Timber

I'll start off saying I already have Netflix and Prime.

I saw a commercial for Handmaid's Tale and it looks interesting so I went to check out Hulu. They have a $5.99 option with commercials and a $11.99 option that supposedly doesn't have commercials. Looking through it though it looks like Handmaid's Tale may be the only thing on there that actually interests me. I can fly though that during the trial period. If I decide to keep it past the trial is it worth it to pay extra for not having commercials? How many commercials are we actually talking? I don't hear as much about their original content as I do Netflix and Prime so I'm not sure what they really have on there.

DJariya

I think the main draw for Hulu is having next day availability of currently airing network shows from ABC, NBC and FOX. They do have some cable shows, but they are usually posted on a 1 season delay.

As for it's original content, they have some dramas like Chance, Shut Eye, The Path and The Handmaid's Tale. But, in all honesty, aside from The Handmaid's Tale, their dramas haven't gotten much publicity. Seems like no one is really talking about them. They do have some comedies, but a few of their main ones are ending.

They do have Movies, but nothing new. it's all back catalog titles.

I have the 11.99 no commercial plan and it makes the viewing experience on Hulu a lot better. It's not cheap for a service mostly selling network shows, but I enjoy it.

Decker

BTW : If you have Sprint as your mobile carrier and an Unlimited plan, you now get the base Hulu plan for free. Didn't know that until today -- program started a month ago
I dropped Hulu a few years ago since I pay for cable and a DVR, but since I get it for free again, I will check it out.

TheBigDave

I subscribe to all 3 services, and I use Hulu more than Netflix or Prime. I use it mostly for watching current TV shows without commercials. I'm not crazy about their original programming. But they also have a good selection of movies.

If you like wrestling, they have a 90-minute version of RAW (with all the crap taken out). There's also full episodes of Smackdown, NXT (including the Takeover shows), 205 Live, Total Divas & Bellas.

I recommend getting the commercial free option. I hate all the commercial breaks. It's worth the extra $0.25 a day to have them removed.

majorjoe23

Hulu is probably my most used of the services, but I watch several current sitcoms. I liked the commercial free plan, but we dropped down to basic to save a few bucks while I’m in grad school. The movie selection is pretty good, with a few newer things (the recent Blair Witch, for example) popping up.

Decker

There's no current CBS shows on the service, right?

TheBigDave

No current season CBS. They have a few of last season's CBS shows. They don't have any episodes from Big Bang Theory, Criminal Minds, NCIS, Hawaii 5-0, Scorpion. They have back episodes of Elementary, Life In Pieces,
Good Wife, Blue Bloods.

There's also no CW shows.

Why So Blu?

This and I thought Chance was great and since I don't watch regular television I saw Exorcist the morning after airing. The only bummer with Hulu is that shows are only presented in Stereo. I generally watch them in 2.1 on my system.

Eric F

I'm taking a class at a local community college so I qualify for the Spotify/Hulu (with commercials) $4.99 student plan. That's the only way it's worth it.

Otherwise I wouldn't pony up the $12mo for Hulu without commercials, especially since there's no surround sound.

Throwing Copper

Handmaid's Tale is great, but it's the only thing I have watched on there. I will probably cancel mine. I love Netflix for all their original programming. Hulu just isn't that good unless you want stuff that already aired on regular TV.

TomOpus

I have Netflix but have thought of trying Hulu. This thread convinced me not to bother.

Timber

Yeah, it's sounding like I should get my watching in in the next 30 days so I can cancel before being charged.

I like that they have some Food Network stuff that isn't on their own app for some strange reason but other than that I already Tivo what current TV that I watch.

Giantrobo

It's funny, we used to watch current Blue Bloods eps on Hulu then the CBS bullshit messed that up so that now we have to wait til the season is up and the new one starts. Needless to say, that jammed up our viewing of BB on Hulu.

So on a whim we decided to watch Season 7 BB over the weekend on Hulu. about 2 eps in, i just happen to notice that season 7 is also on Netlfix. I don't think that happens often but who knows.. Anyway, we now had to choose between watching on HULU WITH COMMERCIALS making the eps 1hr, or watch on Netlfix, with no ads with each ep being about 42min a pop.

Yeah, we're watching S7 on Netflix now.

Why So Blu?

I initially signed up for the commercials plan for 9.99 or whatever but when the first commercial hit I was like this isn't going to work. The commercials are intrusive as hell. It's worth it for me to pay the extra $2 and get an uninterrupted experience.

Eddie W

The other thing I like about watching network shows on Hulu is that I don't have to stare at a stupid hashtag through the entire show. Or those animated promos for other shows that seem to pop up after every commercial break.

Super X

I am enjoying some of their current original programming. I haven't tried "Handmaid's Tale", but I'm currently watching and enjoying "Marvel's Runaways" and "Future Man".

RichC2

Add me as another person who uses Hulu more than Prime or Netflix.

Giantrobo

I don't have live TV in my home. So Hulu is basically a DVR for me. I watch my weekly shows a day later or on the weekend.

Alan Smithee

They still have the stupid network logos though, don't they? Every time I get a free trial they're there and I immediately cancel- they're not on the actual video, the app overlays them which is how they can put the logos for your local Fox and ABC stations on those shows. I'd be a lifetime subscriber if they got rid of those, had 5.1 sound capability and didn't ruin the endings of movies by butting into end credits with their menu (and the one I watched really WAS ruined by that!), but they don't want my money. (They don't put logos on their own original programming, but I won't pay to support that practice at all.)

And as bad as network TV is, I've never seen a constant hashtag onscreen from anything besides Fox- but at least they've been airing The Simpsons with a completely clutter-free picture the past couple seasons so I've started watching that again.

islandclaws

My biggest current beef with Hulu is the new redesign is absolutely hideous and the antithesis of "user friendly". It's kept me away from browsing as much as I used to.

Timber

Yeah the "hulu original" logo is annoying...although now that I say that it's not on this episode.

It seems like they set their stuff up more like traditinal TV shows with the parental advisory and the previously on.

Eddie W

It's weird, they have them on every device I use EXCEPT my Roku's. I don't know why that is, but I'm happy for it. I do notice the NBC and ABC shows have a transparent baked in logo, but it's much smaller than the over the air versions or those that the local networks overlay.

5.1 sounds is not a deal breaker for me because really, how many network shows are in true surround? A good number of them are still DD 2.0, meaning you can't even extract a center channel without switching to PCM anyway.

Inhumans99

I was indeed able to sign up for Hulu going through my Sprint account...woo hoo! I was able to make Hulu an add on to my existing unlimited plan and it shows up as $0.00...so a $6.99 service for free.

Between The Handmaid’s Tale and especially Marvel’s Runaways I was trying to talk myself into subscribing to yet another streaming service that would be more money I was desperately trying not to spend on home video.

The icing on the cake is I was able to seamlessly log in to the Hulu app on my LG 4K tv...after I finish up the Hallmark film I am watching I am going to jump into watching Runaways, so happy.

Thanks for this post and folks on Sprint should definitely take the time to sign up!

Tom Banjo

11/22/63, Future Man, and Dimension 404 (basically a poor man’s Black Mirror) are all worth checking out.

GatorDeb

Huh, nice about Sprint, I didn't know I qualified (SERO plan from 2002-2003 $55 after taxes for 500 anytime, unlimited calls to cell+nights/weekends (7p-7a)+text+internet and it does let me add it also. I currently get Spotify premium AND Hulu as a package for $5 while I take accounting classes at the local community college but nice to know I can keep it after.