Is Hulu worth it?

February 16, 2018 2:24 AM

I already have Netflix and Amazon Prime, but I really want to watch past seasons of This Is Us and I see that Hulu has it. Before I get suckered into paying for another monthly subscription, however, I wanted to see if there were other sites people like better than Hulu, as I don't know of any others.
posted by massofintuition to Media & Arts (23 answers total)

Best answer: Hulu will usually do a free trial, if you’re in the mood for binging just 1 show.
posted by DoubleLune at 3:03 AM on February 16, 2018

You can just get the season you want, or individual shows, through iTunes.
posted by amtho at 3:48 AM on February 16, 2018

Hulu's selection of movies has vastly improved in the past year or so. They've been getting a lot of good new releases (especially more on the indie side). So if that's something you're into, it may be worth it for that.

The original programming has been a bit hit or miss -- I don't know if there's anything I'd subscribe for if I wasn't already.

I don't have cable (so no DVR) so I use Hulu to watch some shows the next day (I also like the convenience of that) but you may not need it for that.

The interface (at least on Roku but I've heard elsewhere) is useless garbage, though. You really have to know what you're looking for specifically. It's even more impossible to browse than Netflix (yeah, I didn't know that was possible either).
posted by darksong at 4:21 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]

Hulu's interface does not play nicely with Amazon Fire-videos freeze and stutter. That's why I cancelled it.
posted by yes I said yes I will Yes at 5:11 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

We use Hulu for TV more than any other streaming service, including the networks' dedicated Roku apps. It's not the easiest interface, but it's easier than a lot of network-specific apps, and it has a good cross-network selection.
posted by kevinbelt at 5:15 AM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]

I personally loathe Hulu, but the big networks are all part owners, so they've pulled a lot of their shows like Bob's Burgers and 30 Rock off of Netflix. So we have a Hulu subscription anyway. Since we can afford the commercial-free subscription, it's not too bad.
posted by tobascodagama at 5:19 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

One thing I like about Hulu is that, at least for some networks, if you are watching anything more than week old, they strip the commercials out. So if you are binge watching an older season of something you can do it commercial free.

That said, the UI is a hot mess. Channels from my saved channels list randomly disappear and reappear, making me dig several levels in the menus to find the channel again. However, it is the only streaming service with both Big 10 Network and HGTV, so it's really my only option for now if I want Purdue sports and a happy wife. As soon as Purdue finishes their late-season collapse and the Big 10 Season is over I'll probably switch to Sling to save some money until college football season drags me back to Hulu, or maybe the other services will pick up the Big 10 Network.
posted by COD at 5:21 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

Your local library probably has everything you'd want to see. For free.
posted by Dolley at 5:22 AM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]

Best answer: You've got one show you want to see on Hulu? Then get Hulu for a month, watch that stuff, and cancel. I'm not paying for Netflix right now--I like Netflix just fine, but the stuff I've been watching lately is on Amazon Prime. You don't have to keep all the subscriptions going all the time. You don't need to think of Hulu as a new forever expense just because of one show.
posted by Sequence at 5:38 AM on February 16, 2018 [11 favorites]

The UI really is the absolute worst. We used to keep it around because of the CW (my husband is addicted to terrible superhero shows), but I guess CW recently got their own platform? But then my son got addicted to Adventure Time and Hulu carries Cartoon Network shows (my husband recently discovered what I call the Everyone Is Always Shouting genre of Adult Swim cartoons, so there's that, too). They also have a decent selection of British TV, and also the Handmaid's Tale, so we keep it around. If we ever have to save money, though, it's first on the chopping block.
posted by soren_lorensen at 5:57 AM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]

There are some shows that my partner watches there, so we have kept the subscription, but I find the interface completely unusable and if it was up to me I would cancel. I'd say it is worthwhile if you have specific shows you know you will want to watch there, but not if you want to browse and discover.
posted by Dip Flash at 6:04 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

Hulu is the best. They actually get some movies (unlike Netflix these days) and their non-original TV show selection is much better than Netflix. I would cancel Netflix if I didn't like some of their originals (damn you Netflix, your strategy is working)
posted by Automocar at 6:15 AM on February 16, 2018

Hulu is also good if you want to pretend we don't live in this horrible reality of 2018 and want to watch your old teen favorites: The OC, Felicity, and Dawson's Creek are all on Hulu. I do pay the extra $3 for the non-commercials version, though. A subscription plan where you still have to sit through endless commercials is not great.
posted by something something at 6:23 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

I watched the previous season of This Is Us by downloading NBC app. As long as you have a cable provider to hook to, that works just fine.
posted by scorpia22 at 6:57 AM on February 16, 2018

Ethics aside, this is us season 1 is available on Canadian Netflix, so if you log in in Canada (or if your computer thinks you're in Canada..) you can watch on your own Netflix account
posted by Valancy Rachel at 7:31 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

I got the free month of Hulu specifically to binge This Is Us. The commercials are annoying but I just check all my forums/FB etc. while they run.
posted by HotToddy at 7:42 AM on February 16, 2018

We have (er, borrow) Hulu and watch a lot of stuff on it. It's good for seasons of cooking shows and American Ninja Warrior and a bunch of network TV. The commercials were super annoying, but then the person we are (consensually!) borrowing from upgraded, and that was fantastic.
posted by restless_nomad at 8:11 AM on February 16, 2018

I use Hulu to watch a ton of stuff, so it's worth it to me. Between Hulu and Netflix and getting most of my news online, I often forget I even have a cable subscription.

Also, having seen all of This is Us to date, I can say I find the show totally worth the cost of a month or so's subscription to Hulu, all on its own.
posted by invincible summer at 9:14 AM on February 16, 2018

I did a Hulu trial to watch The Bachelor (don't judge me) and I was irrationally annoyed by the commercial breaks. You can pay extra to eliminate them, but I felt the subscription costs enough as is. It seems like Hulu is going after shows that are still on air and their library did feel different than Netflix to me. But if there's simply one show I am trying to watch, I now download free torrents, which may or may not be entirely legal.
posted by AppleTurnover at 10:15 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]

Note unlike Amazon Prime Video or Netflix, Hulu costs $7.99 for access to the programming and +$4 for commercial free, which I find crucial.

I "share" this cost with a friend and as someone that doesn't have cable but also has Amazon Prime + Netflix I find it worth it as they have a lot of current shows - less popular ones that I wouldn't necessarily catch.

Agreed with everyone else the interface is quite poor for finding shows - you really need to be the kind of person to want to see specific shows or regularly reading about TV elsewhere to know to search for it on Hulu.
posted by artificialard at 12:39 PM on February 16, 2018

I use Hulu on my Kindle Fire HD almost every night with no issues. I pay for the $12 a month version to avoid commercials and it is worth every extra penny.
posted by tacodave at 2:58 PM on February 16, 2018

I have Hulu and hate it but keep putting off canceling it for some reason. They seem to get rid of shows a lot, with no notification. I was waiting for a new episode of Catfish forever, which I got on MTV.com for free but still never has shown up on Hulu despite their still having the prior seasons. It's maddening.
posted by masquesoporfavor at 4:55 PM on February 18, 2018

I think whether or not you get Hulu depends a lot on what kinds of shows you would want to watch on it. For me, it's worth every penny to be able to watch Cartoon Network shows and Brooklyn Nine-Nine on demand, even though the UI is objectively garbage. For others, that's not a selling point.

I'd maybe sign up for the free trial to binge This Is Us and then see if there's anything else on Hulu that might be worth sticking around for. You can always cancel!
posted by helloimjennsco at 6:54 AM on February 19, 2018