The Best TV Shows And Movies Leaving Hulu In September 2022

It's that time again. Although Hulu will be adding a plethora of TV shows and movies in September, a good chunk of their extensive library will cease to exist on the streaming platform. Hulu is home to a healthy number of films and television shows in a wide array of genres and generations, but every month (due to some complicated licensing rights), the streamer loses a long list of titles that either never make it back to the platform, or take months/years to return. Thankfully, we keep track of what is departing Hulu on a monthly basis, and it's a doozy for September. From genre-defining films to cult classics, there are some absolute gems leaving Hulu this month. 

We've hand-selected five films from the expiring section of Hulu's library that are worth catching up with before they are gone forever (unless you have the physical copy, another streaming subscription, own it digitally, etc.). 

Damien Chazelle's follow-up to the Oscar-winning "Whiplash" is nothing short of spectacular. Starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, "La La Land" is a romantic musical that follows an actress and a pianist as they navigate the cut-throat world of Los Angeles. A love letter to the city and its quirks, the film boasts incredibly catchy songs and stellar dance choreography. It's also epic in scope and scale, with Chazelle at the top of his game behind the camera (he's the youngest Best Director winner in Academy Award history for a reason). As someone who is not the biggest fan of musicals, there is something magnetic about "La La Land" that makes it a must-watch for any movie lover. 

Missing the chance to see it on Hulu (even if it's a rewatch) would be a crime almost as bad as removing it from the streaming platform itself.

Before tackling aliens and war-torn desert planets, Denis Villeneuve directed a masterful entry in the thriller genre with "Prisoners." Boasting a star-studded ensemble cast, the story revolves around the search for two abducted girls in Pennsylvania and a father's relentless search for the suspected kidnapper. Hugh Jackman gives one of his best performances as a desperate parent using any means necessary to rescue his child, while Jake Gyllenhaal plays a police detective tasked with finding the children. The film will have you at the edge of your seat until the very last frame, which is beautifully composed by cinematographer Roger Deakins. It's not an easy watch by any means, but if there is any desire to catch up on the decade's best mystery thriller, the time to do it is now (at least on Hulu, anyway).

Ridley Scott's long-awaited return to the "Alien" universe may not be one of his most beloved efforts, but "Prometheus" serves as a unique entry in an otherwise formulaic franchise. The film follows Elizabeth Shaw (Noomi Rapace) and a ragtag group of individuals on an expedition to a distant moon in search of an alien culture. They are accompanied by an android named David, played by Michael Fassbender, who becomes aware of his superior intelligence to his surrounding humans. Albeit a slow burn, "Prometheus" revitalizes the horror factor of "Alien" with an expansive story that spans centuries and several alien races. If anything, watch it for the intensely committed performance from Fassbender that elevates every scene he is in.

While it's a prequel to the first film, "Prometheus" separates itself by growing out of its own mythology that is even richer than everything that came before it. Catch it on Hulu before it gets sucked into space, where we can't hear its screams.

Is this the worst film on this carefully-curated list? Absolutely, but that's a part of what makes "Van Hesling" appointment viewing. The early 2000s film features Hugh Jackman hamming it up as a monster hunter who battles a bevy of familiar creatures, including Dracula himself (Richard Roxburgh). Kate Beckinsale, no stranger to the genre, plays Anna Valerious, who joins Helsing on his quest to kill the ancient vampire and gets in on the action. Stacked cast aside, the film is relentlessly entertaining, even in its most zany moments. It's trashy fun at its finest, boasting some off-the-rails action and great monster designs — including some of the best-looking werewolves cinema has to offer. The heavy use of CGI is a staple of that era, but I think it works for a film like "Van Helsing" that relishes the most insane parts of the monster canon. It may not be the jumpstart to a full-fledged monster franchise Universal Pictures has been desperately pursuing for years, but the film does enough to make it a worthwhile venture.

