Here Are the Best TV Shows and Movies to Watch on Hulu in July

Summer is usually the time for frolicking in the fields or splashing around in the ocean, but Hulu has other things in mind, like scaring the pants off you. The big new release this July on Hulu is Ryan Murphy's new horror series, American Horror Stories, which, as you can probably tell, is a spin-off of his wildly popular series American Horror Story. Rather than a running season-long story that changes each season, American Horror Stories will tell a new story each episode. Look for it on July 15. 

There are some exciting music documentaries too, like Questlove's Summer of Soul, which arrived July 2 to massive (and well-deserved) critical acclaim, and McCartney 3,2,1, which centers on -- you won't believe this -- Paul McCartney, and arrives July 16. Movies like Bill & Ted Face the Musicand Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mardrop on Hulu on July 2 and July 9, respectively. Also, a new season of the criminally underrated This Way Up premieres July 9.

Our picks for the best shows and movies to watch on Hulu next month are below, but here's everything coming to and leaving Hulu in July. If you're looking for even more suggestions, click over to our full list of recommendations.

The Best Shows and Movies on Hulu in July

Bill & Ted Face the Music
Available July 2
If you missed the third installment in the Bill & Ted film series when it made its classic pandemmy on-demand release last year, well, no one would blame you. But now you can watch it on Hulu! The movie catches us up with our favorite time-traveling airhead bros, Bill (Alex Winter) and Ted (Keanu Reeves), who are now middle-aged dads in failing marriages who have failed on their quest to write the greatest song ever and therefore unite the world. This film is about their madcap quest to finally fulfill their destiny, but this time, they're getting help from their daughters. Keep it in the family, as the saying goes.

Summer of Soul
Available July 2
Questlove directs this doc that functions partly as a concert film and partly as a well-deserved spotlight on the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival. The movie features stunning archival performances from Nina Simone, Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, and Mavis Staples. It's an essential watch for any music fan.

This Way Up, Season 2
Available July 9
Are you watching This Way Up? You should be! Aisling Bea and Sharon Horgan star in this British dramedy about Aine (Bea), a teacher recovering from a "teeny tiny nervous breakdown" with the help of her protective sister, Shona (Horgan). The first season deftly, sensitively navigated Aine's struggles with mental health, and in Season 2, she's working to leave her time in rehab behind and live less cautiously. As you can imagine, that decision has its ups and downs.

Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar
Available July 9
Listen to me: I cannot recommend Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar enough. It is so, so silly and so, so funny and probably the only movie you'll watch this year that has Jamie Dornan singing out his inner turmoil while galloping around a beach. Written by and starring Annie Mumolo (who plays Barb) and Kristen Wiig (who plays Star), it centers on two lifelong best friends desperate for a change. Obviously, they go on a vacation but quickly find themselves wrapped up in the evil plot of an eccentric rich lady and her band of deadly mosquitoes. As I have described it to the many people I've recommended this movie to, it's exactly what I didn't know I needed in my life.

American Horror Stories
Available July 15
As I said above, this is not -- I repeat! -- not a new season of American Horror Story. But it is new, scary Ryan Murphy content, and sometimes that's all you need. There's truly not much to know about this show yet, other than the fact that each episode will feature a different creepy tale, and the poster shows a woman with a cracked face and a black widow spider crawling in her skull. Murphy hasn't given many other hints about this new series just yet, but he did say on Twitter that it will delve "into horror myths, legends, and lore." Sure!

McCartney 3,2,1
Available July 16
Have you heard of this guy, Paul McCartney? He's pretty underground, which is why he needs this documentary to finally put a spotlight on him. I'm kidding; this film looks great: In it, McCartney sits down with the prolific music producer Rick Rubin to discuss his life, career, and time with a little band called The Beatles.

Want to know what else is out on July? Here's everything coming to and leaving Hulu in July and here are our picks for what came out on Hulu in June.