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The 50 Best Shows on Hulu Right Now
While Netflix seemingly led the way for other streaming networks to create compelling original programming, Hulu actually beat them all to the punch. In 2011, a year before Netflix’s Lilyhammer and two years before the arrival of House of Cards, the burgeoning streamer premiered The Morning After, a pop-culture-focused news show that ran for 800 episodes over three years.
Hulu has continued to make TV history in the years since, most notably in 2017 when it became the first streamer to win an Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series with The Handmaid’s Tale (which recently dropped its long-awaited final season). In the years since, the streamer has continued to match—and often exceed—that high bar for quality entertainment with shows like Shōgun, which recently set an Emmy record with 18 wins in a single season, and The Bear, which took home 11 Emmys in 2024.
While more competition has popped up since Hulu started gaining critical credibility, the network has continued to stand out for its carefully curated selection of original series and network partnerships that make it the home of FX series and more. Below are some of our favorite shows streaming on Hulu right now.
Not finding what you’re looking for? Head to WIRED’s guide to the best TV shows on Amazon Prime, the best TV shows on Disney+, and the best shows on Netflix. Have other suggestions for this list? Let us know in the comments.
Alien: Earth
With Fargo, Noah Hawley proved that he could transform an iconic movie into a compelling TV series. Now he’s done it again with Alien: Earth, a prequel series that takes place just two years before the events of Ridley Scott’s original Alien movie. The series revolves around the Prodigy Corporation, a tech company that has come up with a way to transfer the consciousness of terminally ill children into the bodies of synthetic beings. Wendy (Sydney Chandler) is one of these “hybrids,” whose memory of her past turns out to be a complication, especially when she volunteers herself and her fellow hybrids to investigate the mysterious crash of a Weyland-Yutani research spacecraft, which houses all sorts of horrors—and creatures.
King of the Hill
Fifteen years after saying goodbye, Mike Judge and Greg Daniels’ beloved animated series is taking viewers back to Arlen, Texas, home of propane salesman Hank Hill (Judge), his wife Peggy (Kathy Najimy), and their son Bobby (Pamela Adlon). Hank and Peggy have been away for a while, living in Saudi Arabia while Hank saves for their retirement. But their return home is bittersweet, for as much as Arlen has remained the same, the world around them has changed.
Dope Girls
Though it’s not based on a true story, Dope Girls is inspired by a nonfiction book, Marek Cohen’s Dope Girls: The Birth of the British Drug Underground, and a very real part of British history. In the wake of World War I, Kate Galloway (Julianne Nicholson) is a widow and mom who needs to provide for her family. She ends up building one of London’s most popular underground nightclubs, and a drug empire that would make Walter White blush.
Washington Black
Esi Edugyan’s 2018 best-selling historical fiction novel gets the miniseries treatment via Hulu. Eleven-year-old George Washington “Wash” Black (Ernest Kingsley Jr.) flees from his native Barbados to Nova Scotia following a tragic incident at the plantation where he was enslaved. Once free, Wash meets Medwin Harris (Sterling K. Brown), who is impressed with Wash’s intelligence and determination, and sees a lot of himself in the youngster. So he takes him under his wing in order to help him make the most of the second chance at life he has been given.
The Bear
Carmen “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) is a superstar of the fine-dining world who has returned to his hometown of Chicago to save his family’s failing sandwich shop after his brother’s death by suicide. While Carmy initially struggles to acclimate himself to being home and to his inherited kitchen’s back-to-basics style, he eventually realizes that it’s not too late to change both himself and the restaurant. Anyone who has ever worked in a busy kitchen knows the stress that comes with it, and The Bear does an excellent job of making that tension palpable. While the plot sounds simple enough, much of Carmy’s previous life is a bit of a mystery, and it’s doled out in amuse-bouche-sized bits throughout the series with top-tier guest stars you may not have seen coming. (Fact: Jamie Lee Curtis has never been better, as evidenced by her recent—and very first—Emmy win.) The Bear’s fourth season answers viewers’ pressing questions about Carmy’s partnership with Syd (Ayo Edebiri) and what the future holds for their restaurant. Prepare to feast.
Such Brave Girls
Comedian/actress Kat Sadler created and stars in this deeply messy, darkly funny story of a totally dysfunctional family—mom Deb (Sherlock’s Louise Brealey) and daughters Josie (Sadler) and Billie (Lizzie Davidson, Sadler’s real-life sister)—attempting to pick up the pieces after their husband/father leaves them. It’s cringe-comedy at its finest, and the kind that will appeal to fans of Fleabag. The series’ second season arrived in July.
Adults
Though many have dubbed Adults a Gen Z version of Friends, the similarities begin and end with the fact that it’s about a group of twentysomething pals trying to find themselves in New York City. When Samir’s (Malik Elassal) parents take off traveling, he invites a few of his pals—Anton (Owen Thiele), Billie (Lucy Freyer), and Issa (Amita Rao)—to come crash with him at his childhood home in Queens. While they all see it as a chance to supercharge their jump into adulthood, complete with hosting dinner parties, they soon realize they’re each in over their heads in their own ways when it comes to taking on the responsibilities that come with being a part of the real world.
Welcome to Wrexham
In 2020, actor pals Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney (now legally known simply as “Rob Mac”) decided to take their friendship to the next level—by purchasing Wales’ Wrexham AFC, one of the world’s oldest football (aka soccer) clubs, which had long been struggling and was on the verge of possibly disappearing altogether. Enter the two Hollywood stars and their dreams of bringing the club back to its former glory. Like a real-life Ted Lasso, this docuseries follows the two as they begin to understand that what might have started as a lark is a literally game-changing turn for the players and people of Wrexham in reclaiming their storied sporting history. The series returned for a fourth season in May and has a fifth already in the works.
The Handmaid’s Tale
When Margaret Atwood wrote The Handmaid’s Tale in 1985, little did she know that its television adaptation would revolutionize the still-nascent world of original streaming content. And she may not have anticipated just how many parallels her dystopian classic would share with the real world at the time it was adapted into an award-winning television series. It’s set in an unnamed time in what is presumably the very near future, when the United States has been taken over by a fundamentalist group known as Gilead, under whose regime women are considered property and stripped of any personal rights. The most valuable women are those who are fertile, as infertility has become an epidemic, and they are kept as handmaids who are forced to take part in sexual rituals with high-ranking couples in order to bear their children. Recognizing the power she wields, Offred, aka June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss), is not content to remain enslaved and sets about changing the rules as she seeks to reunite with her lost husband and daughter, becoming romantically entangled with a Gilead Guardian (Max Minghella) in the process. The Handmaid’s Tale’s sixth, and final, season is streaming in full now.
Dying for Sex
Five-time Oscar nominee Michelle Williams plays Molly Kochan, a young woman trapped in a loveless marriage who learns that she has terminal stage IV breast cancer. After revealing that she has never had an orgasm with another person, it becomes apparent to Molly and everyone caring for her that this should be at the top of her bucket list. Realizing she doesn’t have much time left, Molly leaves her husband and, with the help of her best friend Nikki (Jenny Slate), sets out to achieve the sexual satisfaction that has eluded her all her life—with unexpected consequences. New Girl creator Liz Meriwether teamed up with Kim Rosenstock (Only Murders in the Building) to create this hit new series, which is based on the life of the real Molly Kochan, creator of the Dying for Sex podcast, which launched in 2020.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia
If you thought the characters on Seinfeld were terrible people, wait until you meet the gang from Paddy’s Pub. For 20 years, Dennis (Glenn Howerton), Mac (Robert “Rob Mac” McElhenney), Charlie (Charlie Day), Sweet Dee (Kaitlin Olson), and Frank (Danny DeVito) have unapologetically plotted against each other and total strangers in a series of completely self-centered schemes with absolutely no regard for the rules of civility. The show follows the “no hugging and no learning” rule Larry David established for Seinfeld, but elevates it to a new level of sociopathy. “Dennis and Dee Go on Welfare,” “Sweet Dee Has a Heart Attack,” “How Mac Got Fat,” “Dennis Looks Like a Registered Sex Offender,” “The Gang Turns Black,” and “The Gang Goes to a Water Park” are just some of the offbeat adventures awaiting viewers. In 2021, Sunny became the longest-running live-action sitcom in the history of television, and it shows no signs of slowing down—or taking it easy on its characters. It also happens to be one of the easiest shows to binge: Pop an episode on and, without even realizing it, you’ll be on to another season. Its 17th (!!) season arrived on July 9 with at least one more already confirmed.
