Sure, Hulu was relatively late to the streaming game. By the time it launched its service in 2008, Netflix had already been around for over a decade and Amazon’s Prime started its service three years earlier in 2005. Undeterred by competition, however, Hulu eventually found its footing. This was especially evident when it came to the crime genre.
For instance, in 2021, Hulu premiered its hit series Only Murders in the Building. The whodunnit crime show sees Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez play neighbors-turned-amateur-sleuths after getting caught in a murder mystery. Since its first season, Only Murders in the Building has gone on to win multiple Emmys and even inspire an escape room. It’s also continued to attract a constant stream of A-list guest stars, including Oscar winner Meryl Streep, Paul Rudd, Tina Fey, Eva Longoria, Amy Schumer, and Zach Galifianakis.
Since then, Hulu has also released several other remarkable crime shows. They may not always have the biggest names, but they are a must-watch nonetheless. However, as is the case with other streamers, Hulu doesn’t always get it right, and some crime shows can be skipped altogether.
Watch: Under the Bridge
In this Hulu limited series, certain aspects of the story may have been fictionalized but its tragic nature is unmistakable. Based on a book by Rebecca Godfrey, Under the Bridge recounts the 1997 murder of Vritika Gupta in British Columbia after she attends a party and never returns home. Six teenage girls are later arrested for her murder.
On the show, the events unfold through the eyes of a fictionalized version of Godfrey (Riley Keough) who spent a great deal of time interviewing Gupta’s killers in real life. Meanwhile, Lily Gladstone plays Cam Bentland, a fictionalized cop character introduced in the series who investigates the Gupta murder. The women are also joined by Archie Panjabi and Chloe Guidry (Wayward) who plays one of the teenage killers.
While show creator Quinn Shephard spent a lot of time with Godfrey during the development of the series, the acclaimed author passed away just after Hulu greenlit the series following a long battle with cancer.
Skip: Death and Other Details
Sure, everyone loves a good whodunnit, as proven by the massive success of Only Murders in the Building, HBO’s The White Lotus, and Netflix’s Knives Out franchise. But occasionally, a whodunnit also falls flat, which is exactly what some are saying about Hulu’s Death and Other Details, a crime mystery that unravels on a cruise ship.
In the series, Hollywood veteran Mandy Patinkin plays Rufus Cotesworth, a detective who is on the case after one of the ship’s guests is found murdered onboard. Meanwhile, Violett Beane plays Imogene, a guest who works with Detective Cotesworth to solve the murder mystery after she gets accused of being the killer herself. As incredible as they are together onscreen, however, many have found the story to lack depth, making it only mildly interesting. The show has also been criticized for being all over the place at times.
Watch: The Good Mothers
Also based on a true story, The Good Mothers tells the remarkable tale of how a group of women worked together from within to take down the ‘Ndrangheta, a powerful Italian crime organization that started in Calabria. Based on a book by Alex Perry, this Hulu series details how mafia women Denise Cosco (Gaia Girace), Maria Concetta Cacciola (Simona Distefano), Giuseppina Pesce (Valentina Bellè), and Denise’s mother, Lea Garofalo (Micaela Ramazzotti) worked with a magistrate (Barbara Chichiarell) to build a case against several prominent ‘Ndrangheta members. And they agreed to do so while risking their lives.
Despite the women’s victory, however, the ‘Ndrangheta’s criminal influence continues to be prevalent today. According to Interpol, the organization’s operations have even gone global.
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