Christian Bowers of St. Charles, Missouri, has Down syndrome, which didn’t stop him from making friends in high school. But, according to Today, after he graduated and left the school’s social atmosphere, he had a hard time making friends. The situation was made worse because his siblings had people over all the time.

“On the weekends, Christian watched his older sisters have sleepovers and attend parties while he sat on his own,” his mom, Donna Herter, told Today. Six months after leaving school, Bowers kept asking his mother, “When are my friends coming over?” and she had no words for him.

Herter had no idea what to do. You can’t force adults to be friends, but she couldn’t bear to watch him suffer. So she decided to pay someone to be his friend. That way, she could rely on them to come and spend time with her son.

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“I’m looking for a young man, between the ages of 20-28 who would like to make some extra money,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “Two days a month for two hours, I’ll pay you to be my son’s friend. All you have to do is sit with him and play video games in his room. Nothing else. He’s 24 and has Down syndrome and doesn’t have any friends his age. You will not be alone with him, myself or his grandpa will be home.”

She added that her son wouldn’t know that people are getting paid to hang out with him and was adamant that she wouldn’t take free help because she wanted to be sure they’d show up regularly.

Herter couldn’t believe the response. Since being published on February 2, the post has received 26,000 comments and nearly 60,000 shares, and the reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. Herter had to create a social calendar for her son to keep up with all of the playdates.

“I still have people messaging, and I’m adding more dates and I just can’t stop smiling and it’s not even for me, it’s for him,” she told KMOV. “He has not been this happy in years, this is the happiest I’ve seen him in years.”

A group of police officers have stopped by the house to eat pizza and cookies and play video games with Bowers. Billy Mayhall, the founder of STL Youth Sports Outreach, teamed up with a group of donors to buy Bowers a new 65-inch flatscreen television for his video games. They gave him some St. Louis Blues tickets, too.

“That was a really heartbreaking post, it really was,” Mayhall told KMOV. “People now are starting to see a lot of these kids with special needs need somebody in life, just like we do, no different.”

According to Herter, her son is now booked through July.

This story is a beautiful example of a parent reaching out for help and the community rallying around them in support. Herter took a considerable risk by publicly asking to pay someone to be her son’s friend. But she didn’t care; in the end, it was all about her son’s happiness.

Few people manage to achieve the status of both Hollywood legend and human legend, but Dick Van Dyke is definitely one of them.

The 97-year-old actor, dancer, singer and all-around showman blew away the audience and judges of “The Masked Singer” when he was revealed as the voice behind the enigmatic “Gnome” in the show’s ninth season opener. Judge Nicole Scherzinger found herself crying at witnessing the reveal.

“I love you so much. We love you so much. The whole world loves you so much,” she said through tears. “I’m trying to, like, play it cool, but you look so gorgeous! You look so handsome!”

Indeed, Van Dyke looks remarkably good for being three years shy of 100, and the fact that he’s still got the energy to do a wild reality show is a testament to his vitality. He truly is #aginggoals personified.

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Van Dyke sang “When You’re Smiling” by Frank Sinatra while disguised as a giant woodland gnome on the show. The judges were stumped. Who would guess a 97-year-old would come on “The Masked Singer”?

As he shared with Entertainment Weekly, Van Dyke had a blast filming the show, despite having never seen it before being asked to participate.

“I looked at it on the air and it looked like fun,” he told EW. “And I was so positive that nobody would ever guess it was me”

He was tickled that people thought he might be Robert DeNiro and flattered that some thought he could be Tony Bennett.

“But I knew that they couldn’t guess who I was,” he said. “I don’t think they expected anybody from my generation to be on that show. So I knew I was gonna fool them. They were so surprised. I stepped out and everybody’s mouths dropped open. I think some people thought I was dead.”

He even did a brief “old man” bit, showing he’s still got those physical comedy chops.

Watch the reveal:

What a night for everyone involved, especially since very few people knew who was behind the Gnome costume.

“The experience was weird, because they have to keep it a secret from the crew,” Van Dyke told EW. “So I walked around with my head covered with people leading me. They’ve got a nice crew, but I never got to meet any of them!”

“I would say it’s the weirdest thing I’ve ever done,” he added. He also said he’d love to go back and “hang out” with the crew he worked with on the show that he didn’t get to see. No doubt those crew members would be thrilled with the opportunity to spend time with such an iconic entertainer.

What a gift that we’re still getting to see Dick Van Dyke’s bright-eyed smile and signature humor. May we all maintain such vibrancy, positivity and zest for life through our senior years.

Adopting an animal is almost always an adventure. Looking around a pet store or animal shelter, trying to see whose personality speaks to you the most, is one of the most serotonin-releasing things animal lovers can do. Catching kittens taking cat naps or watching chubby little puppies roll all over each other can make just about anyone smile.

One potential adopter was at an adoption site, not just for the happy feels but to pick out a new kitten, and she saw one with a lot of personality peeking out from the window in the door. This sweet kitty was looking right at the woman with its furry little paws on the door in order to boost itself to get a better look.