Big Boys
Creator Jack Rooke won a well-deserved BAFTA Award in 2024 for this semi-autobiographical dramedy about a closeted 19-year-old—also named Jack (Dylan Llewellyn)—who, after a year of mourning the death of his father at home with his overprotective mom, leaves for university. There, he’s paired up with Danny (Jon Pointing), a 25-year-old more interested in meeting women than studying, as his roommate. As Jack struggles to become comfortable with his sexuality, he also comes to understand the truth behind Danny’s seemingly extroverted personality. Yes, it’s a coming-of-age story and one in which opposites attract (on a purely platonic level). But it’s also a laugh-out-loud funny series that shows there is life after death.
Deli Boys
Pakistani American brothers Mir (Asif Ali) and Raj (Saagar Shaikh) Dar have spent their entire lives wanting for nothing, thanks to the hard work of their father, who owns a chain of convenience stores. But after a freak accident kills dear old dad, the brothers are expected to take on the family business which, unbeknownst to them, is actually a front for a drug smuggling empire. While their antics are undoubtedly hilarious, the series does attempt to paint a truthful portrait of the immigrant experience—even if it’s often through an absurdist lens.
A Thousand Blows
If Netflix’s Adolescence has you seeking out more of Stephen Graham’s work, check out Steven Knight’s A Thousand Blows—the Peaky Blinders creator’s newest British historical drama in which crime and violence collide. In this case it’s an all-female crime syndicate, the Forty Elephants, who are at the center of the action, with Mary Carr (Erin Doherty) as their leader. When Mary’s crew crosses notorious kingpin Sugar Goodson (Graham), she turns to Hezekiah Moscow (Malachi Kirby) and Alec Munroe (Francis Lovehall), two young men who have recently emigrated from Jamaica in order to make a better life for themselves, to help her escape Goodson’s wrath.
Devil in the Family: The Fall of Ruby Franke
In 2015, thirtysomething Mormon mom of six Ruby Franke became one of YouTube’s most popular mommy vloggers with her channel, 8 Passengers. But as Franke’s popularity grew, so too did questions surrounding her punishment-prone style of parenting. Eight years later, Franke’s 12-year-old son showed up at a stranger’s door—looking emaciated and covered in open wounds and duct tape—asking the man to call the police as he was being abused. Franke’s roller-coaster ride from “perfect” mom to child abuser has been making headlines for years, but this three-part docuseries goes behind the scenes with exclusive interviews and footage that shed new light on the truth behind the tragedy.
Paradise
This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman reteams with that award-winning series’ star, Sterling K. Brown, for an intricate political thriller which plays with time to slowly reveal the details of a secret service agent (Brown) tasked with protecting the president (James Marsden) who ultimately becomes a suspect in the POTUS’ death. Expect many twists—including a massive one to kick off the series in episode 1. A second season is already in the works and will add Shailene Woodley, Thomas Doherty, Michael McGrady, and Timothy Omundson to the cast. It is expected to premiere in early 2026.
Scamanda
“Why would somebody fake cancer?” That’s the question asked—and that ABC News attempts to answer—in this true crime docuseries based on the podcast of the same name. The four-part special recounts the life and lies of Amanda C. Riley, a wife, mother, churchgoer, and popular mommy blogger who was celebrated for sharing her fight against Hodgkin’s lymphoma with the world … only to have it all blow up in her face.
Accused
Like a reverse engineered version of Law & Order, Accused—adapted by Homeland cocreator Howard Gordon from the acclaimed British series of the same name—follows the justice system from the perspective of the accused. Each episode begins with the defendant in the courtroom and recounts (via flashbacks) the circumstances that led them there. Like Dick Wolf’s iconic crime series, each episode is full of familiar faces, from Whitney Cummings and Wendell Pierce to Molly Parker and Margo Martindale.
Say Nothing
Fact and fiction combine in this historical drama based on Patrick Radden Keefe’s novel that follows the lives of a group of people growing up in Belfast during the Troubles and their dealings with the Provisional IRA. Much of the story focuses on the Disappeared—a group of 16 people who went missing during the Troubles and were believed to have been kidnapped and murdered. Jean McConville was one of these individuals, both the only woman among them and the only Irish Catholic convert. Nearly 50 years later, many questions remain about these individuals. While Say Nothing doesn’t attempt to answer all of these questions, it does add fascinating context to the events.
Interior Chinatown
Willis Wu (Jimmy O. Yang) is a waiter who attempts to escape his humdrum life by imagining that he is a background actor in a Law & Order-esque TV show called Black & White. After Wu witnesses a kidnapping, police detective Lana Lee (Chloe Bennet) enlists him to help investigate and take down the local gangs in Chinatown—where he discovers something about his own family in the process. Nothing is what it seems in this meta comedy-crime series, which Charles Yu adapted from his own National Book Award–winning novel. The Daily Show’s Ronny Chieng ups the comedy as Wu’s coworker/BFF Fatty Choi, and Taika Waititi (one of the show’s executive producers) directs the pilot.
What We Do in the Shadows
If you are in need of a laugh-out-loud comedy (and don’t mind if it’s of the sometimes R-rated kind), there are few better than What We Do in the Shadows. In 2014, Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi cowrote, codirected, and costarred in a feature of the same name—a funny mockumentary featuring a group of vampires who share a home. This series, which premiered in 2019, moved the vampire action from New Zealand to Staten Island and brought in a whole new group of vampires—who struggle to even get up off the couch, let alone take over all of New York City (as they’ve been instructed to). After several years, they finally seem ready to get around to the task. All six seasons of the series, which wrapped up its run in late 2024, are available for streaming.
La Máquina
Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna have been close friends since childhood, and it shows in the work they’ve done together—most famously in Alfonso Cuarón’s Oscar-nominated Y Tu Mamá También (2001). More than two decades later, their onscreen chemistry is still potent, as evidenced by this Spanish-language boxing drama. Esteban (Bernal) is an aging boxer whose manager/BFF Andy (Luna) persuades him to step into the ring one last time before he officially retires. But as the match looms closer, the criminal underbelly of the sport rears its head—forcing Esteban to determine what parts of his life he’s willing to sacrifice. With just six episodes in all, La Máquina moves fast. Don’t flinch.
How to Die Alone
Former Saturday Night Live and Insecure writer Natasha Rothwell—whom you might know from her Emmy-nominated turn as spa manager Belinda in seasons 1 and 3 of The White Lotus—created and stars in this eight-episode series. Mel (Rothwell) is an employee at New York City’s JFK Airport who is content with the uneventful life she has built for herself. But when she has a sudden brush with death, she decides to take her life into her own hands. While it’s not the first series to explore matters of life and death, it does so in a way that is both beautifully nuanced and laugh-out-loud funny—all of it anchored by Rothwell’s performance. On February 4, Hulu announced that it had canceled the series after one season—a move that has Rothwell “baffled” and looking for a new network to produce season 2.
English Teacher
Television audiences are hardly lacking in high school–set comedies, or in really great high school–set comedies, and/or really great high school–set comedies that focus on the teacher perspective (see: Abbott Elementary). English Teacher fits into that elite niche. Brian Jordan Alvarez—who was behind the award-winning 2016 web series The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo—both created and stars in the show, in which he portrays an English teacher in Austin, Texas, who is dedicated to making an impact on his students, even if he sometimes needs to depend on their teenage wisdom to figure out the right way to do that. While it doesn’t shy away from the politics that exist in the teaching profession, the series—which has already been renewed for another season—also presents the “adults” as often just as lost as the kids they teach.
Only Murders in the Building
Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez make for a delightful trio of true-crime-obsessed podcast fans who, in season 1 of this original Hulu series, decide to join forces and create their own podcast while attempting to solve the mysterious death of a fellow resident of their Manhattan apartment building. From the very beginning of their odd alliance, it’s been clear that all is not what it seems, and everyone is keeping secrets. Now they’ve upped the ante on guest stars, too; the third season saw Paul Rudd and Meryl Streep join in the fun. Streep returned for the show’s fourth season, and was joined by Eugene Levy, Kumail Nanjiani, Tina Fey, Melissa McCarthy, Zach Galifianakis, and Eva Longoria. Season 5 is already in the works, with Renée Zellweger, Christoph Waltz, and Keegan-Michael Key, Téa Leoni, Logan Lerman, and Beanie Feldstein among the already-confirmed guest stars. It’s expected to premiere in October 2025.
