain. A second season is already expected in 2021.

Eater's Guide to the World (2020): Epic Morsels to Make Your Tastebuds Sing

Foodies will want to check out Eater's Guide to the World when it comes to Hulu on Nov. 11. Narrated by actress Maya Rudolph, the series goes on a quest to find the most epic meals in the most unexpected places, including airport terminals, Costa Rican jungles, and the hood of a car in Los Angeles.

Helstrom (2020): More Family Drama From Marvel

Helstrom is the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It tells the story of Daimon and Satana Hellstrom, a pair of siblings and occult hunters who combat the worst humanity has to offer. Their mother is institutionalized and their father is a mysterious and powerful serial killer. Helstrom is a standalone story in the MCU.

No Man's Land (2020): A Fictional Look at the Syrian Civil War

No Man's Land takes a look at the Syrian civil war through the eyes of a French man named Antoine. He's searching for his sister, who's presumed dead after a bombing attack. Antoine believes she's still alive, though, and he joins forces with a unit of Kurdish female fighters to look for her in ISIS-occupied territory. Through Antoine's perspective, viewers are given a look at the tragic events happening in the war-torn country and the way those events affect the entire world.

No Man's Land comes to Hulu on Nov. 18.

Monsterland (2020): Exploring the Thin Line Between Man and Monster

Based on the novel North America Lake Monsters: Stories by Nathan Ballingrud, Monsterland is an eight-episode anthology series. The show includes a variety of Gothic creatures, including fallen angels, werewolves, and mermaids. The stories center on the broken people who encounter these monstrosities. Driven to desperate acts in an attempt to repair their lives, they prove there's a thin line between man and monster.

Fargo (2014): A Tale of Two Crime Syndicates

The Emmy-winning crime anthology Fargo's returned fourth season stars Chris Rock and Jason Schwartzman as 1950s Kansas City mobsters Loy Cannon and Josto Fadda. Cannon is the head of a crime syndicate comprised of black migrants fleeing the Jim Crow-era South, while Fadda is a member of the mafia. The two butt heads as their respective organizations vie for control of the city.

Other cast members this year include Jessie Buckley, Jack Huston, Ben Whishaw, and Timothy Olyphant.

Skins (2007): The Height of British Teen Dramedy

Not to be confused with the short-lived American spinoff of the same name, Skins is a British teen comedy-drama about a group of teens in Bristol dealing with dysfunctional families, mental illness, sexuality, and a whole lot more. Each episode generally focused on a particular character and their struggles. The show was well-received by critics at the time and helped launch the careers of young actors like Nicholas Hoult (X-Men: First Class, Mad Max Fury Road) and Joe Dempsie (Game of Thrones).

Dragon Ball Super: New Episodes 1-131 (2015): Continuing Goku's Adventures

Anime fans will be happy to hear Dragon Ball Super is now on Hulu. It's a sequel to the original Dragon Ball manga and it features a plot outline from series creator Akira Toriyama. It takes place during the ten-year timeskip after Goku and friends defeat Majin Buu. Goku now has the powers of a god and he has to learn to use them while defeating new and more powerful opponents in other universes.

The Mighty Ones (2020): The Best Inanimate Objects Come to Life

Animaniacs isn't the only cartoon series debuting on Hulu in November. The Mighty Ones is a new show from DreamWorks, the animation studio responsible for hits like Trolls World Tour, Madagasgar, Boss Baby, and more. It tells the story of a small but fierce pebble, strawberry, twig, and leaf who go on various adventures through their backyard home. Season One launches on Nov. 9.

The Great (2020): Best Occasionally True Historical Satire

The Great tells the story of Catherine the Great's (Elle Fanning) rise from a dewy-faced Prussian noble to the longest-reigning female ruler in Russia's history. Over the course of the show's first season, she marries Peter III (Nicholas Hoult), finds out he's a debauched and sociopathic manchild, and begins a plot to overthrow him. The show is only loosely based on real events and instead weaves humorous historical satire with well-written characters backed by fine performances from the entire main cast.

Next (2020): Best New Sci-Fi Crime Drama

Originally scheduled to debut during the 2019-20 mid-season before the COVID-19 pandemic began, Next is a new science-fiction crime drama focused on a Homeland cybersecurity team battling a rogue A.I. with the ability to constantly improve itself.

Archer (2009): Best Spy Satire

FX's animated spy spoof Archer is back for its 11th season. After numerous seasons reinventing itself as a detective noir, adventure, and sci-fi, the show is returning to its roots. Superspy Sterling Archer is finally awakening from his coma and getting back to work at ISIS.

Although the detours into other genres didn't always land with fans, Archer remains a delightfully raunchy, irreverent show even after 11 years. And if you're new to the series, there's plenty to catch up on before the new season.

Ramy (2019): Best Glimpse Into the Modern Muslim American Family

Recently nominated for an Emmy Award, Ramy tells the story of a first-generation Egyptian-American living in a politically divided New Jersey neighborhood. It explores the challenges of what it's like to be caught between a Muslim community that thinks everything is a moral test and a generation of millennials that think life as no consequences.

The show has been praised by critics for portraying Muslims as something more than just the "bad guys." Its depiction of a young man trying to better himself is at times both profanely funny and thought-provoking.