But when the woman started talking to the curious face looking back at her, another kitten appeared and wanted this stranger’s attention, too. Except…the first kitten was not at all interested in sharing the nice lady’s undivided attention. Nope. No, ma’am. No, sir. No how. It was not having it. Apparently, even kittens can experience sibling rivalry, except it’s far cuter and much less annoying (at least to the owners).

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As soon as the first kitten noticed the other kitten scooching in on the potential new owner, it behaved like a literal child and pushed its sibling down. Like full-on, paws-on-head, pushed the other cat down out of sight. That didn’t stop the other kitten from resisting being shoved out of the way. Nope. It just popped back up, only to be batted down again.

The entire thing is amusing and oddly human-like for these kitten siblings. I wonder if she took them both? Take a look at the video shared on Reddit:

The best new hip-hop this week includes albums, videos, and songs from Metro Boomin, Latto, and more.

Throughout the week, Black Thought and El Michels Affair got in the Valentine’s Day mood, Reuben Vincent and Rapsody celebrated Black Love Day, Larry June finally got Alchemist to rap again, and Janelle Monáe made her triumphant return to the rap game with “Float.”

Friday saw the releases of songs from Flo Milli, IDK, Latto, Lil Tjay and Fivio Foreign, and Polo G and Future, along with the releases listed below.

Here is the best of hip-hop this week ending February 17, 2023.

Albums/EPs/Mixtapes

Big Scarr — The Secret Weapon

A bittersweet release for Gucci Mane’s 1017 label, The Secret Weapon marks the Memphis rapper’s first posthumous project after an accidental overdose on prescription drugs in late 2022 at just 22 years old. His latest release is emblematic of the rest of his output with hard-hitting, gritty rhymes over pulse-pounding, bass-heavy trap production.

Jay Critch — Jugg Season

While much of New York rap has splintered into factions reflecting a few core subgenres — mainly drill and the melodic style embraced by A Boogie and Tjay — Brooklyn rapper Critch has remained refreshingly dedicated to a stubbornly traditionalist style. He reminds me a little of French Montana — a comparison strengthened by the presence of the Wave God himself, Max B.

MadeInTYO — Neo TYO

When last we heard from MadeInTYO, a global pandemic was stifling the reception for the XXL Freshman’s sophomore effort. This time around, the world is wide open, the perfect environment for his bubbly, easygoing productions to gain some traction. It’s vibey and colorful stuff, which makes it perfect driving around fodder as the weather warms up.

Metro Boomin — Heroes & Villains (Villains Version)

Metro’s sprawling epic of a late 2022 album gets the OG Ron C treatment, transforming the triumphant anthems into slurry, depressive dirges.

Nappy Nina — Mourning Due

I stumbled across this one on Tidal as I prepped this list and was instantly drawn in by Nina’s heady, snappy bars, which she delivers over glitchy, off-kilter production. Admittedly, I knew very little about the Oakland-born, Brooklyn-based former poet, but her name captured my attention and her latest release rewarded it.

Price — No Sleep In The City

Whenever I tell people they should be paying more attention to Audio Push, they almost invariably have the same incredulous reaction. Listen, man, the Jerkin’ movement was 15 years ago and the kids who helped primarily to push it are grown-ups now — and none is more grown up than Price. After being pushed by his rhyme partner Oktane to step his bars up, he’s become one of the more engaging lyricists in Southern California, with solo output every bit as effective as the duo’s group efforts. Here’s your proof.

Singles/Videos

B. Cool-Aid — “Wassup” Feat. Devin Morrison, Pher Turner & MoRuf

B. Cool-Aid certainly lives up to theire name. Fans of St. Louis’ Smino will almost certainly appreciate the smooth approach employed by Ahwlee and Pink Siifu’s collaborative project, with slinky rhymes and Crenshaw-cool jazz instrumentals.

Blimes — “Spin”

Unfortunately, I missed this dropping a week ago, but it’s my column and I can do what I want. Blimes is one of those MCs who earns every iota of attention she’s wrested from the mainstream, and her latest is well worth the spin. Yes, the pun is intended.

Don Toliver — “Leave The Club” Feat. GloRilla & Lil Durk

As the Houston rapper prepares the release of his third studio album Lovesick, his second single contrasts the soulfulness of the first with a more uptempo nightclub narrative. GloRilla continues her ascent as the standout.

Kamauu — “Flings”

DC-based singer Kamauu was already sort of left field, but this one’s out of the blue even for him. Switching up his style, he embraces a rapid-fire flow that should appeal to fans of wordy rappers like Chance The Rapper and Saba. The accompanying video is suitably surreal.

Kash Doll — “On The Flo” Feat. Sada Baby

Maintaining momentum from the release of her DJ Drama-helmed mixtape Back On Dexter, the Detroit BMF star teams up with a fellow Motown MC, Sada Baby, for the video to the tape’s closer.

Ray Vaughn — “Sandcastles” Feat. Ab-Soul

Long Beach native Ray Vaughn continues to distinguish himself as a rapper’s rapper, even among the accomplished brotherhood of Top Dawg Entertainment. Ab-Soul’s appearance here helps to bond him further into this thing of theirs.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

A deep dive into Young Thug (real name Jeffery Lamar Williams) and YSL’s RICO case is heading to the small screen, thanks to ABC News Studios. Despite the fact that the trial is still ongoing, the hour-long documentary titled Rap Trap: Hip-Hop On Trial will feature commentary on the initial indictment of Williams, his brother Unfoonk, and fellow rapper Gunna back in May.