Solar Opposites
This animated sci-fi comedy, which premiered in 2020, is about a family of aliens from the planet Shlorp who crash-land on Earth—for better or worse. The show is rooted in the idea that humans are, well, weird. Which seems appropriate given this current moment in time. Yet, in between the laughs and occasional threat to humanity, it maintains a positive outlook on the world and the people who inhabit it. Which is something we could probably all use right about now. The show’s sixth season, which is expected to premiere in the fall, will also be its last.
Futurama
Following a decade-long hiatus, Futurama—Matt Groening and David X. Cohen’s animated sci-fi comedy—made a triumphant return in 2023, complete with gags about Twilight Zone and “Momazon” drone deliveries. Now is the perfect time to dive back in—or watch it all for the first time. All 12 seasons of the series are currently available for streaming with two more confirmed. Season 13 will kick off on September 15 and will drop all episodes at once, a shift from its previous one-episode-per-week strategy.
We Were the Lucky Ones
In Radom, Poland, the Kurcs are a loving family who seem to have it all—until the horrors of the Holocaust invade the serenity of their everyday lives. As World War II arrives on their doorstep, the family is separated—escaping to France, Brazil, West Africa, and Russia. Some are in hiding, others in concentration camps. But they’re all focused on one goal: surviving the war and reuniting with each other.
Queenie
Queenie Jenkins (Dionne Brown) is a Jamaican-British twentysomething whose world is thrown into an upheaval following an ugly breakup with her boyfriend. That messiness follows Queenie into the next chapter in her life, when she attempts to pick up the pieces of her failed relationship while frequently butting heads with her family and trying to reconcile her dual cultures. Candice Carty-Williams adapts her own bestselling novel to create a poignant dramedy that’s ultimately about trauma and healing.
Black Twitter: A People’s History
In the late 2000s—back when Elon Musk was just that car-and-spaceship billionaire—Twitter was more than a social media network. It was a genuine gathering place for people to find their people, whether that was Film Twitter or Cat Twitter. For Black Twitter, it was a lot more. This three-part docuseries, based on WIRED senior writer Jason Parham’s 2021 cover story, recounts the most important moments and movements that helped solidify the Black Twitter community’s place as a cultural force in the world, from politics and beyond.
Under the Bridge
Riley Keough and Lily Gladstone (who earned an Emmy nomination for her work in the show) make a formidable duo as an author and a police officer, respectively, investigating the brutal murder of a 14-year-old girl in a small town in Canada. The limited series is based on Rebecca Godfrey’s award-winning 2005 book of the same name (with Keough portraying Godfrey), and is a haunting reminder of what human beings are capable of.
Shōgun
Game of Thrones fans still lamenting the loss of one of television’s great epics have found their new favorite binge-watch in Shōgun, which took home a record 18 Emmys (with 25 nods altogether) in 2024. This 10-episode series, based on James Clavell’s beloved novel (which was first adapted into a miniseries in 1980), is a brilliant and sweeping tale of political rivalry in feudal Japan where Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), a powerful warrior, has a target put on his back by his political rivals in the Council of Regents. Fortunately for Toranaga, he’s got Toda Mariko (Anna Sawai), a talented translator and fiercely loyal samurai, by his side. Shōgun was originally positioned as a one-and-done limited series, but FX and Hulu have already confirmed that two more seasons are in the works, with the next expected to arrive in 2027.
Abbott Elementary
Quinta Brunson created and stars in this hit series, which follows the daily lives—in and out of the classroom—of a group of teachers at what is widely considered one of the worst public schools in America. Despite a lack of funding for even basic educational necessities, and school district leaders who only care about the barest minimum standards, these educators are united by their drive to surpass expectations and encourage their students to do the same.
Fargo
Noah Hawley’s anthology series isn’t the first attempt to adapt the Coen brothers’ Oscar-winning crime-comedy to the small screen (Edie Falco starred in a previous version, which was a more straightforward adaptation of the movie), but his approach was clearly the smarter move. Fans of the Coens in general will find lots to love about the many nods to the filmmakers’ entire filmography, with each season covering a different crime and time period. Though the seasons do share connections, each one is a total one-off, and the show might boast the most talented group of actors ever assembled: Billy Bob Thornton, Martin Freeman, Bob Odenkirk, Oliver Platt, Ted Danson, Patrick Wilson, Nick Offerman, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Ewan McGregor, Michael Stuhlbarg, Carrie Coon, Scoot McNairy, Chris Rock, Jason Schwartzman, Timothy Olyphant, and Ben Whishaw are just a few of the names who’ve found a home in Fargo. The fantastic fifth season—featuring Juno Temple, Jon Hamm, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Joe Keery, and Lamorne Morris (who won an Emmy for his role)—continued this tradition of exceptional acting, with all episodes streaming now.
A Murder at the End of the World
Darby Hart (Emma Corrin) is a talented hacker and armchair detective who is one of eight guests invited to spend a few days at the stunning yet remote home of a mysterious billionaire (Clive Owen). When one of the guests ends up dead, Darby must work quickly to prove that it was murder—and who did it—before the bodies start piling up. Fans of twisty true crime will appreciate this limited series, which comes from the minds of Brit Marling (who costars) and Zal Batmanglij—cocreators of the equally mind-bending The OA.
Moonlighting
While Die Hard turned Bruce Willis into one of Hollywood’s biggest action stars, he was far from producers’ first choice for the role of John McClane. That’s largely because he was seen as the funny guy from Moonlighting, the Emmy-winning ’80s dramedy that centers around the Blue Moon Detective Agency and its two often-bickering owners, David Addison (Willis) and Maddie Hayes (Cybill Shepherd). Over the course of its five seasons, the series racked up some serious critical acclaim and wasn’t afraid to experiment with the sitcom format.
The Other Black Girl
Sinclair Daniel shines as Nella Rogers, an up-and-coming book editor—and the only Black employee at the publishing house where she works. While Nella is initially thrilled when another young woman of color, Hazel-May McCall (Ashleigh Murray), is hired as an assistant, she can’t help but notice that a series of bizarre events seems to follow. As Nella tries to suss out exactly what is going on, she uncovers some pretty damn disturbing skeletons in her employer’s closet. While horror-comedies are an increasingly popular movie genre, we don’t see them on the small screen quite as often—which, if this clever series is any indication, is a real shame. Also unfortunate: One season is all we’ll get of The Other Black Girl.
The Full Monty
Twenty-six years after a low-budget British comedy blew up at the box office, scored an Oscar, and introduced “the Full Monty” into the popular lexicon, the Regular Joes turned strippers from Sheffield are back to face largely the same issues they were lamenting in the original feature film (which is also streaming on Hulu). Much of the main cast reassembled for this follow-up to Peter Cattaneo’s hit 1997 movie, including two-time Oscar nominee Tom Wilkinson, who passed away in late December. Stripping is involved, as are other inevitables in life, including breakups, reconciliations, and death. For fans of the original movie—or the Broadway musical and stage play that followed—it’s a fun check-in with the characters who bared it all.
The Office (UK)
Years before there was Jim and Pam and Dwight and Michael, there were Tim and Dawn and Gareth and David. For lovers of cringe, it’s hard to do better than Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant’s workplace comedy. David Brent (Gervais) is the original boss from hell, whose office antics will have you covering your eyes and laughing out loud at the same time. Like many British series, there are just two seasons—each consisting of a mere six episodes—plus a two-part Christmas special. Don’t be surprised if you sit down to watch a single episode and binge it all in one go.
Cheers
In the 1980s, NBC was the channel to watch on Thursday nights—in large part thanks to Cheers. The bar where everybody knows your name is where the action happens in this award-winning sitcom about a former Red Sox player (Ted Danson) and the lovable employees and patrons who treat his bar like a second home. If you can look past (or, even better, embrace) the questionable ’80s fashion and sometimes-sexist storylines that wouldn’t necessarily fly on TV today, you’ll find what is arguably one of the smartest sitcoms ever written. More than 40 years after its original premiere, the jokes still stand up and the characters are some of television’s most memorable (and beloved) for a reason.
