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Hulu has tons of great, high-profile shows along with hidden gems. When it comes to miniseries, the streamer excels in this department. There are many from which to choose, some based on real-life events, others adapted from books, and some unique stories. But they all take you on a journey through single seasons with a limited number of episodes.
Perfect for binging in a single day or over a weekend, many of these Hulu miniseries earned awards, all of them high praise from critics and viewers, alike. With incredible acting, compelling stories, and carefully wrapped up plots, they can be called, without hesitation, masterpieces on television.
‘Dopesick’ (2021)
The opioid epidemic in America is a hot topic, one of the biggest pharmaceutical issues facing the country today. Dopesick sets out to shed light on it and the saga of Purdue Pharma, a privately held company manufacturing pain meds that was hit with lawsuits, fines, and eventually filed for bankruptcy. As one of the best shows about the war on drugs, the series shows the tragedies families face as a result of opioid addiction and the role of pharmaceuticals and government agencies in regulating these drugs.
Based on the Beth Macy non-fiction book Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America, Dopesick is about much more than just entertainment. Taking place across different timelines, it has characters meant to be composites of real-life figures with a few characters as straight fictional versions. It’s a drama with meaning, shedding light on a serious issue in a way that brings attention to real life through dramatization. It’s no surprise the series went on to receive 14 Emmy nominations.
‘Tiny Beautiful Things’ (2023)
Tiny Beautiful Things takes you on a journey with Clare (Kathryn Hahn), a writer who ironically gets assigned a popular advice column at the same time that her life seems far from put together. Based on the Cheryl Strayed book of the same name, Hahn’s performance in particular is praised in this series, which earned a pair of Emmy nominations, including one for Hahn.
Collider reviewer Taylor Gates loves how the show aims to inspire hope and encourage you to go after your dreams, whether you think it’s too late to do so or not. With half-hour episodes, it’s a quick and easy binge, too. “The show made me weep pretty much every episode,” says Gates, “but I never felt as if it was trying to induce tears.”
‘Pam & Tommy’ (2022)
Earning 10 Emmy Award nominations, Pam & Tommy is a fictional retelling of the life and romance of model and actor Pamela Anderson and musician Tommy Lee, as well as the events that led to the release of their infamous unauthorized sex tape. The show uses Amanda Chicago Lewis‘ Rolling Stone article “Pam and Tommy: The Untold Story of the World’s Most Infamous Sex Tape” to frame its story, including how the tape was allegedly stolen, put together, and sold.
Collider’s Carly Lane says the biographical drama’s clear intent is to “shine an unfaltering spotlight on true events” and she appreciates how it focuses on demonstrating how the fallout of the events impacted the two people at the center of the controversy, long after the world moved on to the next shiny thing. Pam & Tommy successfully tells a story of “celebrity, the paper-thin divide between publicity and privacy, and what happens when human intimacy is swallowed up by glossy headlines,” she concludes.
‘The Dropout’ (2022)
Amanda Seyfried does a phenomenal job portraying Elizabeth Holmes in The Dropout, founder of healthcare startup Theranos that was eventually embroiled in lawsuits relating to the company’s claims that it created a way to perform accurate blood tests quickly and efficiently with very little blood. It would have been a game-changer for medicine but turned out to be false.
The Dropout, one of the best eight-episode miniseries, was named as such because Holms famously dropped out of Stanford University to pursue this company. The series follows Holmes from the time she begins forming the company to the bitter end, and all the drama that occurs in between and after. Based on the ABC audio podcast of the same name, the series earned six Emmy nominations, Seyfried winning for her depiction of the deep-voiced convicted fraudster.
‘Little Fires Everywhere’ (2020)
Six years later, a lot of fans have already forgotten about Little Fires Everywhere. But the screen adaptation of the Celeste Ng novel of the same name is a gripping eight episodes that touches on motherhood, race, identity, and social class. Elena (Reese Witherspoon) is a journalist, landlady, and mother whose life intertwines with that of Mia (Kerry Washington), an artist, part-time waitress, and mother.