When news of the indictment hit social media, fans of the rapper and other musicians began to push back against the prosecutor’s office for including Williams’ lyrics as alleged evidence in the full 88-page indictment against him. The trailer for Rap Trap: Hip-Hop On Trial teases that Williams’ label 300 Entertainment CEO Kevin Liles, his ex-girlfriend Jerrika Karlae, fellow musicians Fat Joe, Killer Mike, Will.I.Am, and more will explore that further.

In the trailer, rapper and activist Killer Mike says, “Rap music is judged unlike any other genre like Black people are judged, unlike any other people.”

Former No Limit rapper McKinley “Mac” Phipps Jr.’s case will also be featured in the documentary, as several of his lyrics were used to help convict him of manslaughter in 2001 over the death of a 19-year-old man at a Louisiana nightclub the year before.

Rap Trap: Hip-Hop On Trial will air on Hulu beginning February 23. To watch, click here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Bernie Sanders is 81 years old. He’s spent three decades trying to clean up the congressional muck. He’s seen it all and he’s tired, so very very tired. And sure, his fight for universal health care and student debt abolishment, and a bigger tax on the oligarchs that run our country is noble, laudable, an easy rallying cry for millennials. But you know the most relatable thing about Senator Sanders? His complete disgust with the capitalist grift that is Valentine’s Day.

The grandfather of the Democratic party took part in an interview with New York Magazine to promote his upcoming book, It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism, this week. The conversation took place over pork noodle soup at his favorite Chinese restaurant, on Valentine’s Day no less, and when reminded by writer Bridget Read of the special holiday reserved for all things romance, Sanders got cantankerously candid.

The senator had no idea it was Valentine’s Day. “When is that? This weekend?” Bernie Sanders asked when I greeted him for dinner on February 14 at Young Chow, a Chinese restaurant on Pennsylvania Avenue that he likes. No, I told him, it is Valentine’s Day currently, right now, as this very meal is taking place. He was grumpy. “Why is Valentine’s Day in the middle of the week?”

The rest of the interview went as you’d imagine: Bernie railed against Big Pharma, anti-union CEOs, the poor conditions for railroad workers, and Democratic roadblocks like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, but when he was reminded once again of the import of the day before Read took her leave, he had an on-brand response:

I suggested that maybe he should send a text to his wife, Jane, since it was Valentine’s Day. “Okay, okay,” he said, waving me off.

Somehow, his hatred for the holiday just makes us love him even more.

(Via New York Mag)

Marvel’s next multiverse experiment just landed in theaters and, naturally, fans are wondering if they should stay in their seats once the credits roll. The superhero movie studio has a trusted track record when it comes to setting up future installments with that end-of-film real estate and it sounds like they’re continuing the tradition for Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania, giving audiences not one but two post-movie scenes that tease big plans for the MCU.

Spoilers Below

To understand both the mid-credits and end-credits clips, you’ll need a bit of backstory on what happens in Quantumania. After being trapped in the quantum realm and battling the multiverse-manipulating Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), Hope Pym (Evangeline Lilly), Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton), Hank Pym (Michael Douglas), and Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) reunite and escape back to their timeline. All seems to be well with the group believing they’ve managed to defeat Kang but, as comic book fans know, there’s more than one version of this villain our heroes need to worry about.

Marvel seems intent on expanding the idea of the multiverse — i.e. multiple timelines where various versions of the Avengers exist parallel to each other. To that end, Quantumania’s mid-credits scene introduces audiences to the different variants of Kang including Immortus, Rama-Tut, Baby Kang, and the Council of Kangs, who were responsible for exiling the Conqueror to the quantum realm and who now view the Avengers as a threat to their grand plans of controlling the multiverse. This tease not only confirms that we’ll be seeing a lot more of Jonathan Majors in the MCU, but it also sets up future Endgame-esque Avengers team-ups.

The movie’s end-credits scene, though brief, is even more interesting, especially for fans of the Disney+ series Loki. The show’s second season is due to arrive this summer and we haven’t had much to go on in terms of the plot until now. Once Quauntumania and its mid-credits scene wrap, another Kang variant pops up on the screen. Known here as Victory Timely, this version of Kang seems to be giving some kind of presentation on-stage to a crowd of onlookers who look to be dressed in 1920s-era clothing — so we’re likely going back in time when the show returns. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Mobius (Owen Wilson) look on from the crowd with Loki telling his friend that the man, Timely, is the most dangerous man he’s ever come across.

Fans will remember that the show’s first season ended with Loki meeting a Kang variant known as He Who Remains — a clever trickster in charge of keeping the timelines separate and the multiverse in order. He was the one who created the Time Variance Authority (TVA), the timekeeping police force Mobius worked for. The season ended with Loki returning to the TVA distraught that his friend couldn’t remember who he was. Either this scene is evidence Mobius will get his memories back at some point or it’s Loki’s attempt at giving the man a crash course on which bad guys they’re fighting in season two.