Dopesick
Back in 2021, Hulu went where Netflix’s Painkiller went in 2023: to the late ’90s and early 2000s, aka the beginning of America’s opioid crisis. Danny Strong created this retelling of the lengths to which Richard Sackler (played here by the always excellent Michael Stuhlbarg) and Purdue Pharma would go to sell doctors on the powers of OxyContin—all with the promise of no addiction. Michael Keaton won an Emmy for his portrayal of a widowed doctor in Appalachia who buys into the lies, and eventually becomes a victim of them.
Reservation Dogs
Taika Waititi and Sterlin Harjo cocreated this Peabody Award–winning series, which made history as the first mainstream TV show created by, starring, and crewed by an almost entirely Indigenous American team. It tells the story of four bored teens who are desperate to escape their lives on a reservation in Oklahoma. They decide that California is where they want to be and commit to a life of mostly petty crimes in order to save up enough money to leave. The full three seasons are available to watch now, including the brilliant series sendoff.
The Great
Elle Fanning and Nicholas Hoult shine in this witty, fast-paced, comedic retelling (but not really) of Catherine the Great’s rise to power. Created by Tony McNamara, who earned Oscar nominations for his writing work on both The Favourite and Poor Things, The Great offers the same combination of lush costumes and scenery mixed with a biting commentary on the world, and a woman’s place in it. A story that rings as true today as it did in the 18th century, when Catherine the Great became empress of Russia and brought about the Age of Enlightenment, this show chips away at notions of class, propriety, and monarchical rule in a way few others do. If it’s historical accuracy you’re after, look elsewhere; the series’ creators describe it as decidedly “anti-historical” (which is part of the fun). All three seasons are available to stream.
Tiny Beautiful Things
The reason to watch this eight-part limited series can be summed up in two words: Kathryn Hahn. A comedic juggernaut, Hahn can switch from funny to dramatic in the same scene, if not the same sentence. This talent is on display in Tiny Beautiful Things, where she plays Claire, a writer who takes up an advice column and pours all the traumas of her life into responding to her readers. Based on Wild author Cheryl Strayed’s collection of “Dear Sugar” columns, the vignettes here may be a bit out of sorts, but Hahn pulls them together.
Dave
Dave Burd is a comedian and rapper who goes by the stage name Lil Dicky. In Dave, Burd plays a rapper who goes by the stage name Lil Dicky and is attempting to raise his profile and make a much bigger name for himself. If only his many neuroses didn’t keep getting in the way. While Dave could have easily turned into some mediocre experiment in meta storytelling, Burd—who cocreated the series, stars in it, and has written several episodes—grapples with some surprisingly touchy topics, including mental illness. And he does it all with a level of sensitivity and honesty that you might not expect from a guy named Lil Dicky. Despite the show’s popularity and critical acclaim, the three seasons currently streaming may be all we get of Dave. In early 2024, Burd announced that he’d be pressing “pause” on the series in order to explore other creative ventures. (But never say never.)
Atlanta
Donald Glover proved himself to be a quadruple threat of an actor, writer, musician, and comedian with this highly acclaimed FX series about Earnest “Earn” Marks (Glover), an aspiring music manager who is trying to help his cousin Alfred Miles, aka Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Henry), kick off his musical career. They’re surrounded by a supportive crew of friends, including Alfred’s BFF, Darius (LaKeith Stanfield), and Van (Zazie Beetz), Earn’s close friend and the mother of his child. This makes it all sound like a fairly straightforward buddy comedy, but Atlanta is so much more. Even better: It’s weird. Glover is not afraid to experiment with storytelling, which is part of what makes the show so compelling.
Baskets
Zach Galifianakis stars alongside Zach Galifianakis as twin brothers Chip and Dale Baskets in this unexpectedly moving family comedy about an aspiring clown (Chip) who fails to graduate from a fancy clowning school in Paris and is forced to return home to Bakersfield, California, where he lives with his mother (the late Louie Anderson) and is constantly belittled by his higher-achieving brother (Dale). Between the dual role for Galifianakis and Anderson as the mom, it may sound like a cheap bit of stunt casting that can’t sustain more than an episode, let alone multiple character arcs. But if you’re a fan of absurdist comedy, Baskets truly ranks among the best of them. And Anderson, who won his first and only Emmy for his role as Costco-loving Christine, is absolutely transcendent. While it received a fair amount of critical acclaim, Baskets could rightly be considered one of the most underseen and underappreciated series in recent memory.
The Dropout
Amanda Seyfried won a much deserved Outstanding Lead Actress Emmy for her portrayal of the notorious Stanford dropout turned health care technology maven Elizabeth Holmes, who tricked some of the world’s savviest business minds into investing in her company, Theranos. While Holmes’ goal was altruistic enough—making health care more accessible to the masses via a device that could detect any number of diseases with little more than a single finger prick of blood—the technology wasn’t able to catch up. Rather than admit defeat, she kept pushing, making business deals and promises she could never fulfill.
Letterkenny
What began as a web series is now a Hulu original that wrapped up its eleventh season in December. The show is a portrait of small-town Canada (the fictional Letterkenny of the title) and focuses on siblings Wayne (cocreator Jared Keeso) and Katy (Michelle Mylett), who run a produce stand with help from friends Daryl (Nathan Dales) and Squirrely Dan (K. Trevor Wilson). As is often the case in small-town series, many of the residents fall into specific categories—in Letterkenny, you could be a gym rat, a hick, a skid (their word for a drug addict), or a “native” (a member of the nearby First Nation reservation). But in contrast to many small-town series, these groups—and the individuals who comprise them—aren’t reduced to meaningless stereotypes.
Pen15
Mining the awkwardness of one’s middle school years is hardly a new comedy concept. But being in your early thirties and playing yourself as a junior high school student and then surrounding yourself with age-appropriate actors who are actually going through that hellish rite of passage brings a whole new layer of cringe and humor. This is exactly what cocreators/stars Maya Erskine and Anna Konkle did for Pen15.
How to Sit Properly at a Desk
It’s not just about finding a chair you like. We’ve rounded up several tips on how to set up your desk properly here, but here are a few highlights.
Sitting for too long in a day is not good for your health, no matter what chair you use. It increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, stroke, and heart disease. The best thing you can do is get up and move every half hour. If you can, a 40-minute walk per day can, according to a recent study, make a big difference in countering some effects of a sedentary lifestyle. You probably don’t need to bother with an active chair. Our recommendation? Try a smartwatch. Most have movement reminders that encourage you to stretch your legs. If you’re dealing with back pain, your first step is to consult your physician.
Make sure your chair’s armrests are adjustable. Your palms should be elevated over your desk, which should be elbow-level, and your wrists should be straight. If the bottom of your palm is resting on the desk or wrist rest, there’s a chance you’re putting too much pressure on your nerves, which could lead to issues like carpal tunnel syndrome. Talk to your physician if you’re feeling any kind of pain. A gaming mouse, often more ergonomic than a standard mouse, might be helpful; just make sure to find one that fits your palm size.
When you look forward, your eyes should align with the top of your monitor or laptop. That might mean finding a chair that can adjust up and down, elevating your laptop with a stand, or raising the height of your monitor. This puts less pressure on your neck and spine—you shouldn’t be craning your neck up or down.
What Should I Look for in an Office Chair?
A good rule of thumb is that the more adjustable a chair is, the better. Now, that doesn’t mean this chair is the absolute best, but it gives you the possibility to mold it to your body shape, which hopefully makes it a comfier and more supportive seat. Here’s what you can expect to adjust on a chair.
Armrests: Most chairs let you move the armrests side to side, up and down, forward and back. It’s even nicer when you’re able to lock the armrest into place so that they don’t slide around as your elbows rest on them. The armrest should naturally allow your palms to slightly hover over the desk. You’ll often see descriptors like “4D” and “5D adjustable armrests,” which denotes how many directions you can adjust the armrest.
Seat height: It’s worth checking a chair’s maximum and minimum height before you buy because they might not work for your current desk (unless you have a standing desk where you can adjust the height). This is usually a pneumatic lift lever under the chair—pull the lever and get off the seat to let the chair go up, then sit on it and pull the lever to bring it down to your preference. Your feet should be planted on the floor at a 90- or 100-degree angle. If your chair arrives and it doesn’t get as high as you’d like, don’t worry, there’s a very simple fix. Some office chair brands offer “tall cylinders” for not a lot of money, and if not, you can usually find third-party options on retailers like Amazon (make sure you buy for your specific chair!). Simply swap your existing cylinder with the tall version, and you’ll have a greater height range to work with. You may be able to choose this option before checking out, or reach out to the company to see if they can swap it for you.