Connecting (2020): Creating Comedy from the COVID Crisis

Connecting is the first remotely filmed scripted comedy series to debut on a broadcast network during the COVID-19 pandemic. It features an ensemble cast playing a group of friends trying to stay in touch (and sane) via video chats while in lockdown. It has the potential to be very cathartic or hit a little too close to home. It could go either way.

PEN15 (2019): Best Awkward Adolescent Comedy

Emmy-nominated comedy PEN15 stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle as cringe-inducing versions of their 13-year-old selves. You need to suspend a little disbelief to watch two 30somethings portray teenagers while surrounded by teenaged actors (fans of another weird comedy gem, Strangers with Candy, won't find it a challenge), but once you do you'll find this show a funny and sometimes tender look at adolescence and all of its trials and tribulations.

Woke (2020): Best Socially-Conscious Comedy

Woke is a Hulu original series loosely based on the life and work of artist Keith Knight (The K Chronicles and The Knight Life). Keef (Lamorne Morris) is a cartoonist who's gained some recognition and mainstream success. But, when he becomes the victim of a wrongful arrest, he begins to reevaluate the world around him. Also, inanimate objects turn into cartoons and start talking to him.

Knight is an award-winning comic strip creator known for tackling social, racial and class issues, and Woke looks like it will touch on that subject matter as well.

A Wilderness of Error (2020): Best New True Crime Docuseries

Based on the best-selling book by Errol Morris, A Wilderness of Error is a five-part documentary series about Army surgeon Jeffrey MacDonald, who has sent to prison for killing his family. The docuseries examines the case and the differing narratives surrounding it. It also explores the possibility that MacDonald may be innocent of the crime.

Mrs. America (2020): Best for Those Looking for a 'Mad Men' Style Fix

The miniseries Mrs. America is a historical drama loosely based on the movement to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment and the unexpected backlash it received, particularly from conservative activist Phyllis Schlafly (Cate Blanchett), in the 1970s. Featuring a large ensemble cast, it follows the stories of various notable women in that era—including Gloria Steinem (Rose Byrne), Shirley Chisholm (Uzo Aduba), and Betty Friedan (Tracey Ullman)—and how their struggles helped permanently change the American political landscape.

The show features great performances (especially from Blanchett, who recently nabbed an Emmy nomination), and all of the women are given their moments in the spotlight. It uses documentary-style filmmaking to great effect (handheld for the liberals, traditional shots for the conservatives), and features a zippy '70s soundtrack. Oh, and the clothes will make you nostalgic for Mad Men.

What We Do in the Shadows (2019): Best Vampire Mockumentary

What We Do in the Shadows is a mockumentary-style comedy horror about vampire roommates in Staten Island. The show follows their nightly lives as they try to do mundane, mortal things like pay rent, accomplish chores, and resolve roommate conflicts.

The premise is absurd but clever and fun, and the leads are all great. Fans of shows like The Office, fans of vampires in general, or just anyone looking for a good laugh will enjoy this unusual show.

The Handmaid's Tale (2017): Best Dystopian Near-Future Thriller

Based on the Margaret Atwood book of the same name, The Handmaid's Tale is a gritty, near-future piece of speculative fiction. Following a second American civil war, the few remaining fertile women are forced into child-bearing slavery as "handmaids" to the most powerful men in society. The women are thoroughly dehumanized and forced to act as surrogates for women who are unable to bear children.

June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss), an assistant book editor before the civil war, is subjected to this brutal practice when she is separated from her child and husband. Renamed Offred, she finds herself handmaid to the powerful Commander Fred Waterford (Joseph Fiennes). Though her only desire is to reunite with her family, her goals change when she is forced to bear a child and is approached by a resistance group.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (2005): Worst People Doing the Funniest Things

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is unique in that most TV shows have to present at least one likable character that the audience can identify with. There are no such characters here. The show is about a group of friends that run a bar, but virtually every episode revolves around them being terrible people and doing terrible things to each other, and the result is some of the funniest stuff on television.

Dennis Reynolds (Glenn Howertson) is a narcisistic sociopath who co-owns a bar with dim-witted Mac (Rob McElhenney). Their illiterate childhood friend Charlie (Charlie Day) and Dennis' sister Dee (Kaitlynn Olson) both work at the bar. In season two, Danny DeVito joins the cast in what has to be the most bizarre role of his career. In one episode, he bursts naked from a leather couch. In another he eats trash while wearing a singlet.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997): Best Vampire-Slaying Ex-Cheerleader

Buffy the Vampire Slayer started life as an ill-received movie that has gained cult status over the years. The show is a re-imagining of the movie, keeping some elements and tossing others. Buffy Summers (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is an ex-cheerleader who moves to small town Sunnydale after an incident at her old school involving vampires. Joined by new friends Xander (Nicholas Brendon) and eventual witch Willow (Alyson Hannigan), Buffy ends up fighting a whole lot more than vampires.

Creator Joss Whedon pitched the show as being high school as a horror movie, and the many monster-of-the-week episodes play to that perfectly. The larger story arc episodes, and the characters that grow and change over the course of the series, elevate it beyond that.