(Via Vox)

As a certified hoop junkie, I have to say: Hoop skills trainers have become a plague on social media. While many offer a useful, helpful, and arguably needed service, others have become a little too obsessed with engagement (which can lead to employment, fair enough) and begun incorporating some truly ridiculous drills, props, and suggestions into their videos.

And yet, somehow, Janelle Monáe would still have been better off with one of them than who she actually got for her NBA All-Star Celebrity Game training regimen. Cream E Biggums is a well-known basketball influencer whose humorous videos make excellent use of his roly-poly figure to juxtapose some truly goofy basketball form with what one might expect from a pro player.

Here’s Janelle showing off her training with Biggums in matching workout ensembles — right down to the probably not totally necessary goggles. Let’s just say if she tries to pull these moves in the actual game, nobody is going to be making Allen Iverson comparisons.

(In reality, Biggums is a side project of comedian Anthony “Spice” Adams, who actually was a professional athlete at one point, albeit in a different sport. He played three seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and another four with the Chicago Bears prior to his flourishing comedy career.)

The whole thing’s pretty funny and a prime example of Monáe’s sense of humor, which is perfectly honed for social media these days. Let’s just hope someone gives her a pair of real hoop shoes before the game because those Air Max 270s are not it — although they are better than the big red boots.

Kathryn Newton plays Cassie Lang in Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania, and if her face seems familiar it’s because she’s also been in Big Little Lies and has had minor roles in everything from Lady Bird to Mad Men to Dog With A Blog (yes, any excuse to squeeze in a Dog With A Blog mention).

She seemed familiar in that ineffable way, so much so that I wondered if she was one of them Nepo Babies we hear so much about. As it turns out, she’s not (so far as I can tell without getting deeper into genealogy than Wikipedia allows), though she is really good at golf. Wait, what?

From a 2015 article in Golf Digest:

Now 18, Newton recently graduated from Notre Dame High School in Southern California after helping the school’s golf team win three league championships. She routinely shot in the 70s, and her lowest 18-hole score in a tournament is a 69. She also set a school record with a five-under-par round in a nine-hole match and plays to a plus-2 handicap. She wanted to play in the 2012 U.S. Women’s Open, but she got the lead in “Paranormal Activity 4” and had to withdraw from the sectional qualifier.

For those of you non-golfers out there, five under for nine holes (in a match, no less), isn’t just “pretty good,” it’s really, really good. It’s always weirdly surprising to learn that an actor is competent at something besides the performing arts, like meeting a lizard who can juggle.

Newton talked about possibly walking on at USC in a handful of interviews, though it looks like nothing came of that. She did play in a pro-am in Scotland last fall, though it’s unclear where she finished. Still, it makes sense that she ultimately chose acting, which does seem like an easier way to make a living than playing golf, or really than anything else in the world. It must be nice to have options and be good at stuff. If I lose this job I’m going to have to sell pictures of my feet on OnlyFans.

Swing looks legit:

Hulu first launched as a go-to spot for seeing TV shows the day after you missed them on TV, but, like other streamers, the service branched out in the last few years to become a powerhouse of original programming. Combined with its partnership with FX, Hulu has churned out hit comedies, award-worthy work, and bingeable, genre-defying goodies.

Here are the 25 best, both in Hulu Originals and the FX shows that stream there, too.

25. Nine Perfect Strangers

Year: 2021
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, Michael Shannon, Luke Evans, Samara Weaving, Regina Hall, Bobby Cannavale, and Melvin Gregg
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1: 8 episodes
Created By: David E. Kelley
Trailer: Watch here

What happens when a group of people sign up for an experimental therapy at an isolated spa run by a bizarre woman of mystery? Just cucumber/melon water, some drugs in the food, and the promising threat of murder. After Big Little Lies, Liane Moriarty became a hot commodity, and it’s for good reason. Her writing is dynamite on the page, but it translates to the screen with fangs. After decades of incredible, innovative television, adapting Moriarty’s work here may be David E. Kelley’s crowning achievement. His voice captures the Trojan Horse of an Agatha Christie-style secluded location mystery with new age healing vibes, converting into a powerful drama about psychological healing by crawling through fire over glass. And what an absurd cast! The heaviest of hitters all bite down hard on the material, crafting something that starts as a killer mystery and blossoms into a profoundly cathartic achievement.

Watch it on Hulu

24. Little Fires Everywhere

Year: 2022
Cast: Reese Witherspoon, Kerry Washington, Joshua Jackson, and Rosemarie DeWitt
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1: 8 episodes
Created By: Liz Tigelaar
Trailer: Watch here

Elena Richardson is the picture-perfect person. She’s got a cool job, great family, and she’s so thoughtful that she lets an avant garde artist named Mia into her life (and her home). This is the same home that burns to the ground in the opening scene. Adapted from Celeste Ng’s novel, this series is a powerhouse of suspicions, bad feelings, and the question of whether good intentions will inevitably be repaid by destruction. It proudly marches in the footsteps of classic shows that portray the American suburb as a true nightmare factory, and Witherspoon and Washington are absolute knockouts here. They should star together as frenemies in as many shows as possible. Make sure you watch it with someone you love who can also help lift your jaw off the floor.

