Top shows and movies

Both Sling TV and Hulu offer massive catalogs of channels, shows, and movies for your enjoyment. The type of entertainment that you can get on each, however, differs substantially.

Streaming options on Sling TV tend to change from month to month. The platform doesn’t create original content. Instead, it reaches deals with its partners to offer various on-demand shows that rotate in and out of its on-demand catalog.

Sling TV carries ESPN programming if you purchase Sling Orange. Sports fans can get access to NFL coverage, college football, soccer, major league baseball, NBA coverage, tennis, and much more. Hardcore sports fans may, however, want to opt for Sling Orange + Blue since this also offers NBA TV, MLB Network, and the Golf Channel.

For food lovers, Sling Orange also offers the Food Network channel. You can watch all sorts of popular shows related to cookery, including Mystery Diners, Valerie’s Home Cooking, Girl Meets Farm, and Jamie At Home. The media lauded the Food Network for its programming schedule during the coronavirus lockdown, providing viewers with just the respite that they need.

Comedy lovers can benefit extensively from Comedy Central. Founded in 1991, the station regularly airs episodes of The Office and South Park to name but a few.

In terms of individual shows, Sling TV also has some tasty offerings. Black Sails, for instance, is a historical fiction adventure that follows characters which have many parallels with Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island. Famous functional and real historical figures pepper the cast, including Anne Bonny and Blackbeard. The show is essentially a celebration of the golden era of piracy during the eighteenth century and offers some of the highest production values you’ll see anywhere on the network.

For those looking for something less swashbuckling and more sci-fi, you might want to check out Lexx. This zany drama series was originally a Showtime show and then moved over to the Sci-Fi channel. The production values aren’t quite up to the standard of Black Sails, but the storylines, quirky characters, and strange alien planets all make up for it. Watching episodes is a trippy, psychedelic experience.

Like Sling TV, Hulu offers a bunch of live channels, like ABC, NBC, Fox, and CBS, alongside local sports networks from Fox and NBC. The main benefit with this brand, though, is that it also comes with a vast on-demand library, making it just as compelling as its rivals for cord-cutters.

If you’re in the mood for binge-watching a title, you’ll want to check out the Hulu Original, A Handmaid’s Tale. The series is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood. It follows the tale of Offred (the handmaid), as she makes her way through a totalitarian society, based on a dystopian vision of future America. The series does an excellent job of showing how fundamentalism can warp human values and make people say and do the most extreme things. Somehow Offred must navigate a world in which women are forced into sexual servitude to repopulate the planet after a devastating event. Prepare to be freaked out!

If that’s a little too scary for you, Hulu is also known for its Mrs. America series in partnership with FX. Premiering in April 2020, this drama tells the story of the equal rights movement in the US and the unexpected backlash from conservative women across the country. Featuring a host of second-wave feminists such as Phyllis Schlafly, Shirley Chisholm, and Bella Abzug, it explores political battlegrounds and reveals the complexity of gender politics in modern society.

Normal People is another critically-acclaimed Hulu Original which follows the lives of Connell and Marianne, both from different backgrounds, as they grow up in small-town Ireland. The romance follows the twists and turns of their convoluted love story and provides a social narrative at the same time.

Disney’s ownership of Hulu means that subscribers now get access to a bunch of 21st Century Fox content, too, including It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. The FXX series, starring Danny Devito, follows four self-obsessed friends who run a bar and enjoy reveling in each other’s misfortunes.

Finally, you might want to check out High Fidelity. This Hulu Original based on Nick Hornby’s novel follows the antics of Rob Brooks (played by Zoe Kravitz, daughter of Lenny Kravitz) as she tries to make a success of her record store. After being dumped by her ex-fiancé, Mac (played by Kingsley Ben-Adir), she becomes obsessed with top-five music compilations as a coping mechanism. The series is a throwback to the original 2000 movie but reimagines it for a 2020 audience.

Sling TV and Hulu Live TV, therefore, differ somewhat in their content. While both offer live streaming services from major broadcasters, Hulu provides viewers with original content they can’t get anywhere else – similar to Netflix. Sling TV, however, is more orientated towards people who want to wave cable subscriptions goodbye and get their favorite sports and TV shows at a lower price.