30 Best Shows Of 2023 On Hulu Right Now

Romantic melodramas are expected in plenty of Korean shows, but Call It Love still feels surprisingly unexpected. The premise feels like a modern day Cinderella story, except the leading lady here, Shim Woo-joo (Lee Sung-kyung), takes nothing from nobody, not without planning corporate revenge. That being said, the show doesn’t unfold into a corporate sitcom, a crime thriller, or romcom. Instead, the series takes on a more melancholy slice-of-life approach, as it turns out the intended target Han Dong-jin (Kim Young-hwang) is just as hurt and lonely as she is. And as they get to know each other despite the cold, empty frames they inhabit, and despite the pain they’ve both been through, it’s amazing how surprising their healing feels, if you can handle the show’s slow pace to get there.

The Artful Dodger’s leads might literally come from a Charles Dickens novel, but there’s something more playful about the way it deals with its historical social issues. Where Oliver Twist would change his fortune with fairytale-like goodness, former pickpocket Jack Dawkins aims to carve it out through quick amputations, which give him some status, though no wealth, and gambling bets, which risks his limbs. While the narrative isn’t as complex as the social criticism Dickens is known for, the series is undeniably entertaining with its novel approach, even if it pokes fun a little too often at the actual horrific hygiene practices of the 1800s.

After titles like Tár (2022) and the Dutch film The Conductor (2018), Western female conductors continue to intrigue audiences as they strive to succeed in the last glass ceiling in music. But classical music isn’t restrained to the West, and South Korea’s orchestral world is now showcased in Maestra: Strings of Truth. A remake of the French television series Philharmonia, the series goes through the trials and tribulations Cha Se-eum goes through to establish her leadership in the conductor role back home, as well as the multiple mysteries that might have caused her to leave in the first place. While the show’s first two episodes slowly portray her backstory, Lee Young-ae holds the show on her shoulders, and grounds the drama with her stoic and charismatic presence. It’s a compelling drama, with such a compelling personality, and it’s scored with some of the best classical pieces in the world.

Romantic relationships can come and go, but sometimes, one partner comes along and irrevocably changes your life forever. Tell Me That You Love Me depicts one such relationship. The Korean adaptation of the trailblazing Japanese deaf romance drama has plenty of the same charms, though this rendition makes certain changes that better reflects this current time period without sacrificing the cathartic portrayal about Mo-eun’s and Jin-woo’s flaws, and the genuine difficulties a relationship like this could have. While the show’s second half falters in certain moments, Tell Me That You Love Me mostly sticks the landing in creating a healing depiction of a deaf romance.

Brooke Shields talks openly about her controversial past in this two-part documentary on Hulu. Through interviews and archival footage, the former child actor and model walks us through every contentious event in her life, from starring in the mature film Pretty Baby at age 12 to modeling tight jeans for Calvin Klein at age 16.

It’s a disturbing and enraging account of child exploitation, and the documentary does well to frame this as a system-wide issue instead of an isolated incident.

Created by Boyz N’ The Hood director John Singleton, Snowfall is an epic crime drama that tracks the rise of the crack epidemic in the United States, mostly through the lens of Franklin Saint (Damson Idris). Over the seasons, we follow Franklin and a host of characters separately but equally involved in the drug trade. There’s someone from the government, someone from the other side of the border, and someone from a gang. These sectors and more are represented in this large-scale examination of crime and corruption, and though the show initially struggles to tie connections in a cohesive way, it eventually rises to the occasion in compelling ways. 

Snowfall is the type of show that only gets better each turnout, so if you’re not so sure about the first season, you might want to give the next ones a shot to make sure you don’t miss out.

There’s a pretty clever twist that happens early in the pilot that shows how much promise In Limbo has, but it never really builds on that or matches its level of suspense. But the fact that the remaining episodes are still entertaining and enlightening in their own right speaks to the series’ quality. It ambitiously (though not always delicately) handles thorny topics like suicide, depression, interracial relationships, and childhood trauma, all while making you laugh at its dry sense of humor. And moving things along is a genuinely intriguing mystery that leaves you wanting more after each episode. It could be smoother, but In Limbo is another entry into the ever-growing stack of worthwhile dark Aussie comedies.

Adapting an old socio-political novel, especially after the great Akira Kurosawa, can be a challenging endeavor, but the team behind A Town Without Seasons does it wonderfully. The show takes the ensemble cast of the original novel’s characters and places them in the present time with modern-day technology and digital payment systems– yet many of the struggles remain the same. While this series takes a sweet, slice-of-life perspective on the inhabitants, it’s grounded by an underlying awareness that most of us are a disaster away from the town’s situation. A Town Without Seasons empathizes with its unlucky characters, by taking its time to introduce them.

A house isn’t just a building– it’s a space where one can be one’s self, where one can have control over one’s space. Of course, houses can differ between social classes, as the rich often hire househelp, while those less fortunate manage their own, or might not even have one. Their Stories draws its drama from this disparity, as the rich Isabel and Rosa lose control of their assets and have to move to the house where working class Marta and Jasmim live. It’s an interesting dynamic, a twisted mix of gratitude and resentment forged between former employer and employee, and all four leads portray this with the nuance and complexity that it requires. A Historía Delas might literally be hard to search on Hulu, but it’s an interesting story, one that feels unique and real enough to follow.

From Me to You: Kimi ni Todoke is a high school romance drama. It’s sweet, it’s wholesome, and it’s comfortingly familiar. It leans more on its romance than its comedy. It doesn’t have high stakes fantasy or action-packed battles, but it captures the high school experience in such a lovely way. Of course, the show would likely reach its romantic happy ending, but what makes the show compelling isn’t just the thrill of connecting with a crush– it’s the inspiration for Sawako to open up, and enable her to connect and have friends. The live action adaptation may not fully capture everything from the original and it speeds through the plot, but it retains the parts that make it work, even for viewers totally unfamiliar with the story.