In 2016 the Duffer Brothers’ released season one of Stranger Things. The world was immediately captivated. Over 15 million people watched the first episode of season two over three days. The number of viewers rose to 19 million-plus for season three, making this coming -of-age, sci-fi drama a huge hit for Netflix.
Unfortunately, all three seasons of Stranger Things is only available on Netflix. This doesn’t mean that Hulu has nothing to offer. You might be surprised at how many great shows similar to Stranger Things are on the subscription channel Hulu.
What to Watch on Hulu
Stranger Things might not be streaming on Hulu but this doesn’t mean that you have nothing to watch. Hulu has a variety of programming that will appeal to sci-fi lovers of all ages.
Roswell
Set in Roswell, New Mexico viewers should automatically expect that aliens would play a role in this teen series. Appropriately titled “Roswell”, it followed the lives of five high schoolers. Two are human, while the other three are alien. The characters’ origins are what keep this from being another teen drama.
Even though there are some dramatic scenes in each episode over its three-season run, there is also mystery and occasional danger. Not every character survives all three seasons, which keeps viewers on edge wondering if their favorite is next. Everyone doesn’t have a happy ending either and this keeps Roswell from being an average T.V. show.
Misfits
If you loved how the young characters in Stranger Things were portrayed with all their human flaws, the British show Misfits will appeal to you. Like Stranger Things, the characters are just trying to keep everything together as life gets terrifyingly weird. This isn’t a horror series but it does have some darkness to it.
Five juvenile delinquents find that they have to deal with superhuman powers after a weird electric storm hits London. One minute they are doing their time at the community service work program, the next they have strange superpowers. For example, one character can split into two separate individuals. One good and the other evil. The good half has to deal with the emotional turmoil brought on by the evil half’s action.
Throughout the four seasons, the characters have to deal with the repercussions of having these powers. The banter is light and often hilarious between the characters, along with some of the situations they find themselves in. If you’re looking for a sci-fi, dramatic comedy this one will keep you entertained through all four seasons.
X-Files
Stranger Things brought the eighties back and introduced the decade to a new generation. The X-Files does the same for the nineties. For nine years viewers followed the spooky, frightening, mysterious, and sometimes comical adventures of FBI agents Mulder and Scully. The Fox television show was popular enough it spun off into a successful big-screen movie.
It’s impossible not to get hooked on the X-Files. Every episode delves a little deeper into a mystery that takes nine seasons to solve, and then there are still questions for viewers to ponder. The season finales will leave you breathless but you won’t have to wait months for the next season. They’re all streaming on Hulu.
Wayward Pines
If you want to watch another series from the Duffer Brothers, start streaming Wayward Pines. Produced by M. Night Shyamalan, you know that things are going to be weird and you won’t be disappointed. Like Stranger Things, the series is set in a small town and that’s when the mystery begins. Ethan Burke, an FBI agent, is sent in response to the disappearance of two fellow agents and finds that he can’t leave.
While there are only two seasons, you can watch it in a couple of nights, it is a good mystery that will leave you guessing until the end. Each season is self-contained. The second picks-up several years after the first one ended.
Runaways
Like Stranger Things, this is a teen drama that deals with the weird. It is based on a comic book and is part of the Marvel family. The Runaways focuses on six teems with superpowers. Unfortunately, they learn that their mission is to defeat The Pride. A group of supervillains that also happen to be the teens’ parents.
There is plenty of heart in this action-packed drama, especially during the teens’ interactions with their parents. With three exciting seasons, you can watch the teens grow up and mature just like you did during Stranger Things.
Cloak and Dagger
If you’re a fan of Stranger Things, you probably remember the teenage angst in Nancy, Steve, and Jonathan’s storyline. Cloak and Dagger have a similar underlying plot but that’s not all to this Marvel series.
Tandy and Tyrone are the main characters and have nothing in common except for their surprising new superpowers. They run away from home together and set about fighting crime while solving the mystery of their powers. There is the required villain, named Mayhem, along with plenty of danger and action.
The first season primarily sets the characters up for viewers, the second season takes the mystery and runs with it.
Night Gallery
If you like your strange mysteries wrapped up in a single episode, Night Gallery will keep entertained through 43 uniquely weird and creepy mysteries. The series was created by Rod Sterling as a follow-up to the Twilight Zone. The main difference between the two anthology series is that Night Gallery caters to dark fantasies and mystical creatures, instead of science-fiction. Even though there aren’t any Demogorgons featured in any episode, there are still plenty of strange creatures to be frightened of.
There’s Plenty of Strange Shows on Hulu
Even though you can’t stream Stranger Things on Hulu, there are still plenty of shows about weird and otherworldly things. To get started just scan through the program listings and choose one that ignites your imagination. Find out what happens to the FBI agent in the town of Wayward Pines or follow a group of juvenile delinquents that just ended up with superpowers.