Watch it on Hulu

23. The Act

Year: 2019
Cast: Joey King, Patricia Arquette, AnnaSophia Robb, Chloe Sevigny, and Calum Worthy
Genre: True Crime, Biographical Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1: 8 episodes
Created By: Nick Antosca, Michelle Dean
Trailer: Watch here

Humans are capable of immense deception and cruelty, and few stories carry that message as keenly as the real-life murder of Dee Dee Blanchard. It’s been told and re-told in tabloid television, fictionalized in novels, and covered in documentaries, but The Act shines for its portrayals (as well as the twisty horrors that may very well scar your brain permanently). King explodes out of her cutesy kid roles and YA romances to portray Dee Dee’s daughter Gypsy, a teenager ostensibly suffering from a laundry list of genetically-caused health problems. Arquette is Arquette — dominating each scene as the domineering Dee Dee, smothering her daughter with a Misery level of care and attention. It’s a wild story, told brilliantly, and unbelievably true.

Watch it on Hulu

22. Welcome To Chippendales

Year: 2022
Cast: Kumail Nanjiani, Murray Bartlett, Annaleigh Ashford, Dan Stevens, and Juliette Lewis
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1: 8 episodes
Created By: Robert Seigel
Trailer: Watch here

If you had said even a few years ago that Kumail Nanjiani would be taking on prestige TV roles and buffing up to play a Marvel superhero, even money would have been against you. Yet, the first-rate stand-up has seamlessly transitioned into some surprising roles lately, including portraying the real-life Somen “Steve” Banerjee, the Indian immigrant who founded the male stripping revue that became so famous that Chris Farley parodied it on Saturday Night Live. He starts the business, it gets popular, and everyone lives happily ever after, right? Well, this is true crime after all. The maestro of banana hammocks burned bright and burned fast, tracing a downfall that involved financial woes and some legal charges you’ll have to see to believe.

Watch it on Hulu

21. Candy

Year: 2022
Cast: Jessica Biel, Melanie Lynskey, Pablo Schreiber, Timothy Simons, and Raul Esparza
Genre: True Crime, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1: 8 episodes
Created By: Robert Seigel
Trailer: Watch here

Between this and The Sinner, Jessica Biel has been quietly crushing odd roles of deeply troubled people dealing with very strange (and also very normal!) situations. In Candy, she plays a Texas housewife who has an affair with her neighbor’s husband and remains the biggest shoulder pad for said friend to cry on. It’s twisted, and, yes, it’s also a true crime story. It may feel strange to focus so intently on this subgenre, but there are so, so, so many great examples being churned out these days. If you didn’t already get giddy at the cast list, note that Queen of Life Melanie Lynskey plays the cuckolded best pal/neighbor, and she proves here for the 1000th time why she’s one of the best of all time. She and Biel are dark drama magic together.

Watch it on Hulu

20. The Dropout

Year: 2022
Cast: Amanda Seyfried, Naveen Andrews, William H. Macy, Laurie Metcalf, and Elizabeth Marvel
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1: 8 episodes
Created By: Elizabeth Meriweather
Trailer: Watch here

The collapse of crypto king FTX has made Elizabeth Holmes’ billion-dollar grift old news, but watching this riveting series will place it front of mind yet again. Plus, they’re all the same story essentially right? FTX, Holmes, Bernie Madoff, Charles Ponzi. Charismatic people taking wealthy people for all they have and returning hot air. Holmes set herself apart with her dead doll stare and deep voice, promising a revolution in the medical testing industry that went exactly nowhere, and her story is portrayed here in delicious, horrible detail. Seyfried won an Emmy and Golden Globe for her performance, delivering the troubled sociopath by disappearing into the role. Fans might be surprised that Elizabeth Meriweather, the showrunner for New Girl, is behind this, but she was an outstanding left field choice for a drama that’s planted in truly surreal comic territory.

Watch it on Hulu

19. Fleishman Is In Trouble

Year: 2022
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Claire Danes, Lizzy Caplan, Adam Brody, and Meara Mahoney-Gross
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1: 8 episodes
Created By: Taffy Brodesser-Akner
Trailer: Watch here

What’s it like to be newly divorced, middle-aged, and have to make a Hinge profile? Scary stuff. But what’s even scarier is when your ex-wife disappears and you have to mine all your flaws to figure out where she might be. Based on the novel by Taffy Brodesser-Akner (and adapted for screen by Taffy Brodesser-Akner!), this outstanding drama explores the difficulty of starting things over when a lot of your “best years” are long behind you. Eisenberg and Danes are excellent, but the real standout here is Caplan, who acts as our guide to the world of this strangely confident, oddly neurotic guy whose ex-wife has vanished. Just don’t expect any of the characters to be good people.

Watch it on Hulu

19. PEN15

Year: 2019-2022
Cast: Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Mutsuko Erskine, Richard Karn, Taylor Nichols, Melora Walters, Taj Cross, and Dallas Liu
Genre: Super Awkward Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 2: 25 episodes
Created By: Maya Erskine, Anna Konkle, Sam Svibleman

Trailer: Watch here

A magical show that was cancelled too soon, this cringiest comedy feels like a middle school diary being read out loud at the homecoming dance. Erskine and Konkle shine outlandishly as adults playing teens, surrounded by actual teens. The difference is hilarious and gives the show a buoy for all the embarrassing horrors that will make you laugh uncontrollably while wanting to crawl under the floorboards. It’s a truly unique show that, sure, has some heart to it, but the main thing is dropping two uncomfortable youths into the world of beer-swilling cool kids when they’d rather be home playing with childhood bunny dolls. If The Office was too awkward for you, PEN15 will give you a heart attack.