The situation eventually becomes dangerously tense as the very different lives of these two women reveal dark secrets of different kinds. It’s a terrifying look at motherhood and the façade that is sometimes put on versus what happens behind closed doors. The show starts slowly but builds and builds to a blazing crescendo in the final episode that will make you stop, think, and question everything. Little Fires Everywhere is a 10/10 Hulu show that no one remembers today.
‘Normal People’ (2020)
Looking to sink your teeth into a romantic drama? Normal People is technically a British limited series that first aired on BBC Three but was made available in the U.S. through Hulu. Based on the Sally Rooney novel of the same name, it’s about Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal), two secondary school then university students who fall in love.
The twist is a trope that has been done time and time again: there’s a major class disparity. Connell’s mother works as a cleaner for Marianne’s affluent mother. Yet Marianne is a social outcast and Connell is a popular student with anxiety. There are so many elements that suggest this relationship won’t work, but love is love. That said, it isn’t easy. You go on a wonderful journey with the pair and all the trials and tribulations of their relationship through the 12-episode season.
‘11.22.63’ (2016)
Yes, it’s a weird title for a show, and, of course, as expected, it’s a sci-fi gem. Does the date sound familiar? 11.22.63 is based on Stephen King‘s novel and depicts Jake (James Franco), a divorced teacher who is given the chance to go back in time in hopes of stopping the assassination of John F. Kennedy. But when he arrives, he gets caught up in this past life he creates as a cover and finds it challenging to balance it with the need to get the information he needs to stop the tragic murder.
With just eight episodes, 11.22.63 is a quick binge that will keep you invested all the way through. The performances and supernatural elements combined with moments of history make for a unique show. Collider’s Allison Keene praises the “tantalizing” aesthetics of the show and Franco’s charming performance, noting that he “shines” in the role.
‘The Act’ (2019)
Gaining renewed attention following Gypsy-Rose Blanchard‘s parole release in late 2023, The Act is a chilling re-telling of her story. Her mother Dee Dee, portrayed by Patricia Arquette, had been lying about her daughter Gypsy (played by Joey King) having various illnesses and disabilities. She has put her daughter through a life of treatments, procedures, and drugs she doesn’t need, though it was likely due to a mental illness called Munchausen syndrome. Later, once Gypsy was a young adult, her boyfriend was charged with killing her mother, the belief being in the series that it was at Gypsy’s request.
The entire story is devastating, a young child being put through such suffering and a woman meeting her end at the hands of murder. It sounds made-for-television, but knowing the biographical crime drama is based on a real-life story makes it even more emotionally powerful. Viewers loved the nuanced performances of the two leads that brought this story to life, even if there are inaccuracies compared to the true story.
‘Looking for Alaska’ (2019)
Hulu is a master at delivering miniseries based on novels, and Looking for Alaska is another to add to the list. The teen drama is based on the John Green novel and follows Miles (Charlie Plummer), who enrolls at a school in Alabama in search of getting something more meaningful out of life. While there, he meets Chip (Denny Love), Alaska (Kristine Froseth), and Takumi (Jay Lee). Over time, he begins to form a greater understanding of life, love, and letting go.
The eight-episode criminally forgotten series received positive feedback for its acting, writing, soundtrack, and directing. While it isn’t entirely faithful to the story in the book on which it’s based, that’s a good thing in this instance. It gives fans of the book a different perspective and plotlines to enjoy, while adapting the story from the pages into something that works better on screen.
‘Under the Bridge’ (2024)
In 1997, 14-year-old Reena Virk was beaten by a group of teenagers in Saanich, British Columbia, Canada, then murdered by two of them in one of the most tragic, heinous acts in the country’s history. Under the Bridge is based on the book of the same name by Rebeca Godfrey, which itself was inspired by Reena’s father’s book Reena: A Father’s Story.
The show tackles tough topics like bullying and race and reveals secrets of the young girls who killed the innocent young woman. There are messages of religion, faith, parenting, and school cliques, and the dangers of rebellion and getting caught up in the wrong crowds. As far as dramatic adaptations of true-crime stories go, Under the Bridge is one of the best yet most underrated ones you’ll watch of late that highlights the depths of human cruelty.
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Christine Persaud
Almontather Rassoul