Seat depth: Seat depth is important for taller folks. This is usually a mechanism that lets you pull the seat out so that your thighs get the proper support. There should be 1 to 2 inches between the front of the seat and the back of your knees. Taller people with longer legs may not get the best support if you can’t adjust the seat depth.
Seat tilt: This isn’t as common as the above adjustments but it’s designed to tilt the seat up or down. This can help posture and prevent back pain, though it can take some getting used to.
Lumbar support: Most office chairs offer lumbar support, which can look like a separate piece attached to the backrest that can slide up and down. This piece supports your lower back (the lumbar region!), specifically maintaining the curve of the spine to maintain good posture as you sit and, ideally, warding off back pain. Check your chair manufacturer’s assembly instructions to learn how to adjust the lumbar support, and place the support on the curve of your lower back. What I like to do is run my hand along my spine until I reach the natural dip, then I try to make sure the lumbar support sits at that exact location. Some chairs also let you adjust the depth of the lumbar support, pushing it further inward or outward. Make sure it feels natural and that it’s not digging in. Play around with this until it feels comfortable and natural. Your shoulders should align with your hips, and you shouldn’t feel like you’re leaning forward.
Recline: Almost every office chair lets you lock or unlock the recline, but some go a step further and let you tweak the tension of the recline. This allows you to use more or less force when you lean back, which comes down to how much resistance you want when you lean back.
How We Test Office Chairs
My home office is often filled with at least four or five chairs at any given time. It takes me a while to test them because I prefer to sit on these office chairs for more than two weeks at a bare minimum, though that often extends into a month. It’s hard to gauge the supportiveness of a chair by sitting on it for less than a week. I adjust it to my 6’4″ preferences, and sometimes have my 5’1″ wife sit on it for her two cents. I try out all the adjustments throughout the testing period, too. It’s not just about the chair; aesthetics are important, and I also research these companies, looking into their warranties, customer service, and overall reliability.
How Does WIRED Select Chairs to Be Reviewed?
I routinely look at the market to find new office chairs that have hit the scene, whether it’s from a newcomer or an established brand like Herman Miller. I typically reach out to these companies to ask for the product, but I do not promise any kind of editorial coverage—that goes against WIRED’s editorial polcies. Yes, WIRED earns affiliate revenue if you purchase an office chair using our link, but this is not factored into the decision process.
As much as I’d like to test and review every single chair, it’s just not feasible with our resources. You may find some notable missing options in this guide, like the Steelcase Leap. I’ll be testing it in the future, and will gradually try to evaluate all the top options in the market.
After I’ve finished testing a chair, I typically donate it to a local Goodwill. I keep a handful of top recommendations on hand so that I can reevaluate them or compare them to other newer options, like the Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro, Herman Miller Embody, and Anthros V2.
Accessories for Your Chair
Replace Your Casters
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Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
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Courtesy of Stealtho
Stealtho
Office Chair Wheels
The wheels on the bottom of your chair are among the easiest parts to replace. If your current casters don’t roll smoothly or are too loud, it might be worth replacing them instead of buying a whole new chair. I like these from Stealtho, a Ukrainian company. They’ll work with nearly every office chair, though the company notes they don’t work with Ikea products. The soft polyurethane material means these won’t scratch or chip hardwood floors, as some plastic casters do, plus it’ll feel like you’re silently gliding as you roll from your desk to the fridge (don’t judge).
Fair warning: Since these are more frictionless than normal casters, they can cause your chair to roll around sometimes, like when you stand up and walk away. Stealtho has locking casters if you’re worried about your chair rolling, and they don’t cost much more.
An Office Chair for Your Pet
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Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
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Courtesy of SeatMate
Does your pet longingly look at your fast-typing fingers and wish for scritches? Get SeatMate’s Pet Office Chair if you don’t want to feel like a cruel, cruel pet owner. This faux fur seat gets high enough that you won’t have to bend down to pet your dog or cat when they inevitably enter your home office to distract you. Instead, they’ll sit at a reasonable height that allows you to have one hand running through their fur, while the other tries very hard to work a keyboard and mouse simultaneously. There’s a pull-out ramp that lets them clamber up, and my dog instantly took to it, though now he’s so used to it he jumps straight onto the seat. The back legs of the seat are on wheels, making it easier to move around a room.
You can choose different fabric materials and colors, and it’s easy to clean with a brush or hand vacuum. Just keep sizing in mind. My dog is 19 pounds and a little long, and it just fits him when he sleeps.
A Glass Chair Mat
Courtesy of Vitrazza
Vitrazza
Rectangle Glass Chair Mat
Do you need a mat for your chair? Most likely not. However, casters can scuff up hard floors, which is why we recommend upgrading them to rollerblade wheels (see above). If you’re on a carpet, it can also be hard to move around. A mat can help with both of these issues. I sat on top of this glass one from Vitrazza for two years and was pleasantly surprised. (You can go for much cheaper mats made from other materials, too.) The safety glass is thick, and I did not see any notable scratches even after that time. It holds 1,000 pounds and doesn’t touch my hardwood floor, as you need to affix rubber bumpers to keep them apart. You can choose from several sizes, and Vitrazza sells various shapes too. It’s just a bit difficult to clean since you have to lift it up to get to all the dirt underneath.
Seat Cushions, Backrests, and Footrests
If you can’t upgrade your seat just yet, a cushion or backrest might help. Here are a few we like:
CushionLab Seat Cushion for $75: This memory foam seat is comfortable, and I had no problems sitting on it for hours on end. It’s best paired with an adjustable chair, as it adds a decent amount of height to your seat, which might make typing on a keyboard awkward. It does a great job of keeping out bad odors, and you can also wash the cover. Just know that it’s rarely sold for its full price of $85, which means it isn’t really on “sale.”
LoveHome Memory Foam Lumbar Support for $22: If you slouch in your seat, this comfortable memory foam pillow can help. It keeps your back straight and supported, and as it’s affordable, it’s a great option to try before shelling out hundreds for a new chair. It’s good to use in a car or a wheelchair, too. The cover is washable, and it has two adjustable straps (plus an extension strap) that go around your seat to keep it in the position you need.
Secretlab Premium Footrest for $89: I have tried a handful of footrests, and Secretlab’s Premium Footrest is easily the best—I have been using mine for more than three years. Ideally, your feet are planted on the ground as you sit, but it’s nice to be able to prop them up on something soft every so often. Not only is the PlushCell memory foam material soft and cushy for my feet, but it also stays remarkably clean. I have a tiny dog, and his hair gets everywhere except the quilted fabric cover. (You can handwash this cover to get dirt out.) The patterned silicone base does a good job of keeping it in place, too.
Other Office Chairs to Consider
Not every pick is a winner. Here are a few others we like enough to recommend, but they’re not as good as our top picks above.
Photograph: Julian Chokkattu
Hon Altern Chair for $295: It’s hard to find a good office chair under $300. Most people will be better served with the Branch Ergonomic Chair pick above, which has dipped close to $300 during sale events, but the Hon Altern is a decent alternative. The best part about it is that the seat is wide and soft, so your butt will feel fairly comfortable, and the seat depth adjustment accommodates a larger group of people. However, the back support is lackluster. I want it to be more upright, but the chair forces me to lean backward. The armrests can only move up and down—I wish I could move them inward a bit more. Its design is also generic. Still, I sat on the Altern for a month, and it does the job. If your budget is tight, it’s far and away better than many of the options you’ll find at this price on Amazon. It includes a headrest, too, which is typically an extra add-on for many chairs.
Autonomous ErgoChair Ultra 2 for $399: I’ve now sat on Autonomous’s 3D-printed ErgoChair Ultra 2 for over a month, and I’m pleasantly surprised. It’s a big improvement over the original Chair Ultra, which had a flat and hard seat. The Ultra V2’s seat is still not as cushy as some chairs, but it doesn’t feel like I’m sitting on concrete. It has all of the adjustments you’d want, from seat depth to a recline lock, and I didn’t encounter any back pain. The all-mesh design offers good airflow, and the backrest is wide enough and doesn’t dig into my shoulders. The only flaw? Sometimes when I put too much pressure on the armrest (like when I’m getting up or shifting my weight), it goes down with a loud crack despite being locked in place. Also, Autonomous has a pretty lackluster two-year warranty despite the high price.