Watch it on Hulu

17. The X-Files

Year: 1993-2002, 2016-2018
Cast: Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny, and Mitch Pileggi
Genre: Science Fiction, Drama, Horror, Detective
Rating: TV-14
Runtime: Seasons 1-11: 218 episodes
Created By: Chris Carter
Trailer: Watch here
If you’re struggling through life right now, write a note for yourself reminding future you that every episode of The X-Files is available to watch at any time. Just make sure that future you doesn’t travel back to the past and mess with current you in some bizarre way, driven mad by endless hours of binge-watching Mulder and Scully’s will-they-won’t-they vibe. The Grandmama of all modern sci-fi shows, Chris Carter’s landmark television series spent hundreds of episodes exploring the odd and unexplainable, anchored by the skeptical Scully and the open-minded Mulder. Why did the show ever go off the air? That’s the real conspiracy.

Watch it on Hulu

16. The Great

Year: 2020-present
Cast: Elle Fanning, Nicholas Hoult, Phoebe Fox, Adam Godley, and Gwilym Lee
Genre: Comedy, Drama, History
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-2: 20 episodes
Created By: Tony McNamara
Trailer: Watch here

Catherine the Great, Empress of All Russia, was the longest-reigning female ruler in Russia’s history, seated at the throne throughout the latter part of the 18th century. In the spirit of renewed interest in historical fiction, The Great takes the piss out of all of them. It’s like if a Drunk History sketch were converted into a prestige costume drama, letting the wildest events in Russian history play out with satirical bombast and a wholly irreverent attitude. Fortunately, they’ve let Nicholas Hoult off the leash to be as weird as he wants to be, and Elle Fanning is a ridiculous delight. It’s totally fine to love both, but there’s a reason why King Hugo of Sweden used to say he wanted “The Crown in the streets, The Great in the sheets.”

Watch it on Hulu

15. The Patient

Year: 2022
Cast: Steve Carell, Domhnall Gleeson, and Linda Emond
Genre: Drama, Psychological Thriller
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1: 10 episodes
Created By: Joel Fields, Joe Weisberg
Trailer: Watch here

Sam Fortner is a serial killer with enough self-awareness that he gets a therapist, but instead of using a podcast code for Better Help, he decides it’s probably a little neater to just kidnap one. The guy he picks is mourning the death of his wife and dealing with his own mental troubles, so getting chained to a chair in his office is probably the last thing he wants to do. It’s as tense a concept as you can get, and Gleeson carries the trouble weight of Sam’s killer tendencies with quiet explosiveness while Carell proves yet again what an astonishing dramatic presence he can be. Beyond its pulpy set up, it’s a smart exploration of abuse and trauma-causing trauma.

Watch it on Hulu

14. Pam & Tommy

Year: 2022
Cast: Lily James, Sebastian Stan, Seth Rogen, Nick Offerman, and Taylor Schilling
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1: 8 episodes
Created By: Robert Siegel
Trailer: Watch here

It’s unsettling how much Lily James and Sebastian Stan look like Pam Anderson and Tommy Lee. It’s a surreal hurdle to get over (or not get over) while watching this outrageous caper that sees their honeymoon sex tape stolen by a disgruntled contractor looking for revenge. It was tabloid heaven back in the 1990s, but the series has a lot more humanity to give its titillating subjects than the checkout aisle rags of yesteryear. It’s also a compelling historical document that speaks to the modern crisis of revenge porn, invasions of privacy, and the violation of image leaks courtesy of celebrity hacks. Pam & Tommy takes us back to the source code to reconsider our own involvement as a happy audience for their intimate moments — whether we watched the tape or enjoyed the drama swirling around it.

Watch it on Hulu

13. Dopesick

Year: 2021
Cast: Michael Keaton, Rosario Dawson, Peter Sarsgaard, Kaitlyn Dever, and Will Poulter
Genre: Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1: 8 episodes
Created By: Danny Strong
Trailer: Watch here

It’s difficult to cheerlead for a show that will make you angrier and angrier the more you watch it, but Dopesick is vital viewing even if you even up punching a hole through your couch. Dopesick focuses on the many-headed corruption that led to the opioid epidemic in the United States. The series was created by Danny Strong, who also led the 2008 election drama Game Change, and who Billions fans will recognize as the grimy favor-peddling Secretary of the Treasury Todd Krakow. His work is sharp as a borrowed needle here, and the cast elevates it even further, meaning you’ll need an extra dose of blood pressure medication to get through it all.

Watch it on Hulu

12. The Americans

Year: 2013-2018
Cast: Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys, Noah Emmerich, Margo Martindale, Holly Taylor, and Keidrich Sellati
Genre: Drama, Spy, Crime, Mystery
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-6: 75 episodes
Created By: Joe Weisberg
Trailer: Watch here

If you’re worried that you’re trusting your neighbors too implicitly these days, it’s time to hop in the time machine to the early 2010s where The Americans can put you in their time machine back to the Cold War 1980s. The show, starring Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as a “married” couple of “Americans” who “definitely are not Soviet spies,” is a stellar espionage thriller. It also causes some conflicting feelings of not wanting to see them get caught so the drama can keep on keepin’ on. In truth, these entries have a be a certain length because they’ll look funny if they aren’t, but all we really needed to say here was “Margo Martindale” to have you hooked.

Watch it on Hulu

11. Snowfall

Year: 2017-2023
Cast: Damson Idris, Sergio Peris-Mencheta, Carter Hudson, Emily Rios, and Michael Hyatt
Genre: Drama, Crime
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-5: 50 episodes
Created By: John Singleton, Eric Amadio, Dave Andron
Trailer: Watch here

With a totally different 1980s vibe, Snowfall offers the neon-colored cocaine dream of fast riches, large living, and deadly consequences. Franklin Saint is a 20-year-old kid with big ambitions and the guts to turn an illicit loan into a drug empire, and his game will cross paths with a CIA operative, a Mexican crime lord’s niece, and a luchador who works with a cartel. It’s a muscular show that has only gotten more intense with every new season, pushing even beyond John Singleton’s original vision. Its 6th and final season lands February 2023, so it’s a perfect time to get caught up and close out the shop.

Watch it on Hulu

10. Ramy

Year: 2019-present
Cast: Ramy Youssef, Mohammed Amer, Hiam Abbass, Amr Waked, and May Calamawy
Genre: Comedy
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-3: 30 episodes
Created By: Ramy Youssef
Trailer: Watch here

Ramy is stuck. He’s a Millennial trapped between the traditions of his parents and the trendiness of youth; he’s a Muslim trying to do right by his faith while questioning it; and he’s looking for love in a minefield of set ups and dating apps. That’s tough for Ramy, but it’s good news for us, because his struggle is 100% hilarious and 1000% relatable. After spots on Mr. Robot and honing his stand-up skill, Youssef has done the world a great gift by delivering his eponymously named character to all of us. Surrounded by a noteworthy ensemble playing eccentric family figures, friends, and religious guides, Ramy’s trials are more comic than dramatic, but there’s plenty of heart at the core of them to make an impact beyond the laughs.

Watch it on Hulu

9. Letterkenny

Year: 2016-present
Cast: Jared Keeso, Nathan Dales, Michelle Mylett, Dylan Playfair, and Andrew Herr
Genre: Comedy, Sitcom
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-11: 74 episodes
Created By: Jared Keeso
Trailer: Watch here

Letterkenny began life as a YouTube series, jumped to Crackle, and ultimately found its final form on Hulu. While the entire world was heralding the optimistic joy of Ted Lasso, those in the know were cheering on Letterkenny in addition to the fish out of water football tale because of the latter show’s hilarious observations on life, killer young comedic cast, and inexhaustible supply of one-liners. The show takes place in a rural hamlet outside Ontario where a sister and brother (and their pals) hang out and chat and deal with all sorts of nonsense — a little like rural Canadian Seinfeld. There are essentially two types of people in life: those who have never seen a Letterkenny episode, and those who have seen every episode and know every inside joke.

Watch it on Hulu

8. Atlanta

Year: 2016-2022
Cast: Donald Glover, Brian Tyree-Henry, Lakeith Stanfield, and Zazie Beetz
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-4: 41 episodes
Created By: Donald Glover
Trailer: Watch here

A stunning achievement in experimental television, Atlanta seemed to refuse any pigeon hole you could try to shove it in. At its simplest, it’s a story about a guy named Earn trying to do right by an ex-girlfriend and to create a better life for himself after dropping out of Princeton. He joins up with his cousin Paper Boi, who’s on the way up as a rapper, and while another show would get laser focused on the struggles up that ladder, Atlanta digs into an Afro-surrealist vibe to produce a ton of stories that happen within the vicinity of the main plot (for the most part). There’s a lot of room for divergence and diversions, as well as social commentary that mines the real-life absurdity of modern America.

Watch it on Hulu

7. What We Do In The Shadows

Year: 2019-present
Cast: Matt Berry, Kayvan Novak, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillen, and Mark Proksch
Genre: Comedy, Supernatural
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-4: 40 episodes
Created By: Jemaine Clement
Trailer: Watch here

It’s a blessing that we got a movie where Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi play vampires in a very Real World setting. It’s even more miraculous that they converted the idea into a TV series with its own flavor (just as akward!) that explores the strange, humdrum eternal lives of four undead bloodsuckers living in New Jersey. This show wouldn’t work nearly the same without its current cast, who play off each other with improvisational brilliance and a preternatural ability to avoid ruining takes by laughing at the funniest lines. They beef with the city council, feud with werewolves, and reveal disturbing personal histories that come back to haunt them. All of it is uproariously funny — twisting the self-seriousness of the vampire genre into something goofy and human.