Before directing quite possibly the best Star Wars film ever made, Rian Johnson delivered a near-perfect sci-fi thriller in "Looper." The trippy movie features Joseph Gordon-Levitt as an assassin for a distant-future crime syndicate that uses time travel to dispose of bodies. A "looper," Gordon-Levitt's Joe receives his targets from the future (2074) and kills them in his present time (2044). It all gets complicated when he is tasked to eliminate himself, butting heads directly with his older self aptly played by Bruce Willis. Oh yeah, there are also people who have telekinetic abilities in this world. If that synopsis is not enticing enough, the film also stars Emily Blunt, Paul Dano, Jeff Daniels, and frequent Johnson collaborator Noah Segan.

It's a pretty complex and twisty film even by Johnson's standards, but as with the rest of his work, "Looper" is centered on emotional stakes and meaningful character development. Beneath the time travel shenanigans is a story about redemption and loss encapsulated in the strong performances of its two leads.

September 5

• Awoken, 2019
• Storks, 2016

• La La Land, 2016

• Prisoners, 2013

• Colette, 2018
• Scary Movie 5, 2013

• A Long Way Down, 2014
• A.C.O.R.N.S. (Operation Crackdown), 2015
• Blade Of The Immortal, 2017
• Cocaine Cowboys, 2006
• Ozzy, 2016
• The Seat Filler, 2004
• Serena, 2014

• Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Seasons 1-8
• Keeping Up With the Kardashians: Seasons 1-20
• Life of Kyle: Season 1
• The Real Housewives of Atlanta: Seasons 1-13
• The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills: Seasons 1-15
• The Real Housewives of New Jersey: Seasons 1-11
• The Real Housewives of New York: Seasons 1-12
• The Real Housewives of Orange County: Seasons 12-15
• The Real Housewives of Potomac: Seasons 1-5
• The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City: Season 1
• Top Chef: Seasons 1-18
• Vanderpump Rules: Seasons 1-8

• The Haunted, 2020

• Southbound, 2015
• Across The Line, 2015

• 127 Hours, 2010
• 21, 2008
• American Pie, 1999
• American Pie 2, 2001
• American Wedding, 2003
• American Reunion, 2012
• Any Given Sunday, 1999
• Batman Begins, 2005
• Big Trouble in Little China, 1986
• Black Knight, 2001
• Bogus, 1996
• Bride Wars, 2009
• Bugsy, 1991
• Cadillac Records, 2008
• The Chronicles Of Riddick, 2004
• Closed Circuit, 2013
• Conspiracy Theory, 1997
• Contraband, 2012
• The Dark Knight, 2008
• Death Race, 2008
• Dick, 1999
• The Dilemma, 2011
• Dude, Where's My Car?, 2000
• The Dukes of Hazzard, 2005
• First Knight, 1995
• Fly Away Home, 1996
• Fred Claus, 2007
• Ghost Rider, 2007
• Gone, 2012
• Groundhog Day, 1993
• Hysteria, 2012
• Instructions Not Included, 2013
• Joy Ride, 2001
• Jumanji, 1995
• Just Go With It, 2011
• Kindergarten Cop, 1990
• Kindred Spirits, 2019
• Knock Knock, 2015
• Knowing, 2009
• Little Richard, 2000
• Looper, 2012
• The Man Who Knew Too Little, 1997
• Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, 1994
• Milk, 2008
• Napoleon Dynamite, 2004
• National Lampoon'S Dirty Movie, 2011
• New Year's Eve, 2011
• Next Level, 2019
• Nim's Island, 2008
• The Nutty Professor, 1996
• Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, 2000
• Post Grad, 2009
• The Professional, 1994
• Prometheus, 2012
• Rachel Getting Married, 2008
• Reign Over Me, 2007
• Rise, 2022
• Sex Ed, 2014
• Sexy Beast, 1999
• The Sitter, 2010
• Snow White And The Huntsman, 2012
• Sorry To Bother You, 2018
• Step Up, 2006
• Step Up 2 The Streets, 2008
• Step Up 3, 2010
• Superhero Movie, 2008
• Swimming For Gold, 2020
• Taxi, 1998
• This Is 40, 2012
• The Tourist, 2010
• Tower Heist, 2011
• The Two Faces Of January, 2014
• Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family, 2011
• Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion, 2006
• Urban Legend, 1998
• Urban Legends: The Final Cut, 2000
• Van Helsing, 2004
• What'S Love Got To Do With It, 1993
• Wolves at the Door, 2016
• Working Girl, 1988