The Best TV Series on Disney+ Hotstar

What are the best TV series on Disney+ Hotstar? The 19 titles below star the likes of Amy Adams, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Elizabeth Olsen, Cate Blanchett, Jason Bateman, James Franco, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Matthew Rhys, Keri Russell, Damian Lewis, Jared Harris, Stellan Skarsgård, Emilia Clarke, Kit Harington, Justin Theroux, Carrie Coon, Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Regina King, Dominic West, James Gandolfini, and Pedro Pascal. Pamela Adlon, Larry David, and Bill Hader are co-creators and stars on their respective series. And the rest of them are made by David Simon, Damon Lindelof, Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Jon Favreau, Gillian Flynn, Craig Mazin, Joe Weisberg, Mitchell Hurwitz, David Benioff, D.B. Weiss, Dahvi Waller, Jesse Armstrong, Armando Iannucci, Jac Schaeffer, and David Chase.

Of course, this list cannot possibly cover everything. And that’s why we have separate recommendations for some select genres that you should also check out. We also have similar articles for best series on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.

The Best Comedy Series on Disney+ Hotstar

The Best Drama Series on Disney+ Hotstar

The Best Mystery and Thriller Series on Disney+ Hotstar

1. The Americans (2013 – 2018)

   Set during the Cold War, two Russian spies (Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell) who have kids pose as an American family living in 1980s Washington, D.C., to spy on the US government. Excellent from start to finish, thanks to terrific writing and acting, bolstered by a family focus and resonating themes.

2. Arrested Development (2003 – 2019)

   The only level-headed offspring (Jason Bateman) of a formerly wealthy dysfunctional family, made up of members more oddball and eccentric than the previous one, must manage family affairs after the dad (Jeffrey Tambor) is imprisoned. Considered one of the best sitcoms of all time, it fell off a cliff after three seasons. Tambor stands accused in the #MeToo movement.

3. Band of Brothers (2001)

   A 10-part miniseries based on Stephen Ambrose’s 1992 book about a World War II unit called Easy Company — offering an intense look at the horrors of war through dramatisation, interviews and archive footage — which begins with their training in 1942 and ends with Allied victory in Europe in 1945.
4. Barry (2018 – Present)

   A dark comedy about a former US Marine (Bill Hader, also co-creator, writer, and director) working as a hit man in the Midwest, who goes to Los Angeles for a job and discovers a new passion for acting as he gets involved with eager hopefuls in the local theatre scene.

5. Better Things (2016 – Present)

   Pamela Adlon is the creator and star of this comedy-drama, about a single mother who struggles to balance raising her three girls and her career as an actor. Just like its protagonist, the show has charted its own path, pairing caustic humour and poignant observation in marvellous ways.

6. Chernobyl (2019)

   Centred on the 1986 nuclear disaster in Soviet Ukraine, a five-part look at what caused it, why it happened, whom it affected, and how people responded — from the first responders to the leader of the Soviet Union. Masterfully made, it offers a riveting look at the human cost of institutional dysfunction caused by state censorship.
7. Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000 – Present)

   Seinfeld co-creator Larry David plays a fictionalised version of himself in this semi-improvised sitcom about a semi-retired TV writer dealing with cringe-inducing situations, mostly caused by his own faux pas. Laugh out loud during its original run, and returned to those heights in 2020 after a dip in season 9. Before you begin, watch the hour-long special, Larry David: Curb Your Enthusiasm, also on Disney+ Hotstar.

8. The Deuce (2017 – 2019)

   The Wire creator David Simon brings his storytelling touch to 1970s New York, following the moment in time when the sex-trade went from being a back-alley thing to a legalised billion-dollar market in the US. Stars James Franco and Maggie Gyllenhaal in leading roles, with the former playing twin brothers.

9. Game of Thrones (2011 – 2019)

   Based on George R.R. Martin’s unfinished “A Song of Ice and Fire” series of novels, the most popular show of the 2010s follows the power struggles between seven medieval kingdoms, in a fantasy world filled with death, dragons, and colourful characters. Storytelling suffered in later years, after it ran out of source material.

10. The Leftovers (2014 – 2017)

    Based on Tom Perrotta’s novel of the same name, this supernatural drama is set a few years after the sudden disappearance of two percent of the global population, and how it impacted the ones left behind. Grew in critical reception during its run, ending as one of the best shows of all time as it provided a deeply affective portrayal of the meaningless of life.
11. The Mandalorian (2019 – Present)

    Pedro Pascal stars as the titular unnamed helmeted bounty hunter and lone gunfighter in the first-ever live-action Star Wars series, set after the fall of the Empire (Episode VI: Return of the Jedi) and before the emergence of the First Order (Episode VII: The Force Awakens). His life is about to be upended by his latest bounty target. A Disney+ original.

12. Mrs. America (2020)

    Cate Blanchett is excellent in this period drama about the conservative backlash to the Equal Rights Amendment, led by one Phyllis Schlafly (Blanchett), which essentially set the stage for modern-day US politics. The likes of Rose Byrne, Elizabeth Banks, Uzo Aduba, Margo Martindale, John Slattery, and Sarah Paulson co-star, some as well-known feminist activists.

13. Sharp Objects (2018)

    Gone Girl author Gillian Flynn brings another one of her complex female protagonists to screen in this miniseries, with Amy Adams playing a journalist who returns to her small hometown to report on the murders of two preteen girls and finds herself involved a little too closely owing to her dark past.
14. The Sopranos (1999 – 2007)

    Considered one of the greatest TV shows of all time, this six-season drama chronicled the life of New Jersey-based Italian-American mobster (James Gandolfini), who turns to a psychiatrist as he has trouble balancing family life and being the crime boss. Solid on all fronts — engaging characters, strong cast, moral discussions, and dark humour — it’s well-remembered and debated for its controversial final shot.

15. Succession (2018 – Present)

    Who knew that the next Game of Thrones would be a contemporary satire about the fight over a fictional media empire, centred on a dysfunctional family of cutthroats: the detached oldest son, the power-hungry second born, the irreverent third, and the savvy youngest daughter, and the founder and the patriarch, who prioritises business over his kids. Emmy, Golden Globe and BAFTA winner.

16. Veep (2012 – 2019)

    A satirical take on the inner workings of the US government, following a senator (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) chosen to serve as the Vice President, and the hilarious antics of her incompetent staff. Won the Emmy three years in a row, while Louis-Dreyfus has racked up six straight wins. Didn’t have the same bite in later years, but still one of the best.

17. WandaVision (2021)

    Marvel Studios goes full experimental with its first-ever series, as it follows an unusual couple — a powerful magical being (Elizabeth Olsen) and an android (Paul Bettany) — who are married but stuck in ever-changing traditional American sitcom tropes through the decades. It’s essentially a sitcom with Avengers that’s really about mental illness.
18. Watchmen (2019)

    Lost co-creator Damon Lindelof bravely pushes the superhero genre with this “remixed” miniseries follow-up to writer Alan Moore and artist Dave Gibbons’ seminal 1987 comic book series of the same name. Set 34 years after the events of the original, a police detective and vigilante (Regina King) digs into the murder of a friend, which has ties to a white supremacist group’s evil plan.

19. The Wire (2002 – 2008)

    A complex, unflinching examination of the societal ills plaguing Baltimore, always focused on the city’s illegal drug trade and touching upon the waterfront, politicians, school system, and media consumption as season-long subplots. Told the story from all angles and remains one of the best shows of all-time.