Watch it on Hulu

6. Justified

Year: 2010-2015
Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Walton Goggins, Nick Searcy, Jacob Pitts, and Erica Tazel
Genre: Drama, Action, Adventure, Crime
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-6: 78 episodes
Created By: Graham Yost
Trailer: Watch here

Before the current western craze kicked off, Justified offered fans a bit of the Wild West in 21st century Kentucky. Deputy US Marshall Raylan Givens is as iconic a character as there’s ever been, launching from the golden era of television alongside Tony Soprano and Walter White. Olyphant is a gem, and the toe-to-toe rivalry with Goggins’s crime lord character is one for the ages. The series miraculously managed to stay A+ through every single season, consistently delivering serious drama and life-threatening clashes between the tin stars and the outlaws. The only thing missing is the horses. And sometimes there were horses.

Watch it on Hulu

5. Reservation Dogs

Year: 2021-present
Cast: D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Devery Jacobs, Paulina Jewel Alexis, Lane Factor, and Elva Guerra
Genre: Comedy, Drama, Crime
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-2: 18 episodes
Created By: Sterlin Harjo, Taika Waititi
Trailer: Watch here

One of the freshest shows in years features bored teens. Elora, Bear, Cheese, and Willie Jack are all mourning the death of their best friend and wasting away in rural Oklahoma. They conspire to get to California to honor their dead friends’ own big dream, but to get the cash for it, they’ll have to beg, borrow, and steal the occasional delivery truck. In addition to the hang out comedy, Bear also has his very own spirit guide who doles out some dubious life advice, and Marc Maron shows up as the cranky head of a foster home. It’s a fantastic comedy where all the humor covers up (and sometimes exposes) a big batch of generational trauma.

Watch it on Hulu

4. Only Murders in the Building

Year: 2021-present
Cast: Selena Gomez, Martin Short, Steve Martin, Amy Ryan, and Cara Delevingne
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Mystery
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-2: 20 episodes
Created By: Steve Martin, John Hoffman
Trailer: Watch here

Marrying the old school whodunnit with the newfangled true crime podcast genre, Only Murders in the Building is a dynamite comedy that also works as a satisfying mystery. Each season has a big case to solve (while getting the microphone angles right for the podcast recording) as well as smaller mysteries swirling around it like some kind of mystery remoras feeding off a great white mystery shark. Short and Martin are as game as they’ve ever been, hilariously bickering with each other and playing pumped up egos due for deflation, while Gomez is sarcastic and grounded. It’s a winning combination that’s been such a hit that Meryl Streep and Paul Rudd are in for the third season.

Watch it on Hulu

3. Under The Banner Of Heaven

Year: 2022
Cast: Andrew Garfield, Gil Birmingham, Sam Worthington, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Denise Gough, and Wyatt Russell
Genre: Drama, Crime
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1: 7 episodes
Created By: Dustin Lance Black
Trailer: Watch here

There came a time in TV history when it felt like the troubled detective story was played out. We’d mined all the emotion we could have possibly mined. And yet, here came Under the Banner of Heaven to prove the doubters wrong. Garfield plays Detective Jeb Pyre, an LDS member investigating the murder of a woman and her young child that seems to implicate the LDS church itself. The truth shakes his faith as he uncovers who the real killer is. Based on the Jon Krakauer book detailing the 1984 murder of Brenda Lafferty, Oscar-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black adapted the humanity-testing case for series, pushing the boundaries of how intimate the problems can get for a cop just trying to solve a case.

Watch it on Hulu

2. The Handmaid’s Tale

Year: 2017-present
Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Joseph Fiennes, Yvonne Strahovski, Samira Wiley, Ann Dowd, and Alexis Bledel
Genre: Drama, Science Fiction
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Seasons 1-5: 56 episodes
Created By: Bruce Miller
Trailer: Watch here

There’s nothing quite like reading the news all day and then settling in with some piping hot Handmaid’s Tale to soothe the soul. The dystopian series where fertile women are kept as breeding sex slaves for high ranking officials in a fascist near-future United States has built out far beyond Margaret Atwood‘s original novel while maintaining its core horrors. Beyond its gripping storytelling and frighteningly necessary message, the show boasts dozens and dozens of noteworthy actors giving career-best performances. The core cast is stellar, and names like Clea Duvall, Christopher Meloni, Bradley Whitford, Marisa Tomei, Sydney Sweeney, and more show up to either make life hell or suffer through it alongside Moss’s Offred.

Watch it on Hulu

1. The Bear

Year: 2022
Cast: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Abby Elliott, and Lionel Boyce
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rating: TV-MA
Runtime: Season 1: 8 episodes
Created By: Christopher Storer
Trailer: Watch here

It’s Uncut Gems that makes you hungry. This pressure cooker series focuses on a wunderkind chef called Carmy at the top of the fine-dining world who returns to Chicago after his brother commits suicide, leaving behind a hot sandwich counter. Painful family drama plays out against the grinding churn of making great food that will keep people coming back (and keep the business open), and Ayo Edebiri plays an up-and-comer shadowing Carmy and challenging him to be a better chef and person. Is it a hilarious drama? A heart-breaking comedy? It’s delicious however you slice it, and it defies easy categorization for good reason. It’s also just getting started, and long may it reign.

Watch it on Hulu