In the game of streaming, you win or we unsubscribe. Streaming is just so competitive (and expensive!) these days that most of us simply can't afford to maintain a membership to all the best streaming services.
With that in mind, sometimes, you just want to know which one's on top. And for as long as I've been with Tom's Guide, that service has been Max (read our Max review for an in-depth answer as to why). Casting a glance back over the year that's just gone by, though, I think this year's big winner should be Hulu.
Hulu wins because it has so many great shows
Looking back at the shows I've streamed, it’s hard to deny that many of 2024’s best offerings came from Hulu. I’m sure you’ve got exceptions popping into your head — this is, after all, the same year of “Fallout”, “Baby Reindeer” and “The Penguin”, among others — but it does feel like Hulu’s been home to the lion’s share of the year's best TV.
Case in point: if you’re looking for laughs, you’ve got stuff like “Only Murders in the Building," “Abbott Elementary" and “Extraordinary.” Drama? Look to “The Bear” or “Say Nothing.” Couple that with major surprises like the “bonkbusting” British comedy-drama, “Rivals,” “Interior Chinatown," “La Máquina” and FX’s prestige TV awards darling “Shōgun” — arguably the must-watch from this year — it really has been a bumper year at Hulu.
I don’t want to labor the point too much further by rattling off even more releases, or movies, but I just want to highlight this is why I've made this claim. While wrapping up for the year, I just kept thinking that so much of what I loved watching throughout 2024 all came from the same place — and that’s exactly why I’m arguing that Hulu is the streaming service that “won” 2024.
If you're curious to see why I've made this claim, be sure to check out my picks of the best Hulu shows of 2024. If you're already on top of the streamer's newest stuff and want to make the most of your Hulu subscription with our full breakdown of all the best shows on Hulu you can stream right now.