Haworth Fern for $1,242: I think the Haworth Fern is best for shorter people (aka anyone not above 6 feet, like me). It’s adjustable to the nth degree—you can even tilt the seat for a more upright sitting position!—but the seat itself was just wide enough for me, though it’s plenty soft and pillowy. When I pulled out the seat depth to the max, it created a gap between the seat and the backrest, and I didn’t love this feeling. The backrest is nice and soft, but I’d argue the lumbar support is quite aggressive. My back just felt like something was there all the time, and it felt distracting. I don’t think you’d have these issues if you are shorter and narrower, and it’s otherwise one of the softest office chairs I’ve sat on.
Autonomous ErgoChair Pro for $399: Our top pick, the Branch Ergonomic Chair Pro, is a better buy, but if you need a headrest and want a wide seat, consider the Autonomous ErgoChair Pro. I sat on it for a month with no major problems, except that the box it came in was massive and barely fit through my front door. The levers also aren’t super intuitive—I highly recommend checking out this video from the company when you first set it up to dial in your preferences. All the standard adjustments are present, from seat depth and lumbar support to fine-tuning the recline. What surprised me more was the ability to tilt the seat so it’s angled down—you don’t see that in many chairs. The overall build quality has been solid, and I even enjoyed the headrest when kicking back to watch House reruns during lunch. The only woes? I wish the arms stayed locked, as they can slide back and forth. While the foam seat is quite comfy, it can get warm in a toasty room (though the mesh back helps keep things cool). It’s a shame this company has an abysmal warranty period.
Staples Hyken for $145: The humble Hyken is frequently available for just $140 during big sale events, making it one of the most affordable good chairs out there. It reclines, has a breathable mesh fabric on the back and seat, and it’s sturdy. You even get a headrest and lumbar support. After five years of continuous sitting, WIRED reviewers say the Hyken’s mesh has compressed a bit, but it’s still comfy. The Staples Dexley is slightly wider, so get it if you need a wider seat.
Nouhaus Ergo3D for $350: This is another all-mesh chair. The ElastoMesh seat isn’t as comfy as the Steelcase Karman (it’ll feel worse on the skin if you, uh, tend to sit at your desk without pants), but it’s otherwise quite adjustable and roomy, plus it even comes with two sets of wheels (casters or rollerblades) so you can choose which works best for you and your flooring. If you’re in a particularly hot environment, it won’t trap heat and will keep your whole body cool for a fraction of the price.
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Haworth Breck for $419: I like Haworth’s newest chair, the Breck. After sitting on it for a month, I didn’t have problems (no back pain!), though I can safely say it’s better suited for shorter people (roughly under 5’8″). That’s because the Breck’s seat is short, and the seat depth only extends an extra 2 inches. The weight-activated recline requires some push on your end, more than you might expect—it wasn’t too hard for me, but lighter-weight people may find it problematic. The seat padding is thin, but I didn’t see this as an issue even after hours of sitting. The best part is how amazingly simple it is to set up—no tools required! But my main gripe? Simply getting up from the seat causes the gas spring cylinder to loudly lift. This, and the fact that it tends to make some noises when I fidget around, makes it feel a little cheap.
Branch Verve for $599: The Verve used to be a top pick above, but I think the Ergonomic Chair Pro is a better value considering they’re similar in price. It is elegant (especially in the lovely Coral and Cobalt colors), it keeps my back straight, and it’s quite comfy. It can make nearly the same adjustments, but there’s no seat tilt, and the armrests are much more limited. I also wouldn’t have minded if the seat was a smidge wider—folks who need a wider seat may want to look elsewhere. I try to sit on these chairs for several weeks, if not months, but I rarely can sit on one for years, as I have so many to test. However, I have a colleague who owns the Verve who said that after more than two years, the seat started to sink whenever he sat on it. Thankfully, he says Branch’s customer service was very responsive and promptly sent him a new cylinder.
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Eureka Ergonomic Royal Chair for $450: Some folks chase that executive aesthetic—you know, plush leather and a high back so you can swivel around and reveal a cat in your lap as you laugh maniacally. This chair from Eureka fits the bill without costing a fortune, and it’s been an OK chair for the month I’ve sat in it. The setup was quick, and the seat and back are soft and a little bouncy. I found my back sweaty after a few hours of sitting because there was just nowhere for body heat to go. The lumbar support isn’t great, as prolonged sitting has left me with some sensations in my lower back. Not pain, just my back telling me I ought to get up. There’s not much to adjust, but the recline and headrest. Also, if you need a wide seat, this is not the chair for you, as the armrests will feel like they’re boxing you in (it just fits me, and I’m 6’4″). I thought this chair would look pretty poor after a month, but it’s easy to clean with a damp cloth, and the fake leather has held up. Too bad about the two-year warranty.
Secretlab Titan Evo for $549: Our review of the Secretlab Titan Evo gaming chair says it’s classy enough for the home office. It sets itself apart from similarly priced competitors with its durability and flexibility. It’s comfortable for marathon gaming sessions, thanks to the adjustability it offers (particularly the lumbar support). The headrest pillow is magnetic and stays attached to the chair, which is a nice touch. But the firm, cold cure foam molds to your body and may not suit everyone. It will also make you feel sweaty.
Allsteel O6 for $1,279: While this chair is eye-searingly expensive, every part—from the casters and the adjustments to the design—is incredibly refined. The adjustable lumbar support provided shockingly good support even for hours of work. My only complaint is that the armrest adjustments are a bit stiff, but besides that, this is an exceptional chair that’s comfortable and intuitive enough for me to completely forget about once I sit down and start working. Fair warning: The 06 comes fully assembled, which is nice, but the box is massive. —Henri Robbins
Hinomi X1 for $649: Hinomi’s X1 mesh chair has a trick up its sleeve—a built-in footrest! Just extend and flip out the footrest; voilà, your feet are now propped up. This might not be very practical for fellow tall people, as my legs often hit the wall behind my desk, but it’s quite comfy. I also just didn’t end up using the footrest as much as I thought. The chair is otherwise well-built. I like the lumbar support here, and there’s a good amount of adjustments you can make. The seat itself is a bit firm, but I got used to it after some time. Hinomi offers a 12-year warranty.
Odinlake Ergo Max747 for $899: The Ergo Max747 is, all around, a great seat to sit in. The three-piece back provides great back support and comfort, and the easy-access paddles on either side of the seat make most adjustments quick and simple. Even sitting for hours, I never felt uncomfortable, whether I was sitting up or reclining (this chair reclines incredibly far, from 90 to 135 degrees). The bag holder in the back (which I typically used to hold a hat or small backpack) was a surprisingly nice touch, and the mesh backing and seat are breathable, preventing overheating during prolonged use. I still don’t know how I feel about the polished metal frame, and the inclusion of gloves for assembly makes me worry about how easily this seat will pick up smudges over the years, but the polished finish itself is spotless and well-executed. At 6’3″, I had to max out the back height to comfortably sit in the chair. The secondary adjustments (back height, lumbar support, and headrest height) were awkward to adjust due to complicated ratcheting mechanisms keeping them in place. However, the comfort and breathability of this chair make it a compelling choice. —Henri Robbins
Vari Task Chair for $399: Vari’s Task Chair is surprisingly comfy given its relatively simple construction. Former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano tested it and asked her husband to use it during his long gaming sessions. They agreed that the angled back provides ample lumbar support to make those sessions comfortable. It also takes very little time to construct. You can recline a bit, but even at the lowest tension, it pushes you back up, and there’s no head support. It’s more for rocking than actually leaning. Her biggest gripe is that the armrests are quite hard. A little more padding would be a huge improvement.
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Branch Softside for $299: I tested the high-back version of the Softside and like it a lot. It’s different from all the other chairs in this guide, but comfy and cushiony. If you need a wider seat, this might not be the option for you, as the armrests do box you in. There’s not much to adjust, but my back didn’t have any issues after weeks of sitting for full workdays. The build quality overall is OK. Considering it starts at $299, the overall seating experience, and the lovely design in fun colors, this is a pretty good value if you are after a soft and cushiony experience.
