Crime dramas come in all shapes and sizes. When it comes to the options available on Hulu, they run the gamut. You’ll find everything from your cookie-cutter police procedurals to compelling dramas based on true stories. Shows of this genre feature A-list, in some cases award-winning actors.
If you’re trying to find a good crime drama to add to your watch list, check out these three on Hulu that are perfect to watch in February. Two are new shows, one returning with a second season at the end of the month, while the other has recently become part of the cultural conversation again.
The Act (2019)
With Gypsy Blanchard recently released from prison, it’s the perfect time to revisit The Act, the biographical crime drama limited series based on her life and the murder of her mother, Dee Dee Blanchard. Blanchard suffered from Munchausen syndrome by proxy and had spent years fabricating illnesses and disabilities that her daughter didn’t actually have. One fateful night, Gypsy’s boyfriend Nick (Calum Worthy) murdered Dee Dee, and the lives of the pair began to unravel.
Blanchard, now in her 30s, has said in interviews since her release that she has no desire to watch the series, in which Joey King plays her, because she “lived it.” Patricia Arquette earned an Emmy Award for playing Dee Dee, while King was nominated as well. The Act is a compelling and heartbreaking story that’s more topical now than ever since Blanchard’s release.
Stream The Act on Hulu.
Will Trent (2023-)
Ramon Rodriguez is captivating as the title character in Will Trent, a talented special agent with a dark past. Will never knew his parents and grew up being battered and abused in an orphanage. He’s dyslexic, a disability he keeps hidden from everyone but those closest to him. Now, he’s tossed a new partner, Faith (Iantha Richardson), and his co-dependent relationship with his long-time on-and-off-love interest/friend Angie (Erika Christensen) both helps and hinders things. But Will takes it all in stride. Others, meanwhile, put up with his quirks, some reluctantly, because his track record for solving cases is impeccable, his perceptive nature second to none.
From exploring Will’s relationship with his co-workers and boss Amanda Wagner (Sonja Sohn) to the intriguing but sometimes unbelievable cases, Will Trent is one of the best new police procedurals on television you probably haven’t watched yet. Is it formulaic and predictable? Yes. Does it include yet another lead character with some type of quirk or uncanny ability? Absolutely. Even despite Rodriguez’s strange fake accent — it’s supposed to be a Georgian southern drawl, but fans say it sounds more like Cajun with a hint of Lower East Side Manhattan — there’s something about Will Trent that makes it totally bingeable. With the second season coming by the end of this month, it’s perfect timing to catch up on season 1.
Stream Will Trent on Hulu.
Death and Other Details (2024)
Critics have given Death and Other Details mixed reviews, but audiences seem to appreciate this fresh take on the mystery crime drama genre. Plus, with Mandy Patinkin starring, how could it go wrong? He starts as Rufus, a detective with a fantastic reputation who ends up on a luxury cruise liner when a murder occurs. Imogene (Violett Beane), the accused woman, thinks he might be her only hope of clearing her name. But she does not like him one bit, which complicates things.
Death and Other Details is worth watching to see Patinkin tackle yet another complex, authoritative role. Expect plenty of twists, flashbacks, and an Agatha Christie-like clue package that helps lead you to the killer’s true identity.
Stream Death and Other Details on Hulu.