BodyBilt Midcelli for $949: BodyBilt’s chair looks quite average, but the seat pad is plushy and soft, and it’s contoured to your butt and legs, which I liked more than I expected. The mesh back has some give to it, so it doesn’t feel rigid, and there are all the usual points of adjustment, including moving the seat forward and back. I wish the arms could lock to a position. It has a lifetime warranty on select parts, while other chair areas are covered for 12, seven, five, or three years. There are more customization options on BodyBilt’s website—with the option to get a consultation—but I just think it’s overpriced.
Razer Fujin Pro for $1,050: Razer is asking Herman Miller and Steelcase prices despite offering a measly five-year warranty on this $1,000-plus chair. Still, my former colleague Eric Ravenscraft liked the Fujin Pro (8/10 WIRED Recommends). There are a good number of adjustments you can make; the armrests are useful, and the mesh is breathable. Oh, and it doesn’t have the overused gaming chair race-car seat aesthetic.
Tempur-Pedic Tempur-Lumbar Support Office Chair for $352: I think this is a nice alternative to the Branch Ergonomic Chair above. The Tempur seat cushion is, perhaps unsurprisingly, wonderfully comfy to sit on for hours at a time. And most chairs that have a thick lumbar cushion end up causing me back pain, but not here—I’ve had no issues sitting on it for a month. The mesh back is nice for airflow, too. The arms tend to move around a bit, though, and the mechanism to adjust them is not elegant. Installation wasn’t too hard, but the instructions weren’t as simple as Branch’s, and the overall build quality feels cheap.
Knoll Newson for $1,424: This minimalist chair looks best in the graphite and petal colors; it’s a bit drab in black and umber. It’s nice that I didn’t have to fuss with any levers or knobs much—it’s comfy out of the box and decently adjustable if you need to make some tweaks—and it feels especially nice when you recline. (The red knob adjusts the tension of the recline, but you need to twist it for five rotations, and I found it hard to turn sometimes.) The Newson didn’t give me trouble in the two months I sat in it. I’m just not a huge fan of how the elastomer mesh backrest distorts, depending on how you sit. It feels lumpy. This seat also doesn’t let me sit as upright as I’d like, but maybe you’re fine with a bit of give. Ultimately, it’s the price that pulls it out of our top recommendations, but you do get a 12-year warranty.
Kelly Clarkson Home Louise Velvet Task Chair for $165: There’s absolutely nothing you can adjust on this chair except its height, but it’s cute, and the seat is comfy. The velvet polyester was surprisingly durable and looked nice even after several weeks of sitting on this chair. The gold finish on the frame and legs chipped off in one area when I was unboxing it—it’s frequently under $200, OK? But my biggest issue is that it is not compatible with tall or larger people. My wide shoulders caused my arms to stick out of this chair, making it difficult to type. However, I asked my 5’1″ wife to try it, and it suited her narrower frame well. She didn’t find it hard to use her computer. With a 30-day warranty, you get what you pay for, but this chair is more about aesthetics than anything else. Oh, and Kelly Clarkson, because she hand-picked this product for Wayfair.
X-Chair X2 K-Sport Management Chair for $969: This used to be our top mesh chair pick, but it has been supplanted by the Steelcase Karman. Sitting in the X-Chair feels like lounging in a hammock. Every part of my body feels well supported, and you can adjust nearly everything on the chair. Pull the seat up and push the armrests up, down, and side to side, or angle them in or out. The lumbar support feels like a cushion, and it adjusts as you move in your seat. If you want to rest your head, you can pay extra for the headrest. It has held up extremely well after three years of near-continuous sitting, but I don’t like how bulky it is. X-Chair has several models to choose from. I tested the X-2 K-Sport with the wide seat, and it fits my 6’4″ frame well, but it was too wide for my partner, who is 5’1″. Most people should be fine with the standard X1.
Ikea Markus for $300: The Markus is a perfectly fine office chair. It’s not the most comfortable, but it’s far from the worst. The mesh design keeps you cool, and the tall back lets you fully lean into it. It’s rather thin and isn’t obtrusive in a small home office or bedroom. It was annoying to put together (lol, Ikea), and you might need someone to hold up the back of the chair while you properly attach the seat. Unfortunately, if you often sit with at least one leg up or with your legs crossed, the width between the arms will make you uncomfortable.
X-Chair X-Tech Executive Chair for $1,845: Functionally, the X-Tech is similar to the X-Chair above. In this version, the M-Foam cooling gel seat is indeed wonderful to sit on, though it’s not as heat-wicking as the all-mesh versions. It’s the Brisa Soft Touch material that impresses the most—it’s ridiculously soft. I recommend you stick with the standard armrests instead of the FS 360 armrests, which tend to move about too much. But my biggest gripe with this model is the price. Why on earth does it cost that much?
Mavix M7 for $777: If it looks strangely similar to the X-Chair (see above), that’s because both are owned by the same company. WIRED reviewer Louryn Strampe ran into some issues with assembly, but customer service was able to exchange the model without much effort. The M7 has similarly adjustable armrests and seat angles, but you get wheels that lock. The mesh back and wide seat construction keep you cool and comfortable during sweaty League of Legends sessions, and the lumbar support does the job. If you’re short, contact customer support while ordering—Mavix offers shorter cylinders so your feet touch the ground.
Hon Ignition 2.0 for $477: The Ignition 2.0 is easy to set up and looks great, but it gave me really bad back pain, which is why I originally placed it in our “Avoid” section. I thought it was perhaps the long hours I was working, so I switched back to the Knoll Newson Task chair, and my pain quickly began to ease. Sometime later, I gave it a shot again. After a few hours, the pain came back, and switching to another seat dissipated it. Color me confused, because this chair has positive reviews around the web. I then asked a friend who is around 5’4″ to try it for a few weeks, and she has had zero issues. This seems to be the answer. It’s possible the Ignition doesn’t work for my 6’4″ self and is better suited for smaller folks.
Pipersong Meditation Chair for $359: Have a problem sitting in a traditional chair? If your legs need to be bent and twisted for you to be comfortable, you’ll want to check this seat out. It has a 360-degree swiveling footstool that can accommodate pretty much any sitting position you want. I can go from kneeling to cross-legged to one leg up, one leg down. It’s possible to sit regularly too, with the footstool behind you and your feet flat on the floor. It’s the only chair I’ve found that’s designed for odd sitting habits. There are no armrests, which I didn’t mind because that’s what makes it possible to sit in many of these positions. The actual stool and chair back could stand to be bigger and taller, respectively. I had to use a pillow to keep my back comfy. —Medea Giordano
Avoid These Chairs
If you come across these models, I recommend you save your cash and go for one of the picks above.
TopJob Napa: The Napa should be $200 or $250 at best, nowhere near its $449 asking price (though it does seem to have a perpetual discount on TopJob’s website for $359). It looks attractive, especially in the amber vegan leather. My back surprisingly didn’t complain after more than a week of sitting in it for several hours a day. I wouldn’t say it’s comfy, there’s not much plush to the seat and backrest, but it’s not too uncomfortable. It doesn’t have many points of adjustments—you can adjust the armrest height, lock the recline at a few degrees, and adjust tilt tension. That’s it. Technically, you can adjust the headrest, but mine would not stay put at a specific height. You can pull out a footrest, but I found it more gimmicky than useful. The overall quality is a little cheap. You can do better at this price.
Humanscale World One: Despite hailing from the well-renowned Humanscale, this chair looks quite bland. The setup was fairly quick, and … interesting. You have to hammer two pegs to affix the backrest to the seat, which I’ve never before had to do, after testing dozens of office chairs. It just feels cheap and a little too plasticky. Like other Humanscale offerings, there are no adjustments to make as the chair will handle it all for you (you can adjust the seat and armrest height). I loved this on the pricier Humanscale Freedom, which felt like someone was cradling my body. But here, I find my body constantly shifting in the all-mesh World One, trying to find a comfy way to recline. The mesh material also feels like it digs in a bit. This could all be because I’m 6’4,” as the chair feels like it’s better suited for shorter people. However, I think you can do better at this price.
Herman Miller Vantum: Initially, I liked the Vantum. I liked how I could keep myself in a super upright position, which made me feel more engaged in what I was doing. The mesh backrest also disperses heat quite well. However, the overall build quality feels cheap and doesn’t scream Herman Miller (nor does the asking price, which has since dropped by $200). The headrest isn’t great either—I’ve nearly broken it trying to move it up and down. As I kept sitting, it was the back support that disappointed me the most. You can feel the lumbar support on your lower back, and not in a good way, almost like it’s digging in. At least it didn’t give me back pain.
Vilno Nobel Kneeling Chair: It’s a freakin’ kneeling chair! It was easy to put all the wood pieces together, and the seat cushion was surprisingly plump. This is what’s known as an active chair, meant to keep your body moving and keep your posture straight. It feels effective for the first few hours, but unfortunately, rocking in the seat tends to cause it to move around on the floor, so I frequently had to fix my position. Worse yet, my shins and knees grew fatigued, and I started feeling some pain after a few days. You can’t adjust its height, so it needs to be paired with a standing desk so that your palms don’t rest on your desk.
Flexispot C7: While this chair is simple to assemble and looks good, it feels flimsy. The entire back flexes and warps whenever you move, and the lumbar support is barely connected to the rest of the chair, meaning it audibly scratches against the main section of the back every time you adjust and hardly feels like it provides any actual support. The footrest bends whenever weight is put on it, and the foam seat cushion collects crazy amounts of pet hair. It feels like just a few extra screws and supports would have made this a good product, but in its current state, there isn’t enough material to make it feel sturdy. —Henri Robbins
Steelcase Series 1: WIRED reviewer Louryn Strampe says her biggest issue with the Series 1 is with the armrest—the tops slide back and forth and side to side, which could be a good thing, except she managed to pinch her arm every time she moved. There’s no way to lock them in place, so while she felt supported, her arms weren’t. The seat is also pretty curved, which can feel like you’re trapped in one position as you work throughout the day.
Sihoo Doro S300: Former WIRED reviewer Medea Giordano tested the Doro S300, which, in white, looks like it came straight out of the Space Force situation room. She found it comfortable. There are several adjustments you can personalize, like seat depth and recline angle. You can recline quite far, but she says she wishes there were a footrest to enjoy the lowest recline position. She typically prefers a cushy gaming chair, but she says she had no trouble sitting on this seat all day—the dual lumbar support helps too. However, the headrest is too low for her to lean against, even at its max height, and the arms move too easily. Simply placing her arms down pushes them out of position. It’s also squeaky and overpriced.
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When you set up kids mode, you’ll be prompted to put in your child’s name and their birthday, which allows Amazon to recommend books appropriate for their age. You can make multiple kid profiles, but you’ll need a PIN or passcode to switch off kids mode and return to regular Kindle mode. I set up my son’s profile with his nickname and his birthday, and since he’s only 3 years old, his recommendations in the “Books You Might Like” section were colorful picture books like Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? and First 100 Animals. I was able to download both immediately with the Kids+ subscription.
Photograph: Nena Farrell
You buy books on a Kindle, but the Kids interface has a Store option that allows your kid to browse books and request them, which will then alert the parent account about the desired book. It replaces the store feature in regular mode that allows you to purchase a book directly. It’s a nice way to still give kids an option to look for a new book and choose it themselves, without giving them free-for-all access to your credit card on file. (But if you were going to give your kids free rein on spending, books are a great place for it.)
An Ideal Pair
Photograph: Nena Farrell
While you can access kids mode on any Kindle, a Colorsoft certainly feels like a great fit for kids of all ages. Colorful covers and pages are a great way to entice kids to read, and it’s certainly much more fun to look at a library of books on a Colorsoft model than it is on a black-and-white-only e-reader. The full year of Kids+ content is a great bonus, too.
While upgrading to a color Kindle is a fun option, most of my adult books won’t be able to take advantage. Kids have more illustrated book options to actually take advantage of the color feature, and it’s a nice choice for developing readers who might lean on art more to understand a book.
You’ll pay quite a bit more for this Kindle than the other Kids options, but it’s an e-reader that can grow with your kid and take them through all kinds of phases of reading. Plus, it’s a Kindle you can borrow from them to get a little color for your books, even if it’s just the covers.
As ransomware attacks become more common and complex—and costly to the crimes’ targets—a University of Texas at Dallas researcher is examining how policymakers might combat cybercriminals.
Dr. Atanu Lahiri, an associate professor of information systems at the Naveen Jindal School of Management, said ransomware has become one of the top cybersecurity threats facing organizations worldwide. Spread primarily through email phishing scams and exploitation of unpatched software bugs, ransomware robs a user’s access to computer files until a ransom is paid.
“The data is still on your computer,” he said. “It’s locked up, and the criminals have the key.”
In a study published in Information Systems Research, Lahiri and a colleague examined whether and under what circumstances policy intervention could help deter this type of cyberattack. He found that effective response solutions might depend on factors such as the value of compromised information, the nature of the ransom demand, and who or what organization is most affected.
Although paying ransom often seems preferable to facing business disruptions, payments also embolden the attackers and encourage them to come back for more. This ripple effect, or externality, which is driven by extortion, creates a unique problem dubbed “extortionality” by the authors.
“There are two questions: When do we care, and what do we do?” Lahiri said. “Should ransom payments be banned or even penalized?”
The disruptions caused by ransomware attacks can be crippling for businesses. In 2024, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 3,000 ransomware complaints. Victims paid over $800 million to attackers, according to research by Chainalysis, although the impact is likely much higher because many incidents and payments go unreported.
The illegal breaches have hit targets ranging from Fortune 500 companies to police departments to government and university systems.
Lahiri was inspired to explore potential solutions as federal and state lawmakers grapple with laws to restrict government entities and other companies from paying ransoms to regain access to their data. He found that fighting these threats through legislation is tricky because a ban on ransom payments or other penalties could negatively affect the victim, whose goal is simply to recover compromised information quickly and with minimal disruption.
For example, outright bans on ransom payment are particularly problematic for hospitals, where lives are at stake and critical lifesaving information can’t be accessed.
On the other hand, paying ransom rewards criminal behavior, encourages more breaches and elevates the risk of additional attacks, the researchers found.
Through mathematical models and simulations, Lahiri determined that an ideal scenario in many cases would be for companies not to give in to an attacker’s ransom demand. In practice, however, this solution is not so clear-cut.
“It relies on you trusting the other guy, in this case other organizations, not to pay up either,” he said. “It would be better if nobody paid, but if someone does, it would raise the risk for everybody.”
“You have to be careful when you impose a ban, though,” said Lahiri, who teaches the graduate class Cybersecurity Fundamentals at UT Dallas, serves as director of the cybersecurity systems certificate program, and chairs the University Information Security Advisory Committee. “A more reasoned approach might be to first try incentives or a penalty to deter ransom payments.”
If the attackers are not strategic in choosing their ransom asks—and do not demand different sums from the victims depending on their ability to pay—Lahiri recommends that policymakers impose fines or taxes on companies that pay ransoms.
“When imposing a ban, policymakers should be mindful,” he said. “In particular, hospitals and critical infrastructure firms should be exempted to avoid excessive collateral damage from business disruption.
“In some cases, you wouldn’t even have to impose the ban, but if you talk a lot about a ban, ransom payers would take notice. Even the specter of a ban might do the trick and make organizations invest in backup technologies that can help them recover without having to pay the attackers.”
The best offense, Lahiri said, is a good defense, and the best defense is simply more redundancy. Backing up data and practicing drills on recovering information is a strong way to avoid paying the attacker. Policymakers could incentivize redundancy measures, he said, by subsidizing backup technology, practice drills and awareness campaigns.
“One of the biggest problems is that people don’t invest in backups,” Lahiri said. “They don’t conduct drills, like fire drills. Security is always seen as a hassle.
“If we had great backups and we could recover from the attacks, we would not be paying the ransom in the first place. And we would not be talking about extortionality.”
Dr. Debabrata Dey, Davis Professor and area director of analytics, information and operations at the University of Kansas, is a co-author of the study.
More information:
Debabrata Dey et al, “Extortionality” in Ransomware Attacks: A Microeconomic Study of Extortion and Externality, Information Systems Research (2025). DOI: 10.1287/isre.2024.1160
Citation:
Study examines whether policy intervention could combat ransomware (2025, August 28)
retrieved 28 August 2025
from https://techxplore.com/news/2025-08-policy-intervention-combat-ransomware.html